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Virtuoso guitarist hitting the road with World Sinfonia

Virtuoso guitarist Al Di Meola will be performing at Anthology, February 3 as part of his national tour and new album release with his new project, Al Di Meola and World Sinfonia. Joining a handpicked group of master musicians for both the tour and album, Di Meola makes a surprising turn into the romantic, producing a collection of moving tango-flavored melodies. Their work is on display on ‘La Melodia Live In Milano,’ available in America for the first time and releases on January 8, 2009, just days before the tour starts. The album features two songs by tango master Astor Piazzolla, for whom Di Meola admits he has been “carrying a torch” his entire career, as well as one each from Ennio Morricone and Andrea Parodi, and four by Di Meola himself.

This shift in tone is perfectly natural for Di Meola. “Although the tango developed in Argentina, it was born in the region of Italy where my parents are from, Napoli,” he explains. “This music connects to my roots. As long as I’m playing music, it will be part of my repertoire.” No wonder, then, that World Sinfonia’s music sounds so effortless: it’s in his blood.

As a member of groundbreaking jazz-fusion group Return to Forever starting in the 1970s, and in his solo work since, Di Meola earned a reputation for being technically brilliant with unbelievable chops. For the past several years, however, he has been spent as much time composing for chamber orchestras in Europe as creating blazing guitar solos. With World Sinfonia, Di Meola moves his audience with the range of emotions in his music, rather than simply blowing them away with his technique.

Website: www.AlDiMeola.com

Show details:

Al DiMeola will perform on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $39 and are available at the Anthology Box Office, by calling 619.595.0300 and at www.AnthologySD.com.

Anthology is located at 1337 India Street (between A and Ash Streets).