Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin
Guitar Trio

LA RECENSIONE

When technique and feeling with the instrument marry an exceptional creativity and a refined taste in songwriting, the union can be most delightful. And the result is guaranteed when the atmospheres of fusion are gently enveloped in a scent of seasoned wood.

The wood belongs to the guitars of three exceptional musicians, and from their encounter (the second in the studio, after the distant "Passion grace and fire") this CD emerges, dated 1996, for acoustic and classical guitars. The jazz formation of McLaughlin and Al di Meola is joined by the talent of Paco de Lucia, coming from flamenco (one of the genre's innovators). Nine tracks, nine "idylls" where our three guitarists dance on the strings, sometimes with delicacy, other times with an elegant violence.

You let yourself be carried away by the subtle melancholy of "Manha de Carnaval", whose progress sometimes reminds you of Gershwin's "Summertime". Or the spiral staircase of "Midsummer night", a vibrant intertwining with tempo changes, fiery passages, and a cohesion among the three that's awe-inspiring.
There are various musical metamorphoses, from "espiritu", with a folkloric forest of percussion accompanying the brilliant jazz-pop harmonies, to "Azzura", immersed in a stream of soft arpeggios (at times it almost sounds like a harp) that then burst into a powerful phrasing, with an almost baroque style.

The sound of the guitars is among the best, and the solo improvisation accompanying each piece is worthy of the names imprinted on the album cover. Now just close your eyes and discover in every moment the thousand and one nuances that surround every vibration of the strings and the heartbeat of the wood.