Pretty darn beautiful.

But I wonder, why do Classical guitarist always grimace and make weird head ticks while they are playing?

I mean I've seen George Winston play the piano and he doesn't bob his head. As far as I can remember Yo-You ma doesn't do a lot of expressions.

Is it one of those things that they picked up from the movies?

Is it bad that I knew what (not the exact song) it was by the headline?

cretinbob: Is it bad that I knew what (not the exact song) it was by the headline?

Yes, it proves that you are cultured. AFTER HIM!

Al dimeola is amazing in person - one of the best classical guitarists to grace our world in these troubled times..

Somaticasual: Al dimeola is amazing in person - one of the best classical guitarists to grace our world in these troubled times..

He'll go Dylan, go electric and get called a sell-out any day. You know it. I'm looking forward to the Al DiMeola signature telecaster.

Al Di Meola - Sequencer

80s tech having much happy goodness of jumping Ninjas with swords.
Also featuring an inexplicably shirtless Al bringing a guitar to a kickboxing fight.
Woof!

/The 80s spared nobody
//Crappier version with intro intact

That's it, I quit.

McLaughlin. Di Meola. De Lucia

Da shizzle.

433: He'll go Dylan, go electric and get called a sell-out any day. You know it. I'm looking forward to the Al DiMeola signature telecaster.

Jeeze, he was electric when he played with Return to Forever in the mid-70s. But you are right about one thing: he was accused of being too soft as he replaced the much harder-edged Bill Connors.

/only time I saw RTF with DiMeola he used an L5S with a Mesa amp
//still prefer RTF with Connors, Les Paul through a Twin Reverb

3 guitar masters! When I watch them play, my jaw drops in awe!

cretinbob: Is it bad that I knew what (not the exact song) it was by the headline?

Nope. These guys are truly guitar gods.

Somaticasual: Al dimeola is amazing in person

He's a cool cat. I met him briefly at a small venue here. I also had the privilege of seeing Return to Forever this year. Incredible stuff.

sounds good, the title i cant watch videos at work, but i will when i get home

/the world needs more guitar playing

the_cnidarian: That's it, I quit.

I have a friend who quit playing guitar after we saw DiMeola on his "Kiss My Axe" tour. He was that damned good.

Somaticasual: Al dimeola is amazing in person

2wheeljunkie
He's a cool cat. I met him briefly at a small venue here. I also had the privilege of seeing Return to Forever this year. Incredible stuff.

I met him once in the 80s and I thought he was the most arrogant douche I've ever met.

It was a "clinic" for Ovation guitars and there were only about 30 or 40 people in the store. Afterward he sat around to sign autographs and such and my friend wanted one. So we get in line and get to him and my friend asks him to sign whatever it was he had and then DiMeola looks at me and - I don't remember the conversation word for word by it was something like: "and you? what do you want?" I said "nothing" and he said "you mean you don't want an autograph or a picture?" and I say "no" and we walk away. But it was the way he said it and the look on his face. Fark him. That guy is an ass as far as I'm concerned. I do remember the "autograph or picture" question for sure though. Long time ago...

I saw Di Meola with Jon Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke in the 90's. I have all his early stuff on vinyl. He's incredible. But if I could play like Paco DeLucia, you could cut out my tongue, because I'd never need to speak again. That is all.

Hell frickin yes. Thanks subby. I saw the tour at Arena Stage in DC from about 30 feet away and have been through at least 3 vinyl copies of the Live album over the years. Never get tired of it.

ive submitted this about a million times on all 3 of these guys birthdays. cool its finally posted, but why do you guys think this is classical? theyre improvising over chord changes.

Jeet: I met him once in the 80s and I thought he was the most arrogant douche I've ever met.

i met him and he was cool as can be and very gracious even to the douchy guitar players.

not sure why nobodys mentioned JM, as usual he blows away everyone else here.

miltonbabbitt: Hell frickin yes. Thanks subby. I saw the tour at Arena Stage in DC from about 30 feet away and have been through at least 3 vinyl copies of the Live album over the years. Never get tired of it.

you should get the 2 studio albums, they are WAY way better.

Darth_Lukecash: Pretty darn beautiful.

But I wonder, why do Classical guitarist always grimace and make weird head ticks while they are playing?

I mean I've seen George Winston play the piano and he doesn't bob his head. As far as I can remember Yo-You ma doesn't do a lot of expressions.

Is it one of those things that they picked up from the movies?

Watch Ray Charles sometime. And I don't think he's even SEEN a music video before.

This would make a great "shreds" video.

Jeet: I met him once in the 80s and I thought he was the most arrogant douche I've ever met.

It was just a "Hi, nice to meet you" thing, and he was nice enough. It was a really intimate venue, and he was talking to members of the audience throughout the show, so I had kind of developed a bias that night.

This makes the G3 look like a Blink 182 reunion. Goddamn John is great.

guitar nerd thread!

Um...how can I say this?.........too many notes.

I kinda agree with the "too many notes" comment, I mean all three of these guys are monsters, really who didn't John play with (Jaco, Miles, etc.) Having chops like these dudes is great but I have always far more enjoyed players who realize that the spaces in between are just as important. When I was learning to play bass my teacher gave me "Live at The Royal Festival Hall" featuring bassist Kai Eckhardt and percussionist Trilok Gurtu, great record. Anyone recommend music from any these three that isn't so busy, love the tone and all but the "cloud of pentatonic gnat notes" thing just doesn't do it for me.

/same dude introduced me to Jim Hall and Joe Pass and many other great musicians
//Mingus and Charlie Hayden too. (bass players I know but sick players)

New Age Redneck: Anyone recommend music from any these three that isn't so busy

JMs coltrane tribute is pretty mellow,'after the rain'. his bill evans tribute is mellow too,'time remembered'. but even his mellow shiat is completely insane if you analyze it like i tend to do. im surprised you like 'live at royal festival hall', he plays like a f*cking maniac on that. talk about 'too many notes'(in a good, nylon string way).

New Age Redneck: Anyone recommend music from any these three that isn't so busy, love the tone and all but the "cloud of pentatonic gnat notes" thing just doesn't do it for me.

I'd recommend Saturday Night in Bombay by Remember Shakti for McLaughlin, especially since you're into Gurtu.

Also, di Meola did several Windham Hill-style records back in the mid-80s, although they're a bit too Muzak for my taste--you could start with Cielo e Terra. His Electric Rendezvous set is a better example of his harder-edged jazz work, and isn't too chops-crazy (at least for di Meola). Some of the pieces on the second half are pretty tuneful. ("Somalia" is lovely.)

GypsyJoker: I'd recommend Saturday Night in Bombay by Remember Shakti for McLaughlin, especially since you're into Gurtu.

Also, di Meola did several Windham Hill-style records back in the mid-80s, although they're a bit too Muzak for my taste--you could start with Cielo e Terra. His Electric Rendezvous set is a better example of his harder-edged jazz work, and isn't too chops-crazy (at least for di Meola). Some of the pieces on the second half are pretty tuneful. ("Somalia" is lovely.)

saturday night is more about the other guys than JM, hes barely on it. good record though. i dont know about Electric Rendezvous. PG&F is awesome, but thats DEFINITLEY the worst of his early records. i totally agree with this however:

GypsyJoker: di Meola did several Windham Hill-style records back in the mid-80s, although they're a bit too Muzak for my taste--you could start with Cielo e Terra.

mahavishnunj,GypsyJoker

Thanks for the recommends. Yeah, on the Royal Hall disc JM goes off. As an impressionable young bass player I was kinda blown away by Kai and Trilok more so than JM. I dig these threads that don't degenerate into "your favorite guy sucks" trollfests. Most of these great players were very prolific, and some of the output is worth skipping but obviously some should not be missed. Cheers.

Blues_X: the_cnidarian: That's it, I quit.

I have a friend who quit playing guitar after we saw DiMeola on his "Kiss My Axe" tour. He was that damned good.

This is fairly common. I know several folks that hung it up after they saw Al perform.

Several years ago, I bought Passion, Grace, and Fire and it raised the bar for excellence as far as the music I listened to was concerned.

All that headline needed was those 3 names (or simply any one of them) and I was hooked.