Al Di Meola to Surface at Coach House With His Worldly View of Music

Guitarist Al Di Meola was a charter member of one of the authentic jazz super-groups of the ‘70s, Return to Forever. Along with pianist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lennie White, Di Meola--who will play at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano tonight--charted a course for jazz that virtually defined the word fusion.

After RTF broke up in 1976, Di Meola went on to sell millions of albums as a soloist with several acoustic and electric groups of his own. Despite this long, successful track record, Di Meola has not been heard from on recordings for nearly 2 1/2 years.

Why the long absence? Why has such an acknowledged audience-grabber been silent for so long? “Those are the questions of the year,” Di Meola said. “And the answers are all connected with the record companies. World music, the kind of diverse stuff I’m interested in right now, just isn’t getting their support.

“Everything seems to be oriented toward easy-listening music, because if it gets a little bit too exciting, it’s not suitable for KTWV-type radio formats. So the element of excitement and energy that was so much a part of the instrumental music we made in the ‘70s has become totally diluted in the music of the ‘80s.”

Di Meola’s last recording, “Tirami Su,” released in autumn, 1987, mixed electric and acoustic jazz elements with Brazilian and Latin American rhythms. He considers it to have been a highly successful musical enterprise. The record companies apparently disagreed.

“I’ve been trying for two years to get a record deal,” Di Meola said, “and it’s been like pulling teeth. Record companies weren’t familiar with the changes I’ve made musically in the last few years. They only remember what I did during that so-called fusion era. But that era is over. Finished.”

Di Meola said it has not been a matter of his asking for huge sums of money or unacceptable contractual conditions. “One company was asked by my manager if they would like to sign me, and the response from the president was, ‘Not interested.’ He didn’t say, ‘I’d love to hear something before I decide,’ or ‘I’d like to sign him, but we can’t afford the price. How about taking one-tenth what you’re asking?’ It was just, ‘Not interested, don’t even want to hear it.’ ”

Di Meola finally took matters into his own hands and put together a demo with a longtime musical associate and friend, keyboardist Barry Miles. “We went down to Florida and turned out some music that I felt very comfortable with,” Di Meola said. “I got appointments with all the major companies and played them the tracks.”

His energetic pitch sessions resulted in offers from two major labels. He said there is a deal on the horizon. The recording he envisions will be different from the largely acoustic performances of the group he is bringing to the Coach House tonight.

“Acoustic music is still very important to me,” he said, “and the band I’ve got for this tour--with guitarist Chris Carrington and percussionists Gumbi Ortiz and Arto Gunibachi--allows me the large display of technique that’s inherent to the music. It’s like the kind of virtuosic style you expect from a flamenco troupe.”

Di Meola’s planned new album, though, will call for a far more diversified approach. He has already assembled more than half of the compositions he will need.

“I’m really excited about this,” he said. “I’m going to have a combination of many elements, all sorts of colors, sounds and harmonies. There’ll be places that will call for great displays of acoustic technique, and there’ll be places where too much virtuosity will be inappropriate.

“Once I get all the music, I’m going to put a band together and work the new material up until it has the energy level I want, both live and on the record.

“Things have changed tremendously since the ‘70s, when we had so few colors to deal with. Now we can incorporate everything. My musical vision includes elements of South America, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, all strung together with a jazz influence.

“That’s really where I’m at; that’s what I love. And I think there’s a great market for it.”

Al Di Meola plays tonight at 8 and 10:30 at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Tickets: $19.50. Information: (714) 496-8930.