Al Di Meola’s acoustic triumph, between perfection and warmth
When you are one of the greatest architects of the modern guitar, you don’t need much introduction. After overcoming the health problems of late 2023, Al Di Meola he returned to the stage with a commendable enthusiasm and expressive clarity. Even in the most intimate setting of his Acoustic Triowith the Sardinian guitarist Peo Alfonsi and the Spanish percussionist Sergio Martinez; training that he has been taking around Europe in recent months and which was the protagonist of a two-day event at Blue Note of Milanfor a total of four (!) concerts.
A unique style
The secret of Di Meola’s sound, today as fifty years ago, is his unmistakable way of playing the guitar. Instead of sliding his fingers across the strings to give fluidity to the sound, Al hits each note individually with the pick. This makes his incredibly rhythmic and well defined style. The difference is that today he no longer seeks extreme speed at all costs, but prefers to play with the intensity and emotions of every single moment. Of course: the speed is still there. Here I am.
Its ability to go from a whisper to a powerful sound in a matter of moments is astounding. He manages to insert strong accents when you least expect it, creating a continuous and lively dialogue with the percussion. Even in the fastest and most difficult passages, where your fingers jump from one side of the guitar neck to the other, every note is heard crystal clear. There is never a confused sound: a very difficult result to achieve live.
A musical journey
The structure of the concert is designed for make the viewer travelalternating moments of energy with others of poetry. The setlists combine the complexity of jazz with the warm and passionate atmospheres of the Mediterranean and South America. When he uses special effects (pedals that make the guitar sound almost like a synthesizer), the atmosphere changes radically. The solos are even more hypnotic and go beyond a display of skill: they are conversations full of energy. The dialogue is orchestrated to perfection, thanks to the well-oiled and impeccable harmony with Alfonsi and Martinez.
A fixed and much loved event in his concerts is the acoustic arrangement of some songs by Beatles (often joining Because And In My Life). Di Meola takes the Fab Tour pieces and, with respect and delicacy, transforms them into songs that seem to have come out of his repertoire, covering them with classic and elegant sounds. On the screen behind him photos of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr follow one another, while to the tune of Ava’s Dance in the Moonlight we see old family films with the daughter, to whom the song is dedicated. It’s the nostalgia moment: there are also photos of his youth in the company of illustrious colleagues, such as Carlos Santana and Jimmy Page.
Boy and teacher
The real magic is almost always released in the endings of the songs. The two guitarists start playing the same notes together incredible rhythmslooking at each other and understanding each other quickly, while Martinez supports them by continuously switching from the drums to the cajón and vice versa, from the most historic hits to more recent releases such as Eden.
Despite his age and decades of career, Al Di Meola he never sits back on his laurels. He doesn’t want to play his old songs on autopilot: there is a continuous search for the best sound and above all the desire to get involved, while obeying the strict rules of technical perfection. It is a concert in which you can breathe the history of the guitar, where the passion of the boy on his first tour meets the care of the great master.
