Al Di Meola
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
May 21st 1978
KZAM FM Broadcast
The personal:
In the early 80s, having finally figured out that Frank Zappa was god
I was listening to Tinseltown Rebellion.
Towards the end of Peaches III they go into a mock staccato guitar frenzy
" let's hear it for another great Italian...Alvin Lee"
I laughed.
" let's hear it for another great Italian...Al Di Meola"
I stopped laughing,
Who the fuck is Al Di Meola?
Next record fair I see Tour de Force...a live album.
I buy it. My life is changed.
There is more to guitar than Ritchie Blackmore.
I backtrack Al's career.
Discover Return to Forever.
A couple of years later Al is playing in Manchester.
I get front row seats.
We arrive late, the pub having sucked us in.
Al is not happy as we shuffle in mid way through his opening tune. Sorry Al.
We smoke heavily packed spliffs and blow the smoke in Al's face.
Again Al is obviously not happy. Sorry Al.
It is a killer gig.
The actual:
Al was a turning point for me.
A route into jazz from my prog/metal roots.
He is a wonderful musician.
The technical:
I upped the high frequencies to bring out the guitar/keys/marimba/hi hat.
I applied noise reduction to quell the loud amp hum/hiss.
I cut out the inane DJ chatter and pointless interview:
"what do you think of Seattle audiences Al?"
"they're great"...what else is he supposed to say?
I compressed the files...that does not mean I made them quieter
In fact quite the opposite.
I upped the bass/kick drum frequencies which had suffered from the previous actions.
Not perfect, But I feel it now is a better listen.
The political:
I hope you enjoy this. Comments are welcome.
It makes the blog more vibrant and worthwhile.
Don't just leave it to Derek and Sir Billy.
Are you stupid or what? Download this now!
regards
Titus
01 Egyptian Danza
02 Chasin' the Voodoo
03 Dark Eye Tango
04 Short Tales of the Black Forest
05 Fantasia Suite
06 Señor Mouse
07 Midnight Tango
08 The Wizard
link
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
May 21st 1978
KZAM FM Broadcast
The personal:
In the early 80s, having finally figured out that Frank Zappa was god
I was listening to Tinseltown Rebellion.
Towards the end of Peaches III they go into a mock staccato guitar frenzy
" let's hear it for another great Italian...Alvin Lee"
I laughed.
" let's hear it for another great Italian...Al Di Meola"
I stopped laughing,
Who the fuck is Al Di Meola?
Next record fair I see Tour de Force...a live album.
I buy it. My life is changed.
There is more to guitar than Ritchie Blackmore.
I backtrack Al's career.
Discover Return to Forever.
A couple of years later Al is playing in Manchester.
I get front row seats.
We arrive late, the pub having sucked us in.
Al is not happy as we shuffle in mid way through his opening tune. Sorry Al.
We smoke heavily packed spliffs and blow the smoke in Al's face.
Again Al is obviously not happy. Sorry Al.
It is a killer gig.
The actual:
Al was a turning point for me.
A route into jazz from my prog/metal roots.
He is a wonderful musician.
The technical:
I upped the high frequencies to bring out the guitar/keys/marimba/hi hat.
I applied noise reduction to quell the loud amp hum/hiss.
I cut out the inane DJ chatter and pointless interview:
"what do you think of Seattle audiences Al?"
"they're great"...what else is he supposed to say?
I compressed the files...that does not mean I made them quieter
In fact quite the opposite.
I upped the bass/kick drum frequencies which had suffered from the previous actions.
Not perfect, But I feel it now is a better listen.
The political:
I hope you enjoy this. Comments are welcome.
It makes the blog more vibrant and worthwhile.
Don't just leave it to Derek and Sir Billy.
Are you stupid or what? Download this now!
regards
Titus
01 Egyptian Danza
02 Chasin' the Voodoo
03 Dark Eye Tango
04 Short Tales of the Black Forest
05 Fantasia Suite
06 Señor Mouse
07 Midnight Tango
08 The Wizard
link
thank you
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Unknown
ReplyDeleteIs there a polite way to ask for a re-up pleaaaaazzzz. I missed this one, thought I had it but nope. :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem Derek, New link added
ReplyDeleteThank you. I must admit that the Casino LP from 1978 is the only "jazz fusion" record my ears are able to admit. I was born in South Flanders fields where Rory Gallagher, Motorhead, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple were the only musical influences admitted & allowed. It took a long time to listen to and appreciate Al di Meola, Pat Metheny and others...
ReplyDeleteTour de Force and Electric Rendezvous are probably the most suitable ADM albums if you're coming from a rock background
ReplyDelete