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Mellower, but still imaginative
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This review first appeared in the November 18, 1994 issue of the North County Blade-Citizen (now North County Times).
Al Di Meola first broke onto the national scene two decades ago as guitarist for Chick Corea's groundbreaking fusion band Return to Forever. Di Meola has been active as a solo artist most of the period since then, moving into hard electronic fusion. (He was one of the first prominent musicians to adopt computerized Midi programming and to use a personal computer during his live shows.)
"Orange and Blue," Di Meola's latest, shows him in a mellower, more introspective mood, closer to Barney Kessell than Allen Holdsworth. In fact, it's so mellow an album that at times it sounds more New Age than jazz. Most of the album avoids that, though, and shows Di Meola as an imaginative artist who likes to explore the convergence of jazz, classical and world beat streams.