Al Di Meola | Vocal Rendezvous 5/16/06

For some thirty years, Al Di Meola has been among the most expressive and innovative jazz and jazz rock guitarists worldwide. Aged 19, he won his first Grammy together with Chick Corea’s all-star act, Return to Forever, and made history as a solo artist, captivating the world with his accomplished albums, Land Of The Midnight Sun and Elegant Gypsy. No other guitarist before him has mixed rock, jazz, Latin elements and world music as successfully and impressively as Di Meola. He went on to alternate increasingly between the electric and the classical guitar, forming inspired trios with colleagues such as Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin, or later with bassist Stanley Clarke and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.

From 2000, he collaborated highly successfully with the Russian star vocalist, Leonid Agutin. Always on the lookout for new challenges, Al Di Meola has now recorded a very special and exceptional album, entitled Vocal Rendezvous, featuring material recorded in cooperation with artists such as Xavier Naidoo, Angie Stone, Macy Gray, MC Solar or Swedish pop singer, Bosson. A thoroughly distinctive offering as part of Al Di Meola’s longstanding career, and certainly one that marks him as an accomplished wanderer between different stylistic worlds.

Technorati Tags: Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Music