Record Reviews
📝 2096 reviews| Artist | Title | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Al Di Meola | Elegant Gypsy | <p>Guitarist Al di Meola's second record as a leader is generally an explosive affair, although it does have a fair amount of variety. With Jan Hammer or Barry Miles on keyboards, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Lenny White (Steve Gadd takes his place on the "Elegant Gypsy Suite"), and percussionist Mingo Lewis on most of the selections, di Meola shows off his speedy and rock-ish fusion style. He was still a member of Return to Forever at the time and was a stronger guitarist than composer, but di Meola did put a lot of thought into this music. The brief "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" (an acoustic guitar solo) and "Mediterranean Sundance" (an acoustic duet with fellow guitarist Paco de Lucía) hints at di Meola's future directions. A near classic in the fusion vein.</p><p>— <strong>Scott Yanow</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Splendido Hotel | <p>Talk about ambitious. This two-LP set finds guitarist Al di Meola performing with his quintet of the time (featuring keyboardist Philippe Saisse), with studio musicians, solo, in a reunion with pianist Chick Corea, singing a love song, and welcoming veteran Les Paul for a version of "Spanish Eyes." Most of the music works quite well and it shows that di Meola (best-known for his speedy rock-oriented solos) is a surprisingly well-rounded and versatile musician.</p><p>— <strong>Scott Yanow</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Splendido Hotel | <p>Talk about ambitious. This two-LP set finds guitarist Al di Meola performing with his quintet of the time (featuring keyboardist Philippe Saisse), with studio musicians, solo, in a reunion with pianist Chick Corea, singing a love song, and welcoming veteran Les Paul for a version of "Spanish Eyes." Most of the music works quite well and it shows that di Meola (best-known for his speedy rock-oriented solos) is a surprisingly well-rounded and versatile musician.</p><p>— <strong>Scott Yanow</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Cielo e Terra | <p>Having grown a bit weary of playing loud fusion, Al DiMeola recorded a largely acoustic set on his debut for Manhattan. DiMeola, who augments his acoustic guitar with the orchestral Synclavier guitar, plays five unaccompanied solos and is joined on the other four numbers by percussionist Airto Moreira. Other than Keith Jarrett's "Coral," all of the moody selections are by the guitarist. An interesting, if not overly memorable, atmospheric set.</p><p>— <strong>Scott Yanow</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Soaring Through A Dream | <p>This recently reissued 1985 date has plenty of electric bombast, along with ample examples of DiMeola's piercing acoustic style. What it lacks is the energy and creative integrity that underscores DiMeola's World Sinfonia sessions and his classic Splendido Hotel. There are some pretty melodies, an entrancing moment or two, and too many interludes where it seems that something is about to happen, but things cool down or degenerate into blandness. The longer compositions drone on without establishing anything substantial, while the short pieces fade in and out, offering bits and pieces of fine playing, but nothing thematically distinguished. When the CD ends, you realize that DiMeola is an excellent technician, but nothing left any lasting impression.</p><p>— <strong>Ron Wynn</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Plays Piazzolla | <p>Latin music has been a strong influence on Al DiMeola since his early years, and in the '90s, he paid especially close attention to the music of Argentina. A welcome addition to his already impressive catalogue, DiMeola Plays Piazzola pays homage to the late Argentinean tango master Astor Piazzolla (whose distinctive and very poetic brand of romanticism was considered quite daring and radical in Argentina). It would have been easy for an artist to allow his own personality to become obscured when saluting Piazzola's legacy, but the charismatic DiMeola is too great an improvisor to let that happen. Though his reverence for Piazzola comes through loud and clear on these haunting classics, there's no mistaking the fact that this is very much an Al DiMeola project.</p>— <b>Alex Henderson</b> |
| Al Di Meola | This Is Jazz 31 | <p>This Is Jazz, Vol. 31 contains 11 well-chosen tracks taken from jazz fusion guitarist Al di Meola's seven-year stint with Columbia Records. This disc contains 11 highlights from the albums Elegant Gypsy, Electric Rendezvous, Land of the Midnight Sun, Tour de Force: Live, Scenario, and Splendido Hotel. While there is nothing here the jazz collector doesn't already own, this disc does provide a decent sampling for the curious listener.</p><p>— <strong>Al Campbell</strong></p> |
| Al Di Meola | Flesh On Flesh | <p>Al DiMeola continues to broaden his musical horizons with Flesh on Flesh, his fourth release for the Telarc recording label. The great guitarist is joined by two members of his World Sinfonia acoustic group -- Gumbi Ortiz on percussion and Mario Parmisano on keyboards -- in addition to such stellar musicians as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, flutist Alejandro Santos, and bassist Anthony Jackson, who recorded with DiMeola on his best-selling Elegant Gypsy album in the mid-'80s. Offering classic guitar lines on an array of guitars (including a vintage Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, and Conde-Romano acoustic), Al DiMeola is memorable, timeless, and true to the beauty, culture and sensual imagery that inspired him to compose and arrange these eight great songs. Each song is a masterpiece, and such compositions as "Flesh on Flesh" (which features him on five different instruments), "Zona Desperata," and "Fugata" (which showcases DiMeola trading with Gonzalo Rubalcaba on their Fender Rhodes solo in part three) are just three of the musical statements befitting all who've been lucky enough to see or hear DiMeola's phenomenal sound "live." To hear that same energy and excitement recorded "live" on Flesh on Flesh is especially gratifying since the music is developed and takes place in a new context, space, and time. You'll find that every graceful musical curve, every dynamic concept, every technological update heard on Flesh on Flesh is a celebration of new forms and functions, of strict rhythmic reinterpretation and the inimitable DiMeola sound and guitar virtuosity. A must-have.</p>— <b>Paula Edelstein</b> |
| Al Di Meola | Consequence Of Chaos | <p>The sticker on the disc's cover states that this is "a return to his solid-body electric guitar," and while that may be true in parts, Consequence of Chaos is still pretty far from the tense, nonstop electric sizzle of di Meola's first three albums, which are landmarks in the jazz fusion genre. And while there is plenty of electric guitar here — and a musical reconnection with Chick Corea, Steve Gadd, and Barry Miles, all of whom have previously worked with di Meola — this is still dominated by the world music and more subtle framework that have characterized the guitarist's playing for the last few decades. The performances are uniformly excellent, and even though the approach shifts from prog to acoustic to electric and world, di Meola's distinctive style and classy approach congeal the music with authority. "Tao" alone takes more turns than a craggy mountain road, but never gets predictable or pretentious. Di Meola knows when to hold back and when to unleash his precise, percussive, fret-shredding Latin lines, and it's that sense of restraint that makes this disc, and much of his recent work, so successful. These instrumental pieces lay down a groove upon which di Meola solos with different combinations of musicians. Melodies are difficult to pinpoint, but the sublime playing keeps the listener's interest despite a tendency to wander. Four brief, low-key interludes feature an unaccompanied di Meola playing all the instruments, and provide a more relaxed counterpoint to the busier band tracks. Percussionists Ernie Adams and Gumbi Ortiz's standout work, especially on the subtle "Hypnose," add hot, bubbling flavor to the project. Chick Corea only appears on two tracks, but both are highlights. The lovely acoustic duet on "Cry for You" brings out the best in both musicians as their interplay reaches new heights. Di Meola calls the nine-minute "Tempest" his most complex piece — which is saying a lot — as it twists through different moods and tones utilizing varying rhythms in an impressive display of the guitarist's dazzling skills. It's a summation of this album that shows di Meola, after 30 years as a solo artist, to be on the top of his game.</p><p>— <b>Hal Horowitz</b></p> |
| Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia | Friday Night In San Fransisco | <p>Loose and spontaneous, this (mainly) live album is a meeting of three of the greatest guitarists in the world for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken up into three duo and two trio performances, Friday Night in San Francisco catches all three players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers. The first track features Al di Meola and Paco de Lucía teaming up for a medley of di Meola's "Mediterranean Sundance" (first recorded by the duo on di Meola's classic 1976 album Elegant Gypsy) and de Lucía's own "Rio Ancho." It is a delightful performance, full of the fire and inhuman chops that one expects from two players of this caliber. However, the two guitarists obviously have big ears, and they complement each other's solos with percussive, driving rhythm parts. </p><p>There is a laid-back, humorous element to Friday Night in San Francisco as well, best witnessed in di Meola and John McLaughlin's performance of Chick Corea's "Short Tales of the Black Forest." Rapid-fire licks from the pair soon give way to atonal striking of the body of the guitar, running picks along the strings, etc. Before the farce is completed, they have played a blues and quoted the Pink Panther theme. It is funny stuff, and it serves to dispel the image of the trio, especially di Meola, as super-serious clinicians more concerned with technique than music. The other great piece of evidence against such a narrow-minded claim can be found in both the quality of the compositions featured on Friday Night in San Francisco as well as the sensitivity and dynamic variation brought to the performances. A perfect example of this is the sole studio track, a McLaughlin composition entitled "Guardian Angel" (the opening theme of which is taken straight from "Guardian Angels," a song that appears on McLaughlin's 1978 Electric Dreams album). It is a fine piece, and one that features a haunting melody as well as some of the best solos on the record. All in all, Friday Night in San Francisco is a fantastic album and one of the best entries in all of these guitarists' fine discographies.</p><p>— <strong>Daniel Gioffre</strong></p> |
| Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia | Friday Night In San Fransisco | <p>Loose and spontaneous, this (mainly) live album is a meeting of three of the greatest guitarists in the world for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken up into three duo and two trio performances, Friday Night in San Francisco catches all three players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers. The first track features Al di Meola and Paco de Lucía teaming up for a medley of di Meola's "Mediterranean Sundance" (first recorded by the duo on di Meola's classic 1976 album Elegant Gypsy) and de Lucía's own "Rio Ancho." It is a delightful performance, full of the fire and inhuman chops that one expects from two players of this caliber. However, the two guitarists obviously have big ears, and they complement each other's solos with percussive, driving rhythm parts. </p><p>There is a laid-back, humorous element to Friday Night in San Francisco as well, best witnessed in di Meola and John McLaughlin's performance of Chick Corea's "Short Tales of the Black Forest." Rapid-fire licks from the pair soon give way to atonal striking of the body of the guitar, running picks along the strings, etc. Before the farce is completed, they have played a blues and quoted the Pink Panther theme. It is funny stuff, and it serves to dispel the image of the trio, especially di Meola, as super-serious clinicians more concerned with technique than music. The other great piece of evidence against such a narrow-minded claim can be found in both the quality of the compositions featured on Friday Night in San Francisco as well as the sensitivity and dynamic variation brought to the performances. A perfect example of this is the sole studio track, a McLaughlin composition entitled "Guardian Angel" (the opening theme of which is taken straight from "Guardian Angels," a song that appears on McLaughlin's 1978 Electric Dreams album). It is a fine piece, and one that features a haunting melody as well as some of the best solos on the record. All in all, Friday Night in San Francisco is a fantastic album and one of the best entries in all of these guitarists' fine discographies.</p><p>— <strong>Daniel Gioffre</strong></p> |
| Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia | Passion, Grace And Fire | |
| Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia | Passion, Grace And Fire | I need to edit this record |
| Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia | The Guitar Trio | <P>Guitar Trio is an excellent collaborative effort from three of the finest jazz guitarists of the post-rock & roll era: Paco de Lucía, John McLaughlin, and Al di Meola. Throughout the record, the trio doesn't just showcase their instrumental skills; they demonstrate their musicality. This is sympathetic, emotional musicianship, where each musician complements each other instead of trying to out-do the other. For jazz guitar fans, it rarely gets more exciting than Guitar Trio.</P><P>— <B>Leo Stanley</B></P> |
| Neil Diamond | Moods | |
| Dire Straits | Dire Straits | |
| Dire Straits | Dire Straits | <p>Dire Straits' minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler's spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. And while the bar band mentality of pub-rock is at the core of Dire Straits — even the group's breakthrough single, "Sultans of Swing," offered a lament for a neglected pub rock band — their music is already beyond the simple boogies and shuffles of their forefathers, occasionally dipping into jazz and country. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. While a few of the songs fall flat, the album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career.</p>— Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
| Dire Straits | Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia | |
| Dire Straits | Communique | <p>Rushed out less than nine months after the surprise success of Dire Straits' self-titled debut album, the group's sophomore effort, Communiqué, seemed little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor with less compelling material. Mark Knopfler and co. had established a sound (derived largely from J.J. Cale) of laid-back shuffles and intricate, bluesy guitar playing, and Communiqué provided more examples of it. But there was no track as focused as "Sultans of Swing," even if "Lady Writer" (a lesser singles chart entry on both sides of the Atlantic) nearly duplicated its sound. As a result, Communiqué sold immediately to Dire Straits' established audience, but no more, and it did not fare as well critically as its predecessor or its follow-up.</p><p>—<strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p> |
| Dire Straits | Making Movies | <p>Without second guitarist David Knopfler, Dire Straits began to move away from its roots rock origins into a jazzier variation of country-rock and singer/songwriter folk-rock. Naturally, this means that Mark Knopfler's ambitions as a songwriter are growing, as the storytelling pretensions of Making Movies indicate. Fortunately, his skills are increasing, as the lovely "Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of Love," and "Skateaway" indicate. And Making Movies is helped by a new wave-tinged pop production, which actually helps Knopfler's jazzy inclinations take hold. The record runs out of steam toward the end, closing with the borderline offensive "Les Boys," but the remainder of Making Movies ranks among the band's finest work.</p>— <b>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</b> |
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