Speak A Volcano: Return To Electric Guitar spotlights fusion guitar ace Al DiMeola live in Germany at the end of 2006. Backed by a tight band—including percussionist Gumbo Ortiz—DiMeola lays down some daredevil fusion excursions with his group while also performing a range of Piazzolla covers on solo acoustic and nylon string guitars. The only three composers featured on the DVD are Astor Piazzolla, Chick Corea and DiMeola himself. An excellent chance to see and hear DiMeola in a live setting—playing both electric and acoustic numbers—the two hour Speak A Volcano DVD also features a superbly edited, multi part live interview / conversation with DiMeola, as well as a nifty set-closing chapter called “Al’s Guitar Tips”, offering close-up guitar demonstrations by the fleet fingered fusion ace in a relaxed, interview setting. Another noteworthy DiMeola release on MVD, this time on CD, is the 2007 CD release of Diabolic Inventions And Seduction For Solo Guitar, Volume 1, where Al sounds like he was born to reinterpret the music of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. In his liner notes DiMeola says it was in conversation with the tango god, that Piazzolla described his music as diabolic, referring to his modern departure from the standard approach to tango. Released on CD by the German Inakustik label, and released Stateside through MVD, DiMeola’s eight, newly reworked Piazzolla guitar instrumentals sounds excellent in this all acoustic tango setting, backed only by tasteful, syncopated flamenco-inspired programmed percussion. www.aldimeola.com

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