Al di Meola

Born in Jersey City in 1954, American guitarist Al Di Meola made his mark in the mid‑1970s as a member of Chick Corea's jazz‑fusion group Return to Forever, with whom he recorded notably 'Where Have I Known You Before' (1974), 'No Mystery' (1975) and 'Romantic Warrior' (1976). At the same time, Di Meola launched a solo career highlighted by albums such as 'Land of the Midnight Sun' (1976) and 'Elegant Gypsy' (1977), which blend jazz‑rock, Latin rhythms and Mediterranean influences. His playing alternates between electric and acoustic guitar, fast tempos, dense rhythmic work and developed melodies, which also led him into a more intimate register with the acoustic trio featuring John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía on 'Friday Night in San Francisco' (1981). In the 1990s Di Meola steered his music further toward intersections of tango, world music and orchestral writing with 'World Sinfonia' (1991) and 'Di Meola Plays Piazzolla' (1996). Firmly established on the international scene, he has pursued numerous tours and collaborations while continuing in the studio his explorations of Latin music and reimagined pop, as on 'All Your Life' (2013), a tribute to the Beatles, followed by 'OPUS' (2018) and 'Across the Universe' (2020), confirming Al Di Meola's singular position between jazz‑fusion, acoustic music and contemporary repertoire.