WORLD SINFONIA: HEART OF THE IMMIGRANTS

If you are looking for drab pseudo-ethnic sounding elevator music, the kind that permeated the easy listening world from the mid-eighties on (thanks alot, Paul Simon), this is not for you. Mostly.

Despite this album featuring a bandoneon, a type of accordion (usually a clear warning of "Caution: Elevator Music Ahead", except for a few songs, this one does not fall into that category.

The compositions are primarily energetic and inventive, and the performances, as befitting a Di Meola album, are up to the task. Many of the songs, despite the acoustic instrumentation, easily fall into the progressive fusion category. Especially enjoyable to me is "Carousel Requiem", which does bring to mind a deranged carnival or circus.

The album does lose steam towards the end, beginning with "Someday My Prince Will Come", played a bit too schmaltzy for my ears, and continuing on with "Cafe 1930", which does have that maudlin elevator style I lamented above.

But for the most part, I find this to be a very enjoyable album.