Customer Reviews

Elegant Gypsy

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Al Dimeola, at the time of this release, was the best fusion guitarist on the planet. (Mclaughlin lacked the energy that he had before Mahavishnu broke up and Holdsworth had yet to reach the great heights that he would find in the eighties). Dimeola is at his best composition wise as well as in his playing. "Flight Over Rio" and "Midnight Tango" are examples of this. Al and a Les Paul are meant to be together. "Mediterannean Sundance" is a duet with Paco DeLucia and a complete acoustic extravaganza.The guitar artistry displayed by both is unbelievable. This is a piece that can be listened to over and over. "Race With the Devil on Spanish Highway" is the electric extravaganza and a favorite of anybody that has heard it. Unison 32nd note lines are just a part of this Dimeola classic. The writing is amazing and Al has never sounded better. The rest of the disc consists of a percussion piece and then finally there is the title track which is another Dimeola masterwork. The band on this disc is incredible. Jan Hammer, Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, and Mingo Lewis all are phenomenal musicians in there own right and Dimeola has all of them playing at their usual amazing heights. If you are only familiar with RTF and are wondering why Al would leave them for a solo career this disc has the answers. A must have for any jazz/fusion fan or guitar enthusiast.

In my opinion, this instrumental guitar collection is energetic, and exceptionally moving. I am inspired by anything that Al Dimiola presents, but this collection without peer.
Any DiMiola fan should definately add this to their collection.
Lovers of Jazz/Fusion, Spanish Accustical and excellently clever mastery of guitar will not be disappointed! Only seeing him perform these pieces live was better!!!

Al DiMeola was certainly the Jimi Hendrix of the 70's Jazz Fusion movement. And, this is his best disc from that period. Di Meola's music was also a precursor to the best World and New Age music of the 80s and 90s. Just because Jazz-fusion is out of fashion with the Jazz intelligentsia, doesn't mean DiMeola needs to be discounted. On the contrary, he inspired many to seek a new path for jazz's survival into the late 20th century and beyond. He also helped the uninitiated understand that Jazz is a cross-pollinating "bastard" musical form (in the best sense of the word) that is beyond musical category. I love Dixieland Jazz, Stride, Swing, Bebop, Afro-Cuban Jazz, West Coast Cool, Jazz Funk, 80s Neoclassic, Third Wave, etc, etc. I also love the best of Jazz Fusion. This is it!

Whether you're a serious guitar player or a fusion fan, this is a must have album -- no doubt about it. Al's distinctive style was never better highlighted nor consistently on display as it is on "Elegant Gypsy." This record has it all: scorching improvisation duels, technical wizardry, acoustic and electric variants and masterful and original compositions. And the supporting cast with the likes of Steve Gadd, Jan Hammer and Paco De Lucia is just phenomenal. This is Al and friends at their best before the pressures to pump out more commercially acceptable music (yuck!!!) compromised some of Al's later works. I began listening to this record way back in the 70's and I have yet to find anything from Al that is its equal (and only a few other records from other artists like Pat Martino's "Joyous Lake" which is tragically out of print or some of John McGlaughlin's stuff).

This was my first Al Di Meola CD, and I think it is a good place to start for new listeners. Elegant Gypsy showcases Al's technical and writing talent at a young age, and is a smoother production than his first album, Land of the Midnight Sun. Quite similar to Casino (his 3rd, 1978). The two main cuts to check out are Mediterranean Sundance (acoustic), and Race with Devil on Spanish Highway, (electric). Millions of notes, yet each one is important to the story being told.

Back when I was in junior high school, I subscribed to Guitar Player magazine, and in their annual awards issue, Al DiMeola won best jazz guitarist and this album won best guitar album. I'd never heard of him or it, I knew nothing about jazz or fusion, but hey, 'best guitar album', what did I have to lose? What I heard simply blew my mind, it was unlike anything I was prepared for. It changed my life. It even changed the way I play guitar. Al DiMeola remains my favorite guitarist, and this remains my favorite of his albums. You absolutely cannot go wrong with it.

This album has been my favorite ever since it was released. There have been many flashes of brilliance from Al but I have been waiting for 20 years for an album to come close to this. Ranging in mood from mellow to fierce this collection of songs satisfies deeply. The musicians are as tight as a drum. They can play this one at my funeral.

I'm quite new to Al Di Meola, but I'm a seasoned instrumental guitar fan. I had read on Wikipedia that Petrucci was self taught by trying to emulate the sounds of various guitarists like Malmsteen, Holdsworth and Di Meola. I figured, Holdsworth and Malmsteen are pretty big names, so to throw Di Meola in must mean something, because Petrucci after all is... well, we all know what he is capable of. I looked on Amazon.com for Di Meola albums, and Elegant Gypsy looked to the best, based solely on reviews, so I checked it out.

This CD is so incredibly monstrous, that words have a hard describing all the features it encapsulates. Di Meolas finely honed technical ability coupled with interesting tunes and beats make for a superb album. I find that this album sounds quite unlike any other instrumental guitar CD I have ever heard.

This CD was unleashed in 1976, before massively technical playing was popularized by Yngwie. This is one of the reasons I find Di Meola so special. I have never been more impressed with a 30 year old album that sounds like it could have been released just yesterday. It doesn't have the outdated 80's sound that neoclassical shred has picked up.

Im not sure whether to call Di Meola a shred guitarist, I don't really think he is. He obviously has the ability to shred with the best of them, but he tames it and keeps it under control (Yes, that's a good thing).

Now for the actual songs on the album. There are two that really stand out in my mind. Like everybody else, Race with Devil on Spanish Highway, is a superb demonstration of Di Meola's primo technical astuteness coupled with some awe-inspiring songwriting. The song just sounds really good, any way you look at it.

The other song which I am also very fond of is Mediterranean Sundance. It gives me goosebumps. It showcases the full spectrum of what the acoustic is capable of. Especially since there are two of them, the song is like a double whammy. Supposedly it's Di Meola on the right channel, and Paco de Lucia on the left, that play together with such harmony and beauty, the song is not easily overlooked.

These are the two songs that stand out in my mind, but it is not to say that the other songs not equally as impressive, because they are.

This CD is very unique, and I'm happy I picked it up. Now I understand why Petrucci threw Di Meola in that sentence.

The elegant Gypsy is, to my view and measure by measure, the best album of this singular musician. Di Meola not only convinces us once more about his prodigious hands and demoniac flourish, expressive musicality and formidable phrasing, but besides he exhibits that magic and captivating touch, that seductive elegance in what expression concerns.

In this album, the dazzling inspiration is present in every track of the album. From its instantaneous release I acquired in vinyl and enjoyed countless times. And despite the elapsed years it maintains that touch of noblesse and dignity , so typical of the outstanding musical achievements.

So that is the invitation for you, in case you do not know about it; it is a classic album that never, but never will let you down. Freshness, arrogance, musicality, fierce moods and irresistible charm with a quality sound level few times equaled.

So under any perspective this album deserves be part of your collection. It is a cult album of obligated reference among the connoisseurs.

Unlike a lot of fusion albums, this one really holds up well with time. He was criticized at the time for being too much of a shredder, but I find this album to be very melodic and tuneful, and often fiery, like a more sophisticated Carlos Santana. Aside from being a great guitar album, it's also a real showcase for Jan Hammer's keyboard playing.