Author: Jernej Vene
Interview date: 11/17/2008
Before Al Di Meola’s show in Ljubljana on 11/17/2008, we got the chance for a quick chat with the legendary guitar virtuoso…
RockLine: Your latest CD is a tribute to the music of Astor Piazzolla. How do you decide which musical direction to take when you’re planning a new record?
Al Di Meola: I never decide. I let the influences reach me, and then, as I go through the stages of composing, I realize what shape it’s going to take. I don’t have any preconceived ideas about what I’m going to dive into. Inspiration just happens, totally naturally.
RockLine: As a guitarist, you play in all kinds of styles. How do you work music from all over the world into your technique?
Al Di Meola: I’m a genius… (laughs) …I don’t know, my instincts guide me. I don’t know how it happens. I definitely have a good pool of influences and inspirations to draw from.
RockLine: What’s your creative process like?
Al Di Meola: I simply have to isolate myself and be alone with the instrument. Usually small phrases show up, and I develop them into bigger ones and build melodies on top of them. Or I might just sit there with a guitar in front of the TV, and some ideas bubble up from the subconscious. I might never have created those consciously.
RockLine: How do you see the difference between a solo performance and playing with a band?
Al Di Meola: Playing solo is more demanding, because you’re pretty naked up there on stage. The freedom of a solo show is wonderful. I can change the performance however I like, without having to worry about my bandmates. In a band there’s more structure, and above all you have to stick to the arrangement. That’s why the two have a different effect.
RockLine: Who will be playing with you in Ljubljana?
Al Di Meola: Three wonderful musicians. Two of them are from Italy: an excellent accordionist, Fausto Beccalossi, who I have great chemistry with, and the other guitarist, Peo Alfonsi, who comes from Sardinia. And I’ve been playing with the percussionist Gumbi Ortiz in various bands for more than twenty years.
RockLine: What are you going to play at the show?
Al Di Meola: Mostly songs that work great for this kind of lineup. Half of them will be my own pieces, like Mysterio, Mediterranean Sundance, which your listeners surely know, and Infinite Desire, and then a few pieces by the Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. Among them will be Cafe and Double Concerto. We’ll dedicate a few songs to the late, great Sardinian singer Andrea Parodi. Fausto and Peo played with him, and we also recorded a joint project, which included two songs that were so beautiful and deep that we’ll remember him with them.
