THE GUITAR TRIO

The most appealing and diverse of the De Lucia / Di Meola / McLaughlin acoustic guitar trio projects ( including the live Friday Night In San Fransisco album). Guitar freaks, jazz afficionados and the layman alike will glean something from this one as the masters bring their guitar trio concept to a focal point. There`s less showboating and overextending here and more emphasis on solid composing except for a few McLaughlin freakouts ( He just couldn`t resist ).

All three players don`t always appear together, most notably on the bossa-nova rave up Manha De Carnival which only features Di Meola and Mc Laughlin and the magnificent Azzura where Dimeola becomes a one man guitar trio also adding percussives. Oddly, De lucia ( the only player here who has never touched an electric guitar in his life ) remains relatively restrained even on his own Spanish / Brazilian pieces, Espirito and flamenco album opener La Estiba. As can be expected, McLaughlin`s contributions are drenched in East Indian influences and this is most evident on Midsummer`s Night with it`s exquisite intro and the obvious Letter To India. Dimeola seems to have a middle east fascination on his pieces as evidenced on Beyond The Mirage.

Along with Larry Coryell ( who was an early collaborator ) these three masters set tnew standards for this guitar configuration and this impeccably produced set is just as effective as background music or straight in your face guitar mastery. Technically daunting, these recordings are uncannily accessible and there is something new to be discovered with each listen. Guitar virtuosity at it`s zenith. If these guys re-unite for another similar project it is beyond me how they could top this jewel.