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Al DiMeola Tour Dates

The latest list of Al DiMeola tour dates from DiMeola's official website.

12/09/2010 - RABAT, MOROCCO - MOHAMMED V THEATRE
12/10/2010 - CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - MEGARAMA
12/11/2010 - MARRAKESH, MOROCCO - MARRAKESH THEATRE
12/15/2010 - ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - BKZ
12/17/2010 - MOSCOW, RUSSIA - THE MOSCOW HOUSE OF MUSIC
12/18/2010 - MOSCOW, RUSSIA - THE MOSCOW HOUSE OF MUSIC
12/19/2010 - PECS, HUNGARY - KODALY KOZPONT
12/20/2010 - BIELSKO-BIALA, POLAND -DOM MUZYKI BIELSKIE CENTRUM KULTURY

2011

02/17/2011 - AGOURA, CA - CANYON CLUB
02/18/2011 - LAS VEGAS, NV - GREEN VALLEY RANCH
02/19/2011 - SAN DIEGO, CA - ANTHOLOGY
02/20/2011 - SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA - COACH HOUSE
02/21/2011 - EXETER, CA - ORANGE BLOSSOM JUNCTION
02/24/2011 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
02/25/2011 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
02/26/2011 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
02/27/2011 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
03/02/2011 - GRANTS PASS, OR - ROGUE THEATRE
03/03/2011 - ARCATA, CA - ARCATA THEATRE LOUNGE
03/15/2011 - VIENNA, VA - THE BARNS - WOLFTRAP
03/16/2011 - VIENNA, VA - THE BARNS - WOLFTRAP
03/18/2011 - NASHVILLE, TN - SCHERMERHORN SYMPHONY CENTER
03/19/2011 - ATLANTA, GA - VARIETY PLAYHOUSE
03/20/2011 - NEWBERRY, SC - NEWBERRY OPERA HOUSE
03/23/2011 - BOSTON, MA - SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB
03/23/2011 - BOSTON, MA - SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB
03/25/2011 - ALBANY, NY - THE EGG THEATRE
03/26/2011 - BUFFALO, NY - BUFFALO STATE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
03/27/2011 - READING, PA - MILLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
03/28/2011 - NEW HOPE, PA - HAVANA
03/29/2011 - FAIRFIELD, CT - STAGE ONE
03/30/2011 - NORFOLK, CT - INFINITY HALL
04/01/2011 - MIAMI, FL - ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
04/03/2011 - AUSTIN, TX - ONE WORLD THEATRE

More Rodrigo y Gabriela with Al DiMeola

Cool interview with Rodrigo y Gabriela where they discuss how Al DiMeola has influenced them, followed by the full version of "Mediterranean Sundance" from their performance together in Paris.

Video: Al DiMeola sits in with Rodrigo y Gabriela

Al DiMeola jammming with Rodrigo y Gabriela at Casino de Paris, 11/12/09. Awesome!

Al DiMeola tour dates

Here is an updated list of Al DiMeola's current tour dates:

07/01/2009 - MONTREAL, CANADA - MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL - PDA SALLE-DUCEPPE

07/02/2009 - TORONTO, ONT. - TORONTO STAR STAGE @ NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE

07/03/2009 - ST. IRENEE, QUEBEC - SALLE FRANCOYS BERNIER

07/04/2009 - OTTAWA, CANADA - OTTAWA INTL JAZZ FESTIVAL - CONFEDERATION PARK

07/08/2009 - CORDOBA, SPAIN - GRAN TEATRO DE CORDOBA

07/10/2009 - GALAPAGAR, SPAIN - TEATRO de GALAPAGAR

07/11/2009 - LIMBURGERHOF, GERMANY - BASF LIMBURGER

07/12/2009 - TUNIS, TUNISIA - AMPHITHEATER TABARKA

07/15/2009 - CAIRO, EGYPT - CHEOPS AUDITORIUM

07/17/2009 - KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA

07/22/2009 - GIJON, SPAIN - PLAZA DE TOROS DE GIJON

07/24/2009 - ALICANTE, SPAIN - LUCENTUM

07/25/2009 - LOULE, PORTUGAL - CERCA DO CONVENTO

08/13/2009 - LODZ, POLAND - TBA

08/15/2009 - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - SZIGET FESTIVAL PECS AMFITEATRUM STAGE

08/16/2009 - ESZTERGOM, HUNGARY - CASTLE THEATER OF ESZTERGOM

via Truth In Shredding

Al DiMeola 2009 tour dates

Al DiMeola will release a new album on January 8th entitled La Melodia Live In Milano before embarking on a US tour. I've listed the US dates below, as well as the international 2009 dates that are listed on DiMeola's site.

US Dates
01/09/2009 - PITTSBURGH, PA -REX THEATER
01/10/2009 - NEW YORK, NY - THE CONCERT HALL
01/11/2009 - LONDONDERRY, NH - TUPELO MUSIC HALL
01/14/2009 - VIENNA, VA - WOLF TRAP
01/15/2009 - ANNAPOLIS, MD - RAMS HEAD
01/16/2009 - FAIRFIELD, CT - STAGE ONE
01/17/2009 - HUNTINGTON, NY - IMAC THEATER
01/18/2009 - SELLERSVILLE, PA - SELLERSVILLE THEATRE
01/22/2009 - AUSTIN, TX - ONE WORLD THEATRE
01/23/2009 - SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARTINI RANCH
01/24/2009 - LAS VEGAS, NV - SANTA FE STATION
01/25/2009 - AGOURA, CA - CANYON CLUB
01/27/2009 - PORTLAND, OR - ALADDIN THEATER
01/28/2009 - BEND, OR - TOWER THEATRE
01/29/2009 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
01/30/2009 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
01/31/2009 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
02/01/2009 - SEATTLE, WA - DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY
02/03/2009 - SAN DIEGO, CA - ANTHOLOGY
02/04/2009 - LOS ANGELES, CA - THE ROXY THEATRE
02/05/2009 - SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA - THE COACH HOUSE
02/06/2009 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - YOSHI'S
02/07/2009 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - YOSHI'S
02/08/2009 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - YOSHI'S

International Dates
02/14/2009 - MINSK, BELARUS - VENUE TBA
02/16/2009 - DNEPROPETROVSK, UKRAINE
02/17/2009 - ZAPOROZHE, UKRAINE - VENUE TBA
02/18/2009 - DONETSK, UKRAINE - VENUE TBA
02/19/2009 - LUGANSK, UKRAINE - COLISEUM CONCERT HALL
02/21/2009 - SIMFEROPOL, UKRAINE - SIMFEROPOL DRAMATIC MUSICAL THEATRE
02/23/2009 - KHARKOV, UKRAINE - KHARKIV OPERA THEATRE
02/26/2009 - KIEV, UKRAINE - PALACE UKRAINE
02/27/2009 - ODESSA, UKRAINE - VENUE TBA
03/01/2009 - LVIV, UKRAINE - VENUE TBA
03/05/2009 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - VICTORIA HALL
03/06/2009 - ELMAU, GERMANY - TBA
03/07/2009 - BERN, SWITZERLAND - KULTUR-CASINO
03/08/2009 - LUZERNE, SWITZERLAND - KKL
03/09/2009 - ST. GALLEN, SWITZERLAND - TONHALLE ST. GALLEN
03/12/2009 - COLOGNE, GERMANY - ALTES PFANDHAUS
03/14/2009 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY - ISBANK
03/15/2009 - LUNEBURG, GERMANY - TBA
03/16/2009 - OLDENBURG, GERMANY - TBA
03/20/2009 - VERDEN, GERMANY - STADTHALLE
03/21/2009 - LAS PALMAS de GRAN CANARIA, SPAIN - AUDITORIO ALFREDO KRAUS
04/22/2009 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - ZAPPA CLUB
04/23/2009 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - ZAPPA CLUB
04/24/2009 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - ZAPPA HERTZLIYA
04/25/2009 - TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - ZAPPA HERTZLIYA
04/27/2009 - LUXEMBOURG - PHILHARMONIE
04/30/2009 - KEMPTEN, GERMANY - KORNHAUS
05/01/2009 - BASEL, SWITZERLAND - STADTCASINO
05/02/2009 - WEINSTADT, GERMANY - STADTHALLE
05/05/2009 - ROTTWEIL, GERMANY - ALTE STALLHALLE
05/06/2009 - RUESSELSHEIM, GERMANY - VENUE TBA
05/08/2009 - ATARFE, SPAIN - TBA
05/09/2009 - CASTELLON, SPAIN - AUDITORI I PALAU DE CONGRESSOS DE CASTELLO

via Truth In Shredding

Review: Return to Forever - Chicago, IL 6/20/08

Return to Forever
The Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL
June 20th, 2008

The Return to Forever reunion tour is quickly shaping up to the be the jazz event of 2008. Though they haven't recorded an album since the 1970s, this classic groundbreaking fusion band (consisting of Chick Corea - keys, Stanley Clarke - bass, Lenny White - drums, and Al Di Meola - guitar) have been filling concert halls since they first hit the road in late May. I was fortunate enough to see RTF with my father when they played the historic Chicago Theatre this past Friday night, and blown away by the sheer musicianship this band possesses.

The first thing I noticed while we made our way to our seats was the audience. While there were some younger folks in attendance, the age demographic of the crowd seemed skewed to the 50+ set. There are always some older "fuseheads" at the types of shows I see, but this crowd was loaded with them. The band/promoter obviously anticipated this, since the pre-show house music consisted of RTF-era fusion classics such as "Crosswind" and "Proto Cosmos." When the band took the stage, they received the first of many standing ovations. This was an enthusiastic crowd to say the least, but it was the band's own enthusiasm that really struck me. From their opening song onward, the guys were obviously having a great time onstage. They were loose and fun to watch, and their mood definitely rubbed off on the audience. Despite a few technical glitches (e.g., one of Di Meola's amp heads gave up the ghost), the show was fantastic and included many of the band's classic songs over the course of two sets. Di Meola had a couple of his PRS guitars, but he also played his black 1958 Les Paul. This, along with the appearance Clarke's Alembic bass and Corea's Fender Rhodes, added to the evening's "throwback" vibe.

"Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" and "Sorceress" were big highlights from the first set for me. The fast doubled lines in these and other songs were always tight and punchy. Di Meola had some great solos in these tunes, and was amazing for the entire show. While his patented fast-as-possible triplet patterns always whipped the crowd into a frenzy, I found his mid-tempo lines to be more interesting and dynamic - especially when he would drop in some chromatic or diminished ideas. And his rhythm work was equally impressive. On some songs, such as "Vulcan Worlds," he displayed some of the funkiest, syncopated strumming work I've every witnessed. Take it from me, this guy's right hand is legendary for a reason.

The second set was played with acoustic instruments, and included solo showcases from each band member. Di Meola opened the set with an incredible unaccompanied nylon-string solo, but it was Clarke's acoustic solo spot that really stole the show (or at least the second set). The types of things he played (slapping, amazing fast runs) would be difficult for a lesser player on an electric bass, much less on a giant double bass like Clarke was playing. The term "jaw-dropping" jumps to mind. The second set also included some cool straight-ahead acoustic jazz from the trio of Corea, Clarke, and White.

For the final encore, they played a great version of the Corea standard "Spain." Corea pulled out his "keytar" for this one, and enticed the crowd into a fun call-and-response segment. It was a great ending to a great show. On the way home I had a thought - In this day and age, especially in the United States, which bands or players from the jazz fusion genre can fill a room as prestigious as the Chicago Theatre for a premium ticket price? Return To Forever, with it's lineup of legends, is perhaps the only band currently touring that can pull this off. All jazz and/or fusion fans need to catch this tour if they have a chance. 

The 6/20/08 setlist, as provided by the Return to Forever website:

SET 1
Opening Prayer
Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy
Vulcan Worlds
The Sorceress
Song To The Pharoah Kings

SET 2
No Mystery
Summer Night
The Romantic Warrior
Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant

Encores
Day Ride
Spain

Check out http://www.return2forever.com for more info on the tour (including pics from this show).

Rich

List all reviews

Return To Forever reunion rehearsal video

From the ReturnToForeverTV channel on YouTube: some cool footage from the first rehearsal for the upcoming reunion tour

Return To Forever tour dates announced!

Finally! Here are the announced dates and locations for the much anticipated Return To Forever reunion tour:

May 29, 2008      Paramount Theatre Austin #1       Austin, TX      
May 30, 2008     Paramount Theatre Austin #2     Austin, TX    
May 31, 2008     Verizon Wireless Arena     Houston, TX    
June 1, 2008     Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie     Dallas, TX    
June 3, 2008     Paramount Theatre Denver     Denver, CO    
June 4, 2008     Kingsbury Hall     Salt Lake City, UT
June 6, 2008     Schnitzer Concert Hall     Portland, OR     TBA    
June 7, 2008     Britt Music Festival     Medford, OR     TBA    
June 8, 2008     The Paramount - Seattle     Seattle, WA    
June 9, 2008     The Centre in Vancouver For Performing Arts    
June 11, 2008     The Grand at the Regency Center #1     San Francisco, CA
June 12, 2008     The Grand at the Regency Center #2     San Francisco, CA
June 13, 2008     Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk     Los Angeles, CA    
June 14, 2008     Dodge Theatre     Phoenix, AZ      
June 17, 2008     Fox Theatre     St. Louis, MO      
June 18, 2008     Holland Performing Arts Center     Omaha, NE    
June 19, 2008     Orpheum Theatre     Minneapolis, MN    
June 20, 2008     The Chicago Theatre     Chicago, IL         
June 21, 2008     Freedom Hill Amphitheatre     Detroit, MI    
June 22, 2008     Murat Theatre     Indianapolis, IN         
June 24, 2008     The Plain Dealer Pavilion     Cleveland, OH
June 25, 2008     Sony Centre     Toronto, ONT, Canada    
June 26, 2008     Ottawa Jazz Festival/Confederation Park     Ottawa, ONT, Canada    
June 27, 2008     Place des Arts - Pelletier Hall     Montreal, QUE, Canada    
June 28, 2008     Saratoga PAC - Freihofers's Jazz Festival     Saratoga Springs, NY    
July 2, 2008     Utenos Arena     Vilnius, Lithuania    
July 4, 2008     Congress Hall     Warsaw, Poland
July 5, 2008     Budapest Arena     Budapest, Hungary    
July 6, 2008     Belgrade Arena     Belgrade, Serbia
July 8, 2008     L'Olympia     Paris, France
July 9, 2008     Vienne Jazz Festival     Vienne, France
July 10, 2008     Via Jazz Festival     Madrid, Spain
July 11, 2008     Cap Roig Festival     Girona, Spain
July 12, 2008     Lorca Festival     Lorca, Spain
July 13, 2008     TBD Valencia, Spain     Valencia, Spain
July 16, 2008     TBD Neuhardenberg, Germany     Neuhardenberg, Germany
July 18, 2008     Montreux Jazz Festival     Montreux, Switzerland    
July 19, 2008     Grugahalle     Essen, Germany    
July 21, 2008     Indigo2     London, England    
July 23, 2008     Nice Jazz Festival     Nice, France
July 25, 2008     TBD San Sebastian, Spain     San Sebastian, Spain
July 30, 2008     The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre     Miami, FL    
July 31, 2008     Ruth Eckerd Hall     Clearwater, FL
August 1, 2008     House of Blues Orlando     Orlando, FL
August 2, 2008     Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center     Atlanta, GA    
August 4, 2008     Merriweather Post Pavilion     Columbia, MD 
August 5, 2008     Mann Center for Performing Arts  w/ the Flecktones  Philadelphia,  PA
August 6, 2008     Bank of America Pavilion w/ the Flecktones     Boston, MA    
August 7, 2008     United Palace     New York, NY

Great article on the Return to Forever reunion tour

The Los Angeles Times' Calenderlive.com site has a great article up regarding the upcoming Return to Forever reunion tour. The piece, written by Don Heckman, has details from one of the band's tour rehearsals and photo sessions. More details on the tour will be announced on March 3rd. For the uninitiated - Return to Forever  (featuring Chick Corea - keys, Stanley Clarke - bass, Lenny White - drums, and Al DiMeola - guitar) was one of the most influential jazz-rock bands of the 1970s. This lineup, which has not played together in some 25 years, will be touring the US and Europe this year.

Return to Forever joins the here and now

More info on the 2008 Return To Forever reunion tour

More details have been released on next summer's Return To Forever reunion. The band (featuring Chick Corea - keys, Stanley Clarke - bass, Lenny White - drums, and Al DiMeola - guitar) will play 40-50 dates across North America and Europe. An anthology will also be released in conjunction with the tour featuring remastered tracks from the Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior albums. Read the Abstract Logix news post for more info.

Return To Forever to reunite for 2008 tour

The rumors are true: The legendary jazz fusion band Return To Forever will be reuniting for a summer 2008 tour. The lineup will be Chick Corea - keys, Stanley Clarke - bass, Lenny White - drums, and Al DiMeola - guitar. Arguably the most well-known of the various RTF incarnations, this foursome was together from 1973-1976, and produced three records including the incredible Romantic Warrior album in 1976. Exact dates for the reunion tour have not yet been announced.

New Al DiMeola album to be released Sept 26th

Al DiMeola will be releasing a new album Sept 26th. "Consequense Of Chaos" will be a major return to solid-body electric guitar work for DiMeola. Chick Corea, Steve Gadd, John Pattitucci, Barry Miles, appear on the disc, as well as members of DiMeola's own band. A tour is scheduled for the US and Germany to support the album as well.

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