Equally as curious and adventuresome as his RTF colleagues, virtuoso guitarist Al Di Meola has explored a range of music throughout his career, including Brazilian (beginning with his well-received 1985 Cielo e Terra album), Argentine tango (including two tributes to bandoneón maestro Astor Piazzolla, 1990’s Plays Piazzolla and ‘93’s Heart of the Immigrants) and a brilliant three-guitar trio project alongside fellow greats John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia (beginning in 1980 and highlighted by that year’s classic recording Friday Night in San Francisco). The group lasted until 1983 and then reunited for a new album, Super Guitar Trio, and world tour in 1996.
All of Di Meola’s multifaceted talents can be traced back to moment he was thrust into the spotlight as a 19-year-old guitar phenom with Return to Forever in 1974. He replaced original RTF quartet guitarist Bill Connors and became an immediate star in the superstar fusion group, recording on three RTF albums through 1976.
In that same year Di Meola made his first solo recording, Land of the Midnight Sun, a remarkable fusion project in its own right, followed by such superb outings as Elegant Gypsy (1976) and Casino (1977).
Following RTF, DiMeola became an active leader as both an electric guitar “shredder” and, in recent years, a distinguished acoustic guitarist. Guitar historian Robert Lynch has commented on Di Meola’s significance: “In the history of the electric guitar, no one figure has done more to advance the instrument in a purely technical manner than [him]. His total command of the various styles and scales is simply mind-boggling.”
A sampling of Di Meola’s career collaborators includes guitarist Carlos Santana, keyboardist Jan Hammer and bandoneón ace Dino Saluzzi. Di Meola’s fine solo guitar outings include 1996’s Christmas: Winter Nights and 2006’s Diabolic Inventions and Seductions for Solo Guitar.
An Interview With Al: What was one of the best memories of your time in Return to Forever? My first week playing stadiums like the Astrodome as part of the Newport Jazz Festival. My playing the first show of my career with RTF at Carnegie Hall at 19 years old! Playing Central Park for 20,000 people! Being invited to sit in with Stevie Wonder after he heard us play, during my first time playing L.A. at the Troubadour! Then having him play with us twice live together with RTF. Playing Europe for the first time! All of it was a dream come true!
What did learn while in Return for Forever that you carried into your solo career? The inspiration of playing with these guys propels you to a higher place as a player, and the fact that I had the most rewarding guitar chair one could ever dream for made me really strive as a composer. Without this experience I could never have emerged as a writer, so given the inspiration I had playing these great epic Corea pieces, I had a built-in first musical father!
What is your musical anticipation of this upcoming RTF tour after you have traveled on so many other musical paths? How will you approach the music? The anticipation is tremendous. I get to bring my new rhythmic and improvisational aspects that are more developed than the first time around! For me, I feel I have grown tremendously in my scope and range. The thrill this time around is that I get another chance, in current time, to execute all of my 30 years’ experience that was not there when I was 19.
What excites you the most about this first tour for RTF in over 25 years? To relive that thrill again! To see all of the fans come out for an event and turn on a whole new generation at the same time!
What do you expect the audiences will be like—original RTF followers or a combination of veteran fans and new disciples? Across the board, fusion-starved fans, new and old!
Why do you think there is so big a buzz about Return to Forever getting back together? Because we represented the beginning of the most exciting era in jazz, called "fusion," and it brings back great memories with us four guys playing together on the same stage, as we were considered by some the "Beatles of jazz.” They never thought it would happen, but for 30 years we all were bombarded with questions about the possibility! There was a "snowball in hell" chance, as one critic put it. I had hoped, and now the dream that I had as a kid to play with my favorite group in the world is happening all over again! Whew!
Equally as curious and adventuresome as his RTF colleagues, virtuoso guitarist Al Di Meola has explored a range of music throughout his career, including Brazilian (beginning with his well-received 1985 Cielo e Terra album), Argentine tango (including two tributes to bandoneón maestro Astor Piazzolla, 1990’s Plays Piazzolla and ‘93’s Heart of the Immigrants) and a brilliant three-guitar trio project alongside fellow greats John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia (beginning in 1980 and highlighted by that year’s classic recording Friday Night in San Francisco). The group lasted until 1983 and then reunited for a new album, Super Guitar Trio, and world tour in 1996. 