Fri Night inward San Francisco is a 1981 endure album past times Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin too Paco de LucÃa. It was described past times jazz writer too critic Walter Kolosky equally "a musical trial that could endure compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall inward 1938 ... [it] may endure considered the virtually influential of all endure acoustic guitar albums".
All the tracks except "Guardian Angel" were recorded endure at The Warfield Theatre on v Dec 1980, inward San Francisco; "Guardian Angel" was recorded at Minot Sound, inward 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 inward Indian classical music to locomote ane of the pioneering figures inward fusion. In 2010, guitarist Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." In 2003, McLaughlin was ranked 49th inward Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." After contributing to several fundamental British groups of the early on sixties too making his showtime solo record, he moved to the United States of America where he played with Tony Williams' grouping Lifetime too and thus 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 with the institution inward Spain, too was ane of the showtime flamenco guitarists to stimulate got successfully crossed over into other genres of music such equally 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 iii decades, he has locomote respected equally ane of the virtually influential guitarists inward jazz to date. Albums such equally Fri Night In San Francisco stimulate got 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 xx albums equally a leader spell collaborating on a dozen or thus others.
It was a historic occasion. The appearance of John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, too Paco DeLucia at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre ane Fri nighttime inward 1981 was a musical trial that could endure compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall inward 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 very toured Europe with Larry Coryell. McLaughlin tried to unloose a recording of this grouping exactly Columbia would stimulate got none of it, claiming Coryell was non a big plenty name. Coryell had around 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 too appears on ane cutting on DeLucia's album Castro Marin ). When the fourth dimension came to tour America, DiMeola stepped in. His presence all of a precipitous made the Trio commercial. At whatsoever rate, Fri Night inward San Francisco was the result.
FNSF genuinely caught these players' energy, amazing technique too sense of humor to a generous degree. There is no doubtfulness that McLaughlin is the leader (center channel gives that away), exactly DiMeola too DeLucia to a greater extent than than concord their own. DiMeola, though ane of the world's greatest guitar players, lacks the emotional intensity too overall musicality to jibe McLaughlin or DeLucia. But the Latin influenced music of the Trio allows him to excel inward a genre inward which he had long dabbled. Not beingness a jazz player, DeLucia's improvisational run is understandably weaker than the other two. However, the music is equally much inward DeLucia's pocketbook equally anyone’s. The concert is total of telephone vociferation upward 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 inward which the ii masters quote dorsum too forth from diverse sources including Mancini’s “Pink Panther.” All iii players goal the trial with a studio version of McLaughlin’s “Guardian Angel.”
Fri Night inward San Francisco may endure considered the virtually influential of all endure acoustic guitar albums. Though around stimulate got criticized it for its muscular tendencies, the recording sure enough captures the excitement of the trial itself. In a the world of electrical guitars, it was quite odd to listen a crowd locomote absolutely ballistic over acoustic strumming. It is non thus odd today, too this tape is ane major argue for that.
Loose too spontaneous, this (mainly) endure album is a coming together of iii of the greatest guitarists inward the the world for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken upward into iii duo too ii trio performances, Fri Night inward San Francisco catches all iii players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers. The showtime rails features Al di Meola too Paco de LucÃa teaming upward 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 downwards too inhuman chops that ane expects from ii players of this caliber. However, the ii guitarists patently stimulate got big ears, too they complement each other's solos with percussive, driving beat parts. There is a laid-back, humorous chemical constituent to Fri Night inward San Francisco equally well, best witnessed inward di Meola too John McLaughlin's performance of Chick Corea's "Short Tales of the Black Forest." Rapid-fire licks from the pair shortly hand agency to atonal striking of the trunk of the guitar, running picks along the strings, etc. Before the farce is completed, they stimulate got played a blues too quoted the Pink Panther theme. It is funny stuff, too it serves to dispel the picture of the trio, peculiarly di Meola, equally super-serious clinicians to a greater extent than concerned with technique than music. The other nifty slice of bear witness against such a narrow-minded claim tin endure found inward both the character of the compositions featured on Fri Night inward San Francisco equally good equally the sensitivity too dynamic variation brought to the performances. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 perfect trial 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 ane that features a haunting tune equally good equally around of the best solos on the record. All inward all, Fri Night inward San Francisco is a fantastic album too ane of the best entries inward 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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