Al Di Meola

Guitar legend Al Di Meola will perform exclusively for the Netherlands at So What’s Next with a programme dubbed The Electric Years in which he and his band will return to the golden days of the electric years with classic songs from landmark albums such as Land Of The Midnight Sun, Elegant Gipsy and Splendido Hotel.

With his first notes in the supergroup Return to Forever in the early 1970s, Al Di Meola immediately established his reputation as one of the world’s best guitarists. His peerless, lightning-fast playing and keen ear for a catchy melody made him a favourite for fans and connoisseurs alike. With legendary albums like Land Of The Midnight Sun and Elegant Gipsy, he laid the foundations for the fusion genre and left an indelible mark on the development of contemporary jazz. Di Meola achieved great success when he swapped the electric guitar for the acoustic and formed a super trio with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia.

That virtuoso collaboration resulted in Friday Night In San Francisco (1981), some say the most influential acoustic guitar record ever. It is just one of an inexhaustible string of highlights. On the dozens of albums he released, Di Meola handled many styles; from jazz, rock, fusion and Latin to Beatles covers and traditional South American music. For the past four years Al has been working on the new album Twentyfour, due to be released before his performance at the festival. No doubt he will intersperse pieces from this new album with iconic tracks from his legendary electric years.

Line up:
Al Di Meola: guitars
Philippe Saisse: keys
Gumbi Ortiz: percussion
Luis Alicea: drums
Elias Tona: electric bass