The Al DiMeola Project threw caution to the wind, and despite the threat of Wilma looming in the Gulf of Mexico; (many touring acts canceled appearances due to the impending hurricane) the band tore the roof of the Carefree Theater before the storm got its chance.
Al DiMeola enthusiastically greeted the elated CareFree audience and proceeded to rip into the classic “Egyptian Dance,” and the Chick Corea composition “Senor Mouse” from the 1978 album
Casino, which certainly wowed the DiMeola fans craving his explosiveness on electric guitar. After that onslaught of sound, DiMeola introduced his talented supporting cast for the evening, consisting of Mario Parmisano on keyboards, Victor Miranda on basses, Gumbi Ortiz on percussion, and Ernie Adams on drums. Switching to acoustic mode, DiMeola led into a stirring version of “Azzura” which also featured some guitar-synth exploration, and “Misterio,” a piece written during his collaborative work with John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia, translated to the current ensemble beautifully. The electric ferocity returned with “One Night, Last June” from an album that is one of the most treasured in my collection, 1991’s
Kiss My Axe, and ended the first set with tenacious fury.
The second set began with “Innamorata,” which started as a sensitive, acoustic piece with DiMeola solo, then joined by Parmisano on piano, before the intensity climbed and descended with DiMeola switching back and forth from acoustic to electric. Turning his attention to material written by one of his long time influences, the brilliant Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla, he played a mesmerizing arrangement of “Double Concerto.”
The solo portion of the program let everyone in the group get their chance to shine. Gumbi Ortiz knocked out an interesting percussion solo that included a “Smoke on the Water” tease and bassist Victor Miranda chimed in when he laid out some rhythm from Santana’s “Oya Coma Va,” much to DiMeola’s and the audience’s amusement. Performing three brand new untitled compositions, aside from their notation, “11/4,” “C #,” and “D-” respectively displayed his latest textured compositions. “11/4” included an exquisite bass solo by Miranda that transcended to a fiery interplay.
The audience erupted in a standing ovation and the band reciprocated with an incredible double encore. The first being another Piazzolla piece, “Fugatta,” which found DiMeola totally in the zone with a amazing solo, and when Ortiz began a percussion beat to signal the band to rejoin the performance, DiMeola turned to him and said, “No, not yet, give me more time.” A second standing ovation kicked off another dose of classic DiMeola with “Casino” that melded into “Race with Devil on Spanish Highway,” another showcase of guitar virtuosity.
