Al Dimeola

Born: July 22, 1954, in Jersey City, New Jersey Electric and acoustic guitarist extraordinaire whose first band of note was as the replacement for Bill Connors in RETURN TO FOREVER (he was only 19). His work with RTF was incomparable. When RTF broke up, he toured with JOHN MCLAUGHLIN and PACO DELUCIA in an acoustic guitar trio. He has also recorded several solo albums as well as touring with JEAN-LUC PONTY and STANLEY CLARKE (RITE OF STRINGS).

"I was trying to find myself, or find the kind of music that suited where I was going with the guitar. I had grown up on rock and loved it, but found it a very limited kind of music for expansion on your instrument. I started listening to bluegrass, especially Doc Watson, which really helped me develop my speed....I wanted to do something new, something nobody was doing."

"In the '60s, if you didn't play like Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page, you weren't accepted. So I was never really accepted by that group of so-called friends in Bergenfield because they didn't know what to make of my style. Even though I wanted to learn Beatles and Ventures music when I began taking lessons, my teacher also made me learn jazz and bossa nova and a little classical, so I had all this technique that my friends couldn't understand. It never fit the kind of music they were playing. They were interested in my technique, but at the same time they were jealous of it."

"What I like most about this record [Flesh on Flesh] is that we were able to capture a phenomenal sound playing live in the studio. I think the energy and excitement is several notches up."

THE INCREDIBLY RIDICULOUS MTV-ROLLING STONE'S 100 TOP SONGS (1963-2000): 38. CHANGES, DAVID BOWIE (1972) (Good song, but not Bowie's best. I prefer "Space Oddity" or "Panic in Detroit.") 99. JUST A FRIEND, BIZ MARKIE (1989) (I've never heard of this person/band.) MY TOP 100 SONGS: LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN, AL DIMEOLA

POSTSCRIPT "Assassins!" ARTURO TOSCANINI, TO HIS ORCHESTRA

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