Al DiMeola

[kmanick]

Re: Al DiMeola

did Al o an electric set or an acoustic set? I heard lately he's mellowed out quite a bit.
I'm hoping it was electric, he's coming to New Hampshire and
I might take the drive up to see him.

[~K~]

Re: Al DiMeola

James where in NH?

[jgcable]

Re: Al DiMeola

+1. Al kills. 2 of my favorite records are Black Jaguar and Kiss my Axe. Super fast, extremely precise and he does it effortlessly. His fingers just glide up and down the neck.

[Joe_Steeler]

Re: Al DiMeola

I saw Al do a seminar on the old Thoroughbred Music, Kapok Pavillion store in Clearwater Fl.
I was sitting in row 2. The whole thing almost made me give up playing the damn thing. He is just incredible and jaw dropping, I cannot believe the way he dominates the instruments.
Yet, after some thinking it inspired me to get better and practice harder.
He was a little dickish at the sound guys, since this was a guitar showcase day they had to set, a stage and sound system that is not permanent, etc.
Great, great talent.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Al DiMeola

Some of my coworkers went to see him here in Charlotte on Tuesday...I talked to one of them and he said it was amazing.

[Jack The Riffer]

Re: Al DiMeola

[ QUOTE ]
did Al o an electric set or an acoustic set? I heard lately he's mellowed out quite a bit.
I'm hoping it was electric, he's coming to New Hampshire and
I might take the drive up to see him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mainly Electric with his beautiful PRS some acoustic. He mixed it up, like I said, it was amazing. He actually did a song that was recorded on acoustic as an electric for us.

[Chrisb]

Re: Al DiMeola

Al is one of the most amazing fusion guitarists ever. I have Casino on vinyl and I still pull that album out and listen to it when I think I am getting a big head about my playing. That will humble you in a second. One of the most precise players I've ever heard.

[hippietim]

Re: Al DiMeola

[ QUOTE ]
+1. Al kills. 2 of my favorite records are Black Jaguar and Kiss my Axe. Super fast, extremely precise and he does it effortlessly. His fingers just glide up and down the neck.

[/ QUOTE ]

While this is all true, it is not what impressed me the most. What killed me was his sense of rhythm and melody.

He would be talking to someone in the band or laughing or trying to get the sound guy to fix the monitor mix or whatever while he's playing this insane polyrhythmic/syncopated melody and all the while he's just smiling and his foot is stomping to the beat like a fucking metronome.

As for his melodic sense - holy crap - clearly these guys are improvising quite a bit and you could tell they were trying to lead each other all over the map and throw a surprise at the other guys - Al just played so seamlessly over the craziest chord changes you could imagine.

We are truly not worthy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[kmanick]

Re: Al DiMeola

[ QUOTE ]
James where in NH?

[/ QUOTE ]
James?
Kevin I mis-read the tour dates he Was at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon NH. we missed him
Sh*t, but Lebanon is way up ther (Killington country)
I wouldn't have gone up that far anyway. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
Nick

[~K~]

Re: Al DiMeola

Um ..sorry, I mixed you two up ...my bad I know better ..

[Rupe]

Re: Al DiMeola

I would love to see him electric...he's an amazing player. I saw him in '89 at Penn State do an all acoustic show with a percussionist. It was OK but I thought he got upstaged by his opener, Stanley Jordan. Watching him was just mind blowing...its like he plays a complete different instrument. Everything Al played after him was great but wasn't a good follow up to what eveyone had just witnessed. I think it would have been a different story if Al had come out with his Les Pauls and PRS's.