The ex-
Return to Forever
guitarist's fourth and fifth solo releases (from 1980 and 1982) get the
B.G.O
. reissue treatment, which is to say these two albums are remastered and collected in a single sleeve.
Splendido Hotel
compacts the original, sprawling double-record onto a single 68-minute CD, but the compact
Electric Rendezvous
, perhaps a reaction to his previous album's more lengthy selections, clocks in at a conservative 34 minutes. That leaves lots of room on the disc, which
. could have filled out with either one of his succeeding discs. Regardless, these well-recorded sets both sound terrific and
Di Meola
fans will applaud their appearance in this classy package. Despite the ill-advised debut of a
vocal on the sappy
"I Can Tell,"
an embarrassing attempt to pull off a
George Benson
-styled makeover that will send most lunging for their "skip track" button,
successfully tackles a variety of music styles. Besides the typical hot fusion jazz/Latin rock of the sizzling opener
"Alien Chase on Arabian Desert"
that has become
Di Meola'
s calling card, he stretches out with stunning acoustic playing on the extended
"Isfahan"
suite. That track also opens with an intro from the
Columbus Boychoir
before setting off on a dramatic and intense ten-minute journey that features
Chick Corea'
s piano and a classical string quartet. Fusion devotees will thrill to the tricky time signatures, soaring guitar, intricate playing, and thumping drums of
"Dinner Music of the Gods"
which is followed by a beautiful, flamenco-styled solo unplugged piece where
duets with himself. A funky, somewhat unlikely cover of
Bert Kaempfert'
s
"Spanish Eyes"
transports the old chestnut to the present with a dance beat.
brings in an all-star backing band for
, which features the ubiquitous
Steve Gadd
on drums, bassist
Anthony Jackson
and, most prominently,
Jan Hammer
on electric keyboards.
Hammer'
s early-'80s "Miami Vice" synths are dated, but the interplay between him and the guitarist provides some of the album's most frantic sparks.
Paco de Lucia
duets on
"Passion, Grace & Fire,"
another suite-styled track that goes through a variety of rhythmic changes. These songs are generally shorter and the production less fussy throughout, with
"Cruisin',"
a melodic jazz-rock highlight.
borrows licks from
Santana
on
"Ritmo de la Noche,"
a lovely instrumental that takes cues from
Carlos Santana'
"Europa."
It's a short but sweet disc that makes a superb companion to the more expansive and exotic
. ~ Hal Horowitz