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Guitar wizard given unforgettable reception at Beirut gig

Ramsay Short
Daily Star staff

After an hour of waiting at UNESCO Palace in Ramlet al-Baida on Monday night a crowd of guitar enthusiasts, young and old, finally got what they came for. And Al Di Meola cried. The guitarist whose following here on the strength of the reception he was given during the concert is huge received a standing ovation after the first tune, amid cries of "Happy Birthday Al!" Dressed all in white and visibly moved Di Meola addressed the crowd saying, "How did you know it's my birthday, they don't even know that in my home town in New Jersey!" to which the audience responded with more applause. "My next CD will be called Birthday in Beirut," he said as the auditorium erupted in noise once again.

It is difficult to describe Di Meola and his music. To guitar enthusiasts he needs no introduction as this audience clearly attested. And as a guitarist, technically he is difficult to beat, with a picking technique seeing his fingers range over the strings as fast as a bull in a ring. His musicianship and instrumental compositions have seen him create a bridge between the once very different genres of jazz and rock, and his influence over other accomplished guitarists has also been massive - he has sold 4 million records worldwide since the 1970s.

At UNESCO on Monday, Di Meola took centerstage alongside members of the group World Sinfonia - pianist Mario Pamisano on keyboards, Gumbi Ortiz on percussion and Youssef Adams on drums. And they played an amalgamation of Latin fused-rock that took the roof off. Di Meola plays quick licks of bossa and samba with precision. Many of the tracks involved Di Meola battling with the drums and percussion in fast driving rhythms and fluttering plucking. There were also a couple of re-works of Di Meola's favorite composers, the tango master Astor Piazolla and Gismonti.

However, Di Meola's music is not for everyone. He creates stirring rhythms and then twists them into an almost classical-rock fusion, but this was at times reminiscent of dated film soundtracks, which while technically brilliant, are not necessarily full of flavor live. Technical problems with the sound equipment and the acoustics of the auditorium also did not complement the quartet's electric fusion. But at 47 with about 40 years of playing under his belt, Di Meola overcame such problems to give the panting crowd more of what they came to see. And none of them were disappointed. For Lebanon's guitarists, young and old alike, Di Meola provided a master class of stylish guitar and almost impossible movement.

Perhaps the best moment was when, just before a brief interval, Di Meola combined with Ortiz in a magical percussive play off not against each other but in unison one which allowed a groaning Ortiz to let his hands summon tribal Latin beats from his three congas.

Di Meola, who came to fame in 1974 as part of pianist Chick Corea's landmark fusion band Return To Forever before going solo in 1976 with the album Land of the Midnight Sun, switches between his two electric and electric-acoustic guitars playing in his trademark slashing, frenetic style. Perhaps most credit must go, however, to BO18 nightclub and Musicquest, the promoters of the event, for bringing a well-known musician with so many fans in Lebanon to the country. The thirst for rock, and guitar musicians in particular, is one that deserves to be quenched.