Fri Night inwards San Francisco is a 1981 live on album past times Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin too Paco de LucÃa. It was described past times jazz writer too critic Walter Kolosky every bit "a musical lawsuit that could live on compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall inwards 1938 ... [it] may live on considered the virtually influential of all live on acoustic guitar albums".
All the tracks except "Guardian Angel" were recorded live on at The Warfield Theatre on v Dec 1980, inwards San Francisco; "Guardian Angel" was recorded at Minot Sound, inwards White Plains, New York.
John McLaughlin is an English linguistic communication guitarist, bandleader too composer. His music includes many genres of jazz too rock, which he coupled with an involvement inwards Indian classical music to travel 1 of the pioneering figures inwards fusion. In 2010, guitarist Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." In 2003, McLaughlin was ranked 49th inwards Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." After contributing to several fundamental British groups of the early on sixties too making his offset solo record, he moved to the the U.S. of A. where he played with Tony Williams' grouping Lifetime too and then with Miles Davis on his landmark electric-jazz fusion albums: In Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Tribute To Jack Johnson too On The Corner.
Paco de Lucia was a Castilian flamenco guitarist, composer too producer. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 leading proponent of the New Flamenco style, he helped legitimize flamenco alongside the institution inwards Spain, too was 1 of the offset flamenco guitarists to postulate maintain successfully crossed over into other genres of music such every bit classical too jazz. De Lucia was noted for his fast too fluent fingerstyle runs. His collaborations with guitarists John McLaughlin too Al Di Meola saw him gain wider popularity exterior his native Spain.
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed jazz fusion too Latin jazz guitarist, composer, too tape producer. With a musical career that has spanned to a greater extent than than 3 decades, he has travel respected every bit 1 of the virtually influential guitarists inwards jazz to date. Albums such every bit Fri Night In San Francisco postulate maintain earned him both artistic too commercial success with a corporation fan base of operations throughout the world. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 prolific composer too prodigious six-string talent, Di Meola has amassed over twenty albums every bit a leader piece collaborating on a dozen or therefore others.
It was a historic occasion. The appearance of John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, too Paco DeLucia at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre 1 Fri black inwards 1981 was a musical lawsuit that could live on compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall inwards 1938. The Guitar Trio did for the acoustic guitar what Goodman had done for jazz. The acoustic guitar had gone commercial.
In 1979 too 1980, McLaughlin too de Lucia had really toured Europe with Larry Coryell. McLaughlin tried to free a recording of this grouping only Columbia would postulate maintain none of it, claiming Coryell was non a big plenty name. Coryell had unopen to personal problems at the fourth dimension that did non aid either. (The video Meeting of the Spirits features this version of the Trio, too it likewise appears on 1 cutting on DeLucia's album Castro Marin ). When the fourth dimension came to tour America, DiMeola stepped in. His presence of a precipitous made the Trio commercial. At whatever rate, Fri Night inwards San Francisco was the result.
FNSF genuinely caught these players' energy, amazing technique too sense of humor to a generous degree. There is no incertitude that McLaughlin is the leader (center channel gives that away), only DiMeola too DeLucia to a greater extent than than agree their own. DiMeola, though 1 of the world's greatest guitar players, lacks the emotional intensity too overall musicality to fit McLaughlin or DeLucia. But the Latin influenced music of the Trio allows him to excel inwards a genre inwards which he had long dabbled. Not beingness a jazz player, DeLucia's improvisational operate is understandably weaker than the other two. However, the music is every bit much inwards DeLucia's pocketbook every bit anyone’s. The concert is total of telephone telephone too response, unison playing, heavy chords (courtesy of McLaughlin), too audience screams.
The album's highlight is McLaughlin's duet with DeLucia on an Egberto Gismonti piece, "Frevo Rasgado". The beautiful tune too stunning improvisation leads to an absolutely hair-raising finale duel. (Gismonti has recorded a beautiful version of his tune on piano.) The recording's lightest moments occur during a hilarious duet version of Chick Corea’s “Short Tales of the Black Forest,” featuring McLaughin too DiMeola inwards which the ii masters quote dorsum too forth from diverse sources including Mancini’s “Pink Panther.” All 3 players goal the lawsuit with a studio version of McLaughlin’s “Guardian Angel.”
Fri Night inwards San Francisco may live on considered the virtually influential of all live on acoustic guitar albums. Though unopen to postulate maintain criticized it for its muscular tendencies, the recording surely captures the excitement of the lawsuit itself. In a basis of electrical guitars, it was quite odd to postulate heed a crowd travel absolutely ballistic over acoustic strumming. It is non therefore odd today, too this tape is 1 major argue for that.
Loose too spontaneous, this (mainly) live on album is a coming together of 3 of the greatest guitarists inwards the basis for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken upwardly into 3 duo too ii trio performances, Fri Night inwards San Francisco catches all 3 players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers. The offset runway features Al di Meola too Paco de LucÃa teaming upwardly for a medley of di Meola's "Mediterranean Sundance" (first recorded past times the duo on di Meola's classic 1976 album Elegant Gypsy) too de LucÃa's ain "Rio Ancho." It is a delightful performance, total of the burn downward too inhuman chops that 1 expects from ii players of this caliber. However, the ii guitarists manifestly postulate maintain big ears, too they complement each other's solos with percussive, driving musical rhythm parts. There is a laid-back, humorous chemical ingredient to Fri Night inwards San Francisco every bit well, best witnessed inwards di Meola too John McLaughlin's performance of Chick Corea's "Short Tales of the Black Forest." Rapid-fire licks from the pair shortly scope agency to atonal striking of the trunk of the guitar, running picks along the strings, etc. Before the farce is completed, they postulate maintain played a blues too quoted the Pink Panther theme. It is funny stuff, too it serves to dispel the icon of the trio, peculiarly di Meola, every bit super-serious clinicians to a greater extent than concerned with technique than music. The other corking slice of bear witness against such a narrow-minded claim tin live on found inwards both the character of the compositions featured on Fri Night inwards San Francisco every bit good every bit the sensitivity too dynamic variation brought to the performances. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 perfect example of this is the sole studio track, a McLaughlin composition entitled "Guardian Angel" (the opening topic of which is taken direct from "Guardian Angels," a vocal that appears on McLaughlin's 1978 Electric Dreams album). It is a fine piece, too 1 that features a haunting tune every bit good every bit unopen to of the best solos on the record. All inwards all, Fri Night inwards San Francisco is a fantastic album too 1 of the best entries inwards all of these guitarists' fine discographies.
Track listing:
1. Mediterranean Sundance / Rio Ancho 11:31
2. Short Tales Of The Black Forest 8:41
3. Frevo Rasgado 7:55
4. Fantasia Suite 8:50
5. Guardian Angel 4:00
Personnel:
John McLaughlin – acoustic guitar
Paco de LucÃa – acoustic guitar
Al Di Meola – acoustic guitar
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