Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia: Friday Night in San Francisco (1980)
Epic flamenco-inspired shredding from McLaughlin, DiMeola and DeLucia.
After talking to my buddy Rick Beato last week about Al DiMeola, I went back and listened again to some classic fusion records I once loved. I’d forgotten that I’d never really heard the classic, acoustic shred-fest with DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia, Friday Night in San Francisco. This is one of those records I’ve seen around for decades but always passed by. I should’ve given it a chance, as it’s a very very enjoyable set. It takes place where flamenco and jazz meet, and the fast, unison arpeggios are flying at death-defying speeds. Sometimes shredding is fun for its own sake, but here it’s also musically exhilarating.
