One of the guitar heroes of fusion, artist/al-di-meola-mn0000600228">Al di Meola was merely 22-years-old at the fourth dimension of his debut as a leader but already a veteran of artist/chick-corea-mn0000110541">Chick Corea's Return to Forever. The complex pieces (which include the three-part "Suite-Golden Dawn," an acoustic duet alongside artist/corea-mn0000110541">Corea on "Short Tales of the Black Forest," as well as a brief artist/bach-mn0000075140">Bach violin sonata exhibit artist/di-meola-mn0000600228">di Meola's hit fifty-fifty at this early on stage. With assistance from such transcend players as bassists artist/jaco-pastorius-mn0000113480">Jaco Pastorius as well as artist/stanley-clarke-mn0000745316">Stanley Clarke, keyboardist artist/barry-miles-mn0000145977">Barry Miles, as well as drummers artist/lenny-white-mn0000246487">Lenny White as well as artist/steve-gadd-mn0000038004">Steve Gadd, this was a really impressive outset to artist/di-meola-mn0000600228">di Meola's solo career.
After joining Chick Corea's Jazz-Fusion project, Return To Forever inwards 1974, guitarist Al DiMeola released his inaugural of all solo album inwards 1976, named "Land of the Midnight Sun". DiMeola was 21 at the unloose of the album as well as I am surprised over his mind-bogglingly technical skills at as well as thus immature age, as well as this album shows both his technical skills, likewise as his songwriting skills really nicely through-out the album's (shockingly short) playing fourth dimension at 35- minutes. Another keen positive alongside this unloose is that DiMeola is themed upwards alongside a overnice handful of invitee musicians, including Jaco Pastorius from Weather Report as well as Chick Corea, who plays a beautiful acoustic duet alongside DiMeola on the terminal track. The music has really few weak moments as well as is a pleasant surprise to your ears. Overall, "Land Of The Midnight Sun" is a completely necessary unloose to survive featured inwards your Jazz-Rock collection (or Jazz collection for that matter). The alone existent flaw is the brusk playing time. Otherwise, there's non much hither to dislike. One of the best debut's I know!
Having of late shocked as well as awed the JR/F basis alongside ii amazing albums (Hymn To The 7th Milky Way as well as Romantic Warrior), Return To Forever was riding high on the moving ridge it had created, riding on Corea as well as DiMeola's incredibly fast playing, displaying a monstrous but mutual coldness virtuosity that would eventually pick out a lot of fans grinding their teeth. ADM's debut solo album was some other monster that would enthral fans around the world. This author bought the album inside the calendar month it came out, good earlier he would indulge inwards Nucleus of Liles' start of the decade masterpieces, as well as thus for a few years, this album represented what jazz-rock was all about. Although called a solo album, you'd swear this could notwithstanding some other RTF album as all of the RTF members appears at ane signal or some other on this album. Musically speaking, this album is a chip schizophrenic, as 2/3 pf it is pure jazz rock,, piece the terminal 3rd is to a greater extent than eclectic, from Classical to
Starting out on ane of the album's highlight, Wizard, alongside its superb beat department as well as Latin percussions ala Santana as well as Al's guitar, oft Santana-esque as well. Starting almost on the same feel, the championship runway is a tremendous piece, where Al as well as Chick merchandise incredibly fast as well as virtuosi lines. But inwards this case, Al's guitar resembles to a greater extent than McLaughlin's piece the Latin percussions mightiness audio a chip strange for this supposedly Norwegian-inspired track. In price of jazz-rock, this album would survive stuck betwixt Santana's bests (Caravanserai), Mahavishnu's best (Birds Of Fire) as well as RTF's Romantic Warrior. Closing the album's inaugural of all side is a irksome Bach slice (Sarabande), which mightiness audio out of place, but provides a welcome interlude.
On the flipside, the album starts on the every bit XXX , a progressive pieces that comes alongside fragile female/male vocals that could come upwards out of Carlos Santana & Alice Coltrane's Illuminations. The lengthy three-part suite Golden Dawn brings us dorsum to the album's principal focus, a sizzling JR/F (can't beak of pure fusion jazz album yet). You'd swear this was McLaughlin alongside Hammer duelling/duetting dorsum inwards 72 for BOF. The closing Black Forest is a Chick Corea-written acoustic slice that displays the duo's talents as well as closely the album inwards a really worthy manner.
ADM's solo debut album is ane of the belatedly 70's crown jewels, ane of those albums that volition belike never historic menstruum as well as is part of the history of its genre. H5N1 really highly as well as warmly recommended album, as well as belike my favourite, fifty-fifty over the commonly improve rated Elegant Gypsy album that was to follow this one.
Track listing / Personnel:
1. "The Wizard" (James Mingo Lewis) – 6:46
Al Di Meola - 6- as well as 12-string guitars
Mingo Lewis - keyboards, percussion
Anthony Jackson - bass
Steve Gadd - drums
2. "Land of the Midnight Sun" (Al Di Meola) – 9:10
Al Di Meola - electrical guitar
Barry Miles - electrical piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
Anthony Jackson - bass
Lenny White - drums
Mingo Lewis - percussion
3. "Sarabande from Violin Sonata inwards B Minor, (Partita No. 1 inwards B minor, BWV 1002)" (Johann Sebastian Bach) – 1:20
Al Di Meola - acoustic guitar
4. "Love Theme from Pictures of the Sea" (Al Di Meola) – 2:25
Al Di Meola - 6- as well as 12-string acoustic as well as 6-string electrical guitars, vocals, synthesizer, chimes
Patty Buyukas - vocals
Stanley Clarke - bass, vocals
Mingo Lewis - percussion
5. "Suite Golden Dawn" - (Al Di Meola) – 9:49
I. "Morning Fire" - 1:15
II. "Calmer of the Tempests" - 1:11
III. "From Ocean to the Clouds" - 8:38
Al Di Meola - electrical guitar
Barry Miles - electrical piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Alphonse Mouzon - drums
Mingo Lewis - percussion
6. "Short Tales of the Black Forest" (Chick Corea) – 5:41
Al Di Meola - 6-string acoustic guitar, gong
Chick Corea - acoustic piano, marimba
Personnel
Al Di Meola: Guitars, synthesizer, percussion, vocals.
Anthony Jackson: Bass guitar (tracks 1, 2).
Stanley Clarke: Bass guitar, vocals (track 4).
Jaco Pastorius: Bass guitar (track 5).
Barry Miles: Keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 2, 5).
Chick Corea: Piano, marimba (track 6).
Steve Gadd: Drums (track 1).
Lenny White: Drums (track 2).
Alphonse Mouzon: Drums (track 5).
James Mingo Lewis: Percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5), keyboards (track 1).
Patty Buyukas: Vocals (track 4).
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