Review by Robert Taylor
Al di Meola's passion for the acoustic guitar has not diminished his love of electric music. Upon collaboration with Gibson, the Al di Meola Jazz Guitar was issued. In stark contrast to his customary Les Paul, this guitar is a large hollow-body similar to an L-5. The jazz guitar allows di Meola to achieve a warmer tone; however, he seemed to be going through a Pat Metheny stage at the time of this recording. The upside is that di Meola's solos combine his remarkable control with a newfound sense of swing, the downside being that he seems to have lost some of his identity. "Chilean Pipe Song" stands as one of di Meola's most memorable compositions. The supporting cast of Mario Parmisano and Peter Erskine greatly enhance the music, as each is a distinguishable and tasteful musician. Erskine particularly shines on "Summer Country Song." The one burner here is "Casmir," a fast-paced tune reminiscent of the Elegant Gypsy days. "On My Own" features di Meola's debut on piano. It is by no means anything spectacular, but it does reaffirm his continued exploration and growth. The strong playing and quality of the compositions make this recommended despite the Metheny flavorings.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/orange-and-blue-mw0000118049
Artist Biography by Greg Prato
Guitarist Al Di Meola first rose to prominence as a blazing jazz fusion artist before his playing matured and he began to conquer other styles, such as acoustic Latin music. Born on July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Di Meola briefly studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston during the early '70s before accepting a job replacing guitarist Bill Connors in fusion trailblazers Return to Forever (a group that also included monster instrumentalists keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, and drummer Lenny White) in 1974. It was with Di Meola that Return to Forever enjoyed their greatest commercial success, as such releases as 1974's Where Have I Known Before, 1975's No Mystery, and 1976's Romantic Warrior cracked the U.S. Top 40 before Di Meola jumped ship to launch a solo career.
What followed remains some of the finest jazz fusion guitar-based recordings ever: 1976's Land of the Midnight Sun, 1977's Elegant Gypsy (which would eventually earn gold certification in the U.S.), and Casino, plus 1979's Splendido Hotel. Di Meola then united with fellow guitar greats John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía for 1980's Friday Night in San Francisco. Throughout the '80s and '90s, he racked up numerous accolades (including earning yearly top honors in Guitar Player magazine polls), kept on issuing solo releases on a regular basis, and played with others, including releases by Stomu Yamashta, Paul Simon, Stanley Jordan, and David Matthews, as well as further work with such former bandmates as Corea, Clarke, de Lucía, and McLaughlin.
During the '90s, Di Meola turned his back almost entirely on fusion to concentrate more on acoustic-based world music, as evidenced by such releases as World Sinfonia, Di Meola Plays Piazzolla, and Heart of the Immigrants, among others. During the 2000s, Di Meola continued this eclectic approach with releases like 2003's Revisited, 2006's Consequence of Chaos, 2007's Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla, and 2008's live album He and Carmen with flutist Eszter Horgas. In 2011, Di Meola delivered the Latin and world music-infused studio album Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, featuring bassist Charlie Haden and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
The lushly textured fusion effort Elysium followed in 2015. Two years later, Di Meola delivered the concert album Morocco Fantasia, recorded live at the Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco. Along with Di Meola's band, the show featured guest appearances by Moroccan musicians oud player Said Chraibi, violinist Abdellah Meri, and percussionist Tarik Ben Ali. In 2018, he delivered Opus, which featured contributions from Cuban-born pianist Kemuel Roig.
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Reseña de Robert Taylor
La pasión de Al di Meola por la guitarra acústica no ha disminuido su amor por la música eléctrica. En colaboración con Gibson, se publicó la Al di Meola Jazz Guitar. En marcado contraste con su Les Paul habitual, esta guitarra es un gran cuerpo hueco similar a una L-5. La guitarra de jazz permite que di Meola alcance un tono más cálido; sin embargo, parecía estar pasando por una etapa de Pat Metheny en el momento de esta grabación. Lo bueno es que los solos de di Meola combinan su notable control con un nuevo sentido del swing, con la desventaja de que parece haber perdido parte de su identidad. "Chilean Pipe Song" es una de las composiciones más memorables de di Meola. El elenco de apoyo de Mario Parmisano y Peter Erskine realzan enormemente la música, ya que cada uno de ellos es un músico distinguido y de buen gusto. Erskine brilla particularmente en "Summer Country Song". La única canción que hay aquí es "Casmir", una melodía de ritmo rápido que recuerda a los días de los Elegantes Gitanos. "On My Own" presenta el debut de di Meola al piano. No es nada espectacular, pero reafirma su continua exploración y crecimiento. El fuerte toque y la calidad de las composiciones lo hacen recomendable a pesar de los sabores de Metheny.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/orange-and-blue-mw0000118049
Biografía del artista por Greg Prato
El guitarrista Al Di Meola se destacó por primera vez como un ardiente artista de jazz fusión antes de que su interpretación madurara y comenzó a conquistar otros estilos, como la música acústica latina. Nacido el 22 de julio de 1954 en Jersey City, Nueva Jersey, Di Meola estudió brevemente en el Berklee College of Music de Boston a principios de los años 70 antes de aceptar un trabajo sustituyendo al guitarrista Bill Connors en el grupo pionero de la fusión Return to Forever (un grupo que también incluía al monstruoso instrumentista Chick Corea, al bajista Stanley Clarke y al baterista Lenny White) en 1974. Fue con Di Meola que Return to Forever disfrutó de su mayor éxito comercial, ya que lanzamientos como Where Have I Known Before (1974), No Mystery (1975) y Romantic Warrior (1976) descifraron el Top 40 de los EE.UU. antes de que Di Meola saltara del barco para lanzar una carrera en solitario.
Lo que siguió sigue siendo algunas de las mejores grabaciones basadas en guitarras de fusión de jazz de todos los tiempos: 1976's Land of the Midnight Sun, 1977's Elegant Gypsy (que con el tiempo obtendría la certificación de oro en los EE.UU.), y Casino, además de 1979's Splendido Hotel. Di Meola luego se unió con sus compañeros grandes de la guitarra John McLaughlin y Paco de Lucía para la Friday Night de 1980 en San Francisco. A lo largo de los años 80 y 90, acumuló numerosos elogios (incluyendo la obtención de los máximos honores anuales en las encuestas de la revista Guitar Player), siguió publicando en solitario regularmente, y tocó con otros, incluyendo los lanzamientos de Stomu Yamashta, Paul Simon, Stanley Jordan y David Matthews, así como otros trabajos con ex-compañeros de banda como Corea, Clarke, de Lucía, y McLaughlin.
Durante los años 90, Di Meola dio la espalda casi por completo a la fusión para concentrarse más en la música del mundo basada en la acústica, como lo evidencian ediciones como World Sinfonia, Di Meola Plays Piazzolla y Heart of the Immigrants, entre otras. Durante la década del 2000, Di Meola continuó este enfoque ecléctico con lanzamientos como Revisited de 2003, Consecuencia del Caos de 2006, Invenciones Diabólicas y Seducción para Guitarra Solista de 2007, Vol. 1: Música de Astor Piazzolla, y el álbum en vivo He and Carmen de 2008 con el flautista Eszter Horgas. En 2011, Di Meola presentó el álbum de estudio de música latina y mundial Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, con el bajista Charlie Haden y el pianista cubano Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
El esfuerzo de fusión de exuberante textura de Elysium le siguió en 2015. Dos años más tarde, Di Meola entregó el álbum de concierto Morocco Fantasia, grabado en directo en el Mawazine Festival de Rabat, Marruecos. Junto con la banda de Di Meola, el espectáculo contó con la participación de músicos marroquíes, entre los que se encontraban el músico Said Chraibi, el violinista Abdellah Meri y el percusionista Tarik Ben Ali. En 2018, entregó Opus, que contó con la colaboración del pianista cubano Kemuel Roig.
Tracklist:
1 - Paradisio - 7:17
2 - Chilean Pipe Song - 4:50
3 - Ta'alina Chant - 1:55
4 - Orange And Blue - 7:30
5 - This Way Before - 4:38
6 - Summer Country Song - 5:29
7 - If We Meet Again, Part One - 1:30
8 - If We Meet Again, Part Two - 5:04
9 - Cyprus - 3:49
10 - Theme Of The Mother Ship - 5:16
11 - Precious Little You - 4:23
12 - Casmir - 4:06
13 - On My Own - 3:19
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – Marc Johnson (2) (tracks: 1, 2, 5 to 8, 11, 12)
Artwork – Helge Hommes
Bass – Mario Parmisano (tracks: 13)
Charango – Hernan Romero (tracks: 1, 2, 9)
Composed By – Al Di Meola
Drums – Al Di Meola (tracks: 1, 2, 12), Manu Katché (tracks: 4, 9, 11), Peter Erskine (tracks: 6 to 8), Steve Gadd (tracks: 10, 12)
Electric Bass [Electric Fretless] – Pino Palladino (tracks: 4)
Guitar – Al Di Meola, Hernan Romero (tracks: 12)
Keyboards [Additional] – Mario Parmisano (tracks: 1, 5 to 11, 13)
Percussion – Al Di Meola, Gumbi Ortiz (tracks: 4, 10, 12)
Piano – Al Di Meola (tracks: 13), Mario Parmisano (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9, 11, 12)
Saxophone – Andres Boiarsky (tracks: 4)
Synthesizer – Al Di Meola (tracks: 1 to 5, 10 to 12), Hernan Romero (tracks: 3, 6, 11)
Trombone – Conrad Herwig (tracks: 4)
Trumpet – Michael Pinella (tracks: 4)
Violin – Al Di Meola (tracks: 5), Simon Shaheen (tracks: 12)
Vocals – George Daralas (tracks: 9), Hernan Romero (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 8, 10), Noa (tracks: 3)
Label: Bluemoon – R2 79197
Country: US
Released: 1994
Genre: Jazz
Style: Fusion
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