Concerts

Don’t disregard Di Meola in Beverly

The protean jazz fusion guitarist will spellbind The Cabot's clientele on September 17.

2 minutes to read

How did guitarist Al Di Meola get to Carnegie Hall?

Having continuously worked to perfect his musical finesse – i.e., practicing, practicing, practicing – would better explain how he got to Berklee, which he attended for a semester and a half and to which he returned (without graduating) before and after joining jazz pianist Buddy Miles’s band.

How he found himself at what is possibly America’s most hallowed hall was mostly by luck and not at all by design.

After returning to Berklee, Di Meola saw Chelsea native Chick Corea’s group Return to Forever perform at the Orpheum Theatre with a different guitar player (Earl Klugh) and new electric sound – inspired by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra – that resembled the direction that his own playing was taking under the influence of fretboard maestro Larry Coryell.

In a recent interview (video here, somewhat sloppy transcription of relevant section here), Di Meola explained that he told a friend in his native New Jersey, “’Boy, I would love to someday play with Chick.”

Unbeknownst to Di Meola, this friend had a tape of him playing with Barry Miles during which he was tripping as a result of Miles having spiked one of his drinks with acid.

The friend got the tape to Corea, who called 19-year-old Di Meola at his Boston apartment and invited him to join Return to Forever for a Carnegie Hall gig a few days hence.

Di Meola went on to record three albums with RTF, including 1976’s “Romantic Warrior,” which remains beloved by fusion fans and progressive rock lovers alike.

The bicentennial year also marked the beginning of the 22-year-old’s solo career. “Land of the Midnight Sun” was followed by the future gold-certified “Elegant Gypsy” and 1978’s “Casino” before reaching an ambitious apex with “Splendio Hotel” in 1980.

In the 42 years since, Di Meola has experimented South American, Spanish, and Middle Eastern sonic flavorings, recorded several records with fellow virtuosi John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia, collaborated with jazz masters and pop stars, and released two albums consisting entirely of his own instrumental interpretations of Beatles songs.

One of these was 2020’s “Across the Universe,” a sequel of sorts to “All Your Life: A Tribute to The Beatles,” which came out in 2013.

In June, a sequel to 1980’s “Friday Night In San Francisco,” a hugely influential and popular live album recorded with McLaughlin and De Lucia, was unearthed, restored, and released as “Saturday Night In San Francisco.”

The 68-year-old will treat a Cabot audience to samplings from throughout his multi-faceted career on September 17.