Albert Laurence Di Meola is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as guitarist with the group Return to Forever in 1974. From 1976 to 1978 he played with Stomu Yamashta in the supergroup Go on three records. The 1970s and 1980s saw albums such as Land of the Midnight Sun, Elegant Gypsy, Casino and Friday Night in San Francisco earn him both critical and commercial success.
Al Di Meola at the Granada Theater, Dallas, Texas, December 6, 2006
Di Meola with Return to Forever at Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, New York, 1974
Di Meola with Chick Corea in Rochester, New York, 1976
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucía performing in Barcelona, Spain in the 1980s
Jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.
Trumpet player Miles Davis was a key figure in the development of fusion
Guitarist Larry Coryell
John McLaughlin performs during his Mahavishnu Orchestra period
Spyro Gyra combines jazz with R&B, funk and pop.
