Al Di Meola in Orinda

Al Di Meola is an American guitarist and composer, born in Jersey City in 1954, whose instrumental music encompasses jazz fusion, Latin music and flamenco. He played in Return to Forever during the group’s 1970s electric period, appearing on albums including No Mystery and Romantic Warrior. His best-known solo and collaborative recordings include Elegant Gypsy, “Mediterranean Sundance” and Friday Night in San Francisco. In 1980, Al Di Meola toured as an acoustic guitar trio with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin; their performance at the Warfield Theatre was recorded for Friday Night in San Francisco. He later rejoined Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White for Return to Forever’s 2008 reunion tour, documented on the live album Returns. In 2017, he revisited his early solo repertoire on the Elegant Gypsy 40th Anniversary Tour.