Available digitally as a 2LP gatefold and double CD, Al Di Meola’s Twentyfour is a veritable microcosm of the many solo albums he’s released since 1976’s Land of the Midnight Sun, issued during his tenure with fusion titans Return To Forever.
Originally conceived during the pandemic as an acoustic endeavor, this latest project of Di Meola morphed dramatically during its gestation period. While the New Jersey native’s ever-so-precise acoustic guitar picking is as readily prominent as his fiery electric work, lush arrangements including wildwoods, brass, and a chamber orchestra also appear at various junctures (on top of which Al plays multiple other instruments himself).
Yet the dramatic likes of “Ava’s Dance in the Moonlight” would not stand out in such stark relief without juxtaposition with the comparatively pared likes of “For Only You”–on which the Berklee School of Music graduate plays nylon guitar alone–or “Precocious” where just three others players join in: Amit Kavthekar on tabla, Richie Morales on cajon and Hernan Romero on piano.
It’s a tribute to Al Di Meola’s well-honed skills as a producer (in tandem with the aforementioned Romero), that a discernible grace arises from the various sonic textures unfolding on Twentyfour (and that’s right down to Siuxx’ (Ivan Lopez) mellifluous vocal tones on “Eden”). There’s no question a certain repetition creeps in the roundabout “Genetiki,”–suggesting the eighty minutes-plus playing time might well have been shortened somewhat–but the track sequencing is impeccable on its own terms.
And that’s regardless of the density of instrumentation or the intricacy of musicianship. The guitarist/composer has jettisoned any need to flaunt what is admittedly prodigious technical skill, but he does retain his long-standing predilection for Spanish musical motifs. Sprinkling in Indian strains more than once as well, Al Di Meola nonetheless does not dabble.
On fifteen cuts ranging from just under three minutes (“Testament”) to just over ten (“Immeasurable Pt. 1”), there is nothing too cerebral for its own good. From the very start of the opening track, “Fandango,” alternating currents of heated interplay contrast the cool removal of “Capriccio Suite.” The overall ebb and flow of Twentyfour is thus equally mesmerizing and tranquilizing.
As such, the album makes for an ideal soundtrack to summer while also promising to vividly evoke the sweetest of seasons the rest of the year round.
