Elegant Gypsy cover

Elegant Gypsy

Released

Al Di Meola’s Seventies guitar style was an interesting mix: he could play gentle jazz and artful flamenco, but more frequently opted to shred like a cross between John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell. A few quiet moments aside, this is one of his most rocking releases, featuring Jan Hammer on keyboards and either Lenny White or Steve Gadd behind the kit, so if you’re after manic tempos, screaming leads, and machine-gun Latin-rock rhythms (“Race With Devil On Spanish Highway” lives up to its title and then some), unbutton your collar to display your gold chains and dive in.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Into Something cover

Into Something

Yusef Lateef
Largo cover

Largo

Brad Mehldau
Remembrance cover

Remembrance

John Patitucci
Beyond Now cover

Beyond Now

Donny McCaslin
Tom Cat cover

Tom Cat

L.A. Express, Tom Scott
Pangaea cover

Pangaea

Miles Davis
Street Scene cover

Street Scene

Larry Grenadier, Larry Vuckovich, Hector Lugo, Akira Tana, Vince Delgado
Thrust cover

Thrust

Herbie Hancock