The Guitar Trio

John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 15, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 15, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000004756
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,655 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Flamenco
  • #49 in Music > World Music > Europe > Continental Europe > Spain

Editorial Reviews

DE LUCIA PACO THE GUITAR TRIO

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, November 18, 2002

By 

Russell Diederich (Littleton, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Guitar Trio (Audio CD)

"The Guitar Trio" of Paco De Lucia, Al DiMeola, and John McLaughlin join together again to perform their magic again with this stunning album. Although it has the same premise as their "Friday Night Live In San Francisco", there are some big differences. One, it's not live, and two, twenty years have passed. Although it is missing a bit of that live energy, this is an incredible album.

The Trio work well together taking turns soloing over the tune. The liner notes are kind enough to tell which of the guitar virtuosos is taking the solo. On most of the tunes, they each take one solo. Not only do they share the solo work, the share the composition work each taking the pen to write several songs each. The playing moves from fast and furious, to slow and peaceful. The rhythms are almost all Latin with a flamenco feel to them. "Le Monastere Dans Les Montagnes" is a good representation of both of these feels. The song is sometimes quiet, and nearly passive, and then with a burst of finger, the notes leap out at you in a rapid fire pace. The album opens with a very flamenco sounding "La Estiba". Add in highlights like "Midsummer Night", "Manha De Carnaval" and "Espiritu" you can't go wrong with this album.

Once again, these three show the unique chemistry they have between them. It would have been interesting to see how this album faired if it was recorded live. These guys get better with each passing year, and I look forward to their next collaboration. This should definitely be added to your Trio collection.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing and Brilliant, November 12, 2002

By 

Kenneth James Michael MacLean (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Guitar Trio (Audio CD)

This is the finest guitar recording I have ever heard, certainly, in my opinion, the best recording ever for Paco, John, and Al. Most reviewers and listeners will disagree with me, pointing to the excellent 'Friday Night in San Francisco' as the definitive session for this trio. That certainly is an amazing date, but this recording is deeper and the playing is at such a level that I am blown away every time I listen to it. What is so impressive is the uniqueness of all of the compositions. On some recordings the tunes seems to blend together, but not on this one. All of the compositions are so different, yet so pleasing, that even after 30 listenings this CD seems as fresh to me as the first time.
It is hard for me to convey to the reader the superbness of the playing on this date. The 3 guitars are flawlessly, seamlessly and intricately weaving the music like a beautiful and complex tapestry, but the sound is always pleasing to the ear. There are no wasted notes, no irrelevant riffs made to impress the listener. The trio is creating and improvising at a level of communication that is utterly astonishing and amazing. I have never heard such power, beauty, intricacy and melody from any guitar combo that can compare to this one. It wasn't until the 10th listening that I was able to even begin to appreciate the music on this date. I have been listening to music of all kinds for 40 years and I rate this CD as one of my all time favorites.
There are 9 tunes on the CD, all different. Some are powerful and quick, while others are slower, but every cut has some amazing moments. It is worth the price of the CD for the last cut alone, 'Cardeosa'. This track is one of the most amazing pieces of music I've ever heard. I won't bore you with any more details other than to say, if you are looking for world class musicians at the very peak of their creative powers, you must buy this CD! Listen to it at least 10 times before you make up your mind, because you will hear new things every time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not Friday Night in San Francisco.... but still great, May 11, 2000

By 

"gdozzzz" (Avon, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guitar Trio (Audio CD)

Okay, so the energy that was there in FNiSF is not present here... but how could you expect that without it being live?

The three guitarists hold back on some of the tracks here, and while they still have amazing technique and showcase it often, there are slower moments here. This may make it "boring" to those that expect it to burn thoughout as with FNiSF, however for the true fan of the acoustic guitar, this album never fails.

It is obvious that the three have come a long way (at least in their compositions), as they are far more sophisticated than in their previous recordings. Two songs from Al's "The Infinite Desire" are here, and a third, "Espirutu" which adds some percussion to the guitars. Paco adds two strong flamenco pieces, of which I preffered the uplifting "Cardeosa". John's fun "Midsummer Night" brings back some of the energy of FNiSF and is a highlight of the CD, while his other two compositions (particularly Letter from India) are also very good. Finally, John and Al play the beautiful Manha de Carnaval, the slowest piece here.

If you're not a fan of flamenco/jazz, or are expecting the same energy as showcased in Friday Night in San Francisco, don't buy this.