2011 · Album
Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody
Released: 2011 · Genre: Jazz fusion, Latin jazz · Artist: Al Di Meola (Italian-American guitarist)
Fusion and Latin Fire in 2011
Di Meola chases restless musical ideas across electric guitar, rhythms that won't sit still.
By 2011, Al Di Meola had spent decades proving himself a guitarist who could anchor a sound or dissolve into one, depending on what the music needed. Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody finds him working in the fusion and Latin jazz spaces where his reputation was built, but the album feels less like a victory lap and more like someone still hunting for the next corner to turn. The guitar work here has the technical precision you'd expect—Di Meola's fingers know exactly where to land—but what matters more is the restless energy underneath. These pieces don't settle. They build momentum through rapid-fire passages, then veer into Latin grooves that pull the rhythm in different directions, keeping the listener slightly off-balance in the best way.
The album sits comfortably within the fusion tradition that defined his earlier work, though it lacks the consensus-building appeal of his most famous recordings. It's a solid record for people who already know his language—the language of a guitarist working at high speed across chords that could trap a lesser player. If you're coming to Di Meola fresh, you might find this more rewarding than starting here; his earlier albums have clearer entry points. But if you've followed his arc and want to hear what he sounds like pursuing ideas without restraint, this delivers on that promise. The Latin elements aren't window dressing; they're structural, the way the compositions breathe and change shape. There's no wasted motion, but there's also no playing it safe.
Who's playing
Victor Mirandadouble bass
Gonzalo Rubalcabapiano
Péter Kaszásdrums, percussion
Peter Erskinedrums
Gumbi Ortizpercussion
Mino Cinelupercussion
Fausto Beccalossiaccordion
Where next?
More by Al Di Meola
Friday Night in San Francisco 1981
Elegant Gypsy 1977
Passion, Grace & Fire 1983
Electric Rendezvous 1982
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
