Al Di Meola Lets It Rip At BB Kings – (8-23) & 8-24-16
While his fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen was setting up shop about ten miles away on the other side of the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, Al Di Meola brought his Elegant Gypsy Romantic Warrior Electric Tour to Times Square.
Al D has been balancing the electric and the acoustic in his inimitable way of late by offering unplugged shows in Europe behind his latest album Elysium and gigging electric in the states while highlighting material from two of his most essential mid 70’s releases.
Romantic Warrior, released in 1976 and produced by Chick Corea was Return To Forever’s third album featuring Di Meola who had joined Corea, Stanley Clarke (who is at The Highline on September 21st) and Lenny White as a twenty year old wunderkind on Where Have I Known You Before two years prior. The following year’s Elegant Gypsy was self-produced and included contributions from pals like Jan Hammer and Steve Gadd as well as Paco De Lucia on the unforgettable Mediterranean Sundance – later the opening track on Friday Night In San Francisco. Di Meola played with fire and flair and connected the legacy material with mid-period selections and some new stuff as well. Evan Garr on fiddle, who joined the band under extraordinary circumstances not too long ago, and Gumbi Ortiz led the charge behind the Bergenfield High alum.
While speaking before the show last Wednesday, Di Meola pointed to Astor Piazzolla, who he met in the early 80s, as someone who inspired him to go to the another level. He described the Argentine as the father of classical tango music and one he became close friends with. Noting that some fusion music was caught up in the cult of velocity and could miss the mark on an emotional level, he credited Piazzolla as having an amazing ability to convey the stuff of the heart without sacrificing technical complexity.