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Al Di Meola: Suite – Golden Dawn

Rating: 82/100 (learn more)

Suite – Golden Dawn is separated into three parts: "Morning Fire," "Calmer of the Tempests" and "From Ocean to the Clouds." One often wonders if some of these fusion composers would just write four or five songs and then say, "Why don't we put them all together as a suite and give it a fancy name?" Using that model, Suite – Golden Dawn could have had 10 parts. Certain sections of the piece have clear allusions to Mahavishnu. Di Meola and keyboard Barry Miles take a turn at being John McLaughlin and Jan Hammer in an engaging call and response. Unfortunately, it is one of the rare highlights of the piece. Di Meola and Weather Report's bassist Jaco Pastorius engage in a brief counterpoint that doesn't quite live up to its potential. There is some really good playing here, but the piece as a whole doesn't quite coalesce. Nonetheless, it is worth a listen for fusion fans to hear a snippet of Jaco and get a foreshadowing of future excesses.

Reviewer: Walter Kolosky

Tags: 1970s jazz · fusion · guitar