Al Di Meola

Latest about Al Di Meola

Jan Hammer, playing a keytar, and Jeff Beck performing at the ARMS benefit concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco on December 3, 1983.
Jeff Beck’s guitar was stolen before the Wired sessions — Jan Hammer remembers what happened next

By Gary Graff Published

The keyboard legend also looks back on his collaborations with Beck, Eddie Van Halen, Tommy Bolin, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Neal Schon and Miles Davis

Guitarists
April 23, 2015: Al Di Meola performed his Elegant Gypsy & More Electric Tour at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego California.
How an acid trip, a cassette and an offhand comment landed teenage guitarist Al Di Meola the gig of a lifetime

By Phil Weller Published

Di Meola was just 17 when he played a drug-induced gig that would change the course of his career

Guitarists
LEFT: Al Di Meola with Gibson Les Paul Standard circa 1975. RIGHT: Ray Davies of English rock group The Kinks performs playing a Fender Telecaster guitar on a television show at BBC Television Centre in London in December 1965.
How The Kinks inspired Al Di Meola to write a fusion classic

By Phil Weller Published

And it turns out he inadvertently tracked it with Leslie West’s preferred guitar tone

Guitarists
Al Di Meola performs onstage during the 'Past, Present and Future' tour at The Canyon on September 20, 2019 in Agoura Hills, California.
Al Di Meola gives his indispensable tool for rhythm guitar playing – and it doesn’t involve the hands

By Phil Weller Published

The versatile guitarist might be best known for his silky leads, but he says his rhythm sensibilities underpin everything he does

Guitarists
Matteo Mancuso
Matteo Mancuso highlights the one thing social media guitarists get wrong

By Phil Weller Published

The young virtuoso has leapt ahead of his peers by making musicality, rather than "wow" factor, his prime focus

Guitarists
“I was slumping over my acoustic guitar and grabbing my chest. I remember thinking, This might be it for me.” Al Di Meola talks about his onstage heart attack and the rush to save his life

By Bill Milkowski Published

The guitarist fell ill while performing in Romania last year and received life-saving emergency surgery

Guitarists
Matteo Mancuso and his Yamaha guitar
Meet Matteo Mancuso, the young player who’s light years ahead of us all

By Bill Milkowski Published

When it comes to improvisation, Italy’s fingerstyle fusion maestro Matteo Mancuso is leaving the best players in the world in the dust

Guitarists
Al Di Meola performs onstage at Jazz Summer Munich at Bayerischen Hof in Munich, Germany on July 16, 2024
“I was given a second chance”: Win tickets to see Al Di Meola in Northern California

By Jimmy Leslie Published

The jazz master is set to play five shows at Yoshi’s Oakland next month

Guitarists
Al Di Meola (left) and Paco de Lucia perform onstage
“Paco needed to relax, so he smoked a joint and the second take was the one”: Al Di Meola on the magic of Mediterranean Sundance

By Matt Blackett Published

Reflecting on his chemistry with Paco De Lucia in a 2009 GP interview, Di Meola revealed that the spontaneous creative fire of the Mediterranean Sundance session stunned all of its participants – including the guitarists themselves

Guitarists
John McLaughlin, Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen and Al Di Meola
John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Marty Friedman and Yngwie Malmsteen Didn't Rely Exclusively on Western Scales - so Why Should You?

By Guitar Player Staff Published

Add intriguing twists to your playing with the tonal flavors of the Far East, Middle East, Africa and beyond

Lessons
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