Al Di Meola Biography
Al Di Meola (born Albert Laurence Di Meola) is an Italian-American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist known for his ongoing fascination with complex rhythmic syncopation combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony. He came to prominence when he was first the guitarist of the group Return to Forever in the 1970s when he also released his albums, Elegant Gypsy and Friday Night in San Fransisco, both of which earned him critical and commercial success.
Al Di Meola Age
Di Meola was born on July 22, 1954, in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America. He celebrates his birthday on July 22nd every year. Meola will be 67 years old in Jul. 2nd, 2021.
Al Di Meola Height
Di Meola stands at an average height and moderate weight. He appears to be quite tall in stature of his photos, relative to his surroundings, are anything to go by. However, details regarding his actual height and other body measurements are currently not publicly available. We are keeping tabs and will update this section once the information is out.
Al Di Meola Education
Having being brought up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, Di Meola attended Bergenfield High School. In 1972, Di Meola enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and by the second semester, he started playing guitar in a fusion quartet led by keyboardist Barry Miles
When a gig tape of that band later passes on to Chick Corea by a friend of Di Meola in 1974, the 19-year-old guitarist was tapped to join Corea fusion supergroup Return Forever as a replacement for guitarist Bill Connors.
Al Di Meola Parents
Di Meola is the son of Charles Di Meola and Teresa Di Meola, his mother, who was born in Italy and was raised by relatives until the age of 13 when she left for the states.
He grew up in an Italian household. “I was always proud to have Italian blood in me. The Italians were always cool people. My dad was not well versed in languages, He didn’t know how to communicate my cultural identity. He had 13 brothers and sisters, a big Italian family. He worked with his hands, a builder,” Di Meola discloses of his background.
Al’s grandfather came from Cerreto, Sannita, a town known for its time-honored tradition of Baroque style porcelain. However, Di Meola never met either of his grandparents. “He died right before I was born, and my grandmother too, so I never met my grandparents.”
Likewise, his great-grandfather owned the largest manufacturing plant for fireworks in the south of Italy, but one day blew up and was put in a big barrel of oil to recover, but he, unfortunately, died from the blast injuries.
Nevertheless, Di Meola is not known if he has any siblings.
Is Al Di Meola Married? Al Di Meola Wife
Speaking of his personal life, Di Meola currently shares a blissful relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie and they are blessed with a daughter, Ava.
Al Di Meola Salary
Details about Ai’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Al Di Meola Net Worth
Di Meola has enjoyed a long career in the entertainment industry, spanning over four decades. Through proceeds from his work as a professional guitarist, he has been able to accumulate a huge fortune. Di Meola is estimated to have a net worth of about $5 million USD.
Al Di Meola Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Al Di Meola.
Al Di Meola Bio and Wiki
- Full Names: Albert Laurence Di Meola
- Popular As: Di Meola
- Gender:Â Male
- Occupation / Profession: Musician—Guitarist
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: Mixed
- Religion: Christian
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Al Di Meola Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 66 (2020)
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Date of Birth: July 22, 1954
- Place of Birth: Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
- Birthday: July 22nd
Al Di Meola Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: Not Known
- Weight: Not Known
- Eye Color: Brown
- Hair Color: Brown
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Chest Size: Not Available
- Waist Size: Not Available
- Hip Size: Not Available
Al Di Meola Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Charles Di Meola
- Mother: Teresa Di Meola
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse: Married to Stephanie
- Children:Â Sons (None) Daughter(s) (Ava)
Al Di Meola Networth and Salary
- Net Worth: $5Million USD
- Salary: Under Review
- Source of Income: Musician—Guitarist
Al Di Meola House and Cars
- Place of living: New Jersey, USA
- Cars: Car Brand to be Updated
Al Di Meola Career
Al Di Meola Return to Forever
Di Meola has recorded three albums with Return to Forever, helping the quartet earn its greatest commercial success as all the three albums cracked the Top 40 on the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard pop albums chart. Actually, he could play so fast that he was sometimes criticized for playing too many notes.
In 1976, as The Return to Forever was disbanding, Di Meola started doing solo albums on which he demonstrated mastery of jazz fusion, flamenco, and Mediterranean music, notable examples are “Mediterranean Sundance” and “Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil” from Elegant Gypsy album.
Al Di Meola Across the Universe
Al Di Meola Elegant Gypsy
In his debut album, Land of the Midnight Sun, which he released in 1976, he was noted for his technical mastery and extremely fast, complex guitar solos and compositions. The following year, he released his second album, Elegant Gypsy (1977) by Columbia Records.
The album, with distinctive music with a speedy fusion of jazz and rock, and lightning-fast guitar riffs, intermixed with lyrical acoustical passages, received a gold certification and an annual award for Best Guitar Album in Guitar Player Magazine.
In 1980, Di Meola recorded the acoustic live album Friday Night in San Fransisco with Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin. The latter album became one of the most popular live albums for acoustic guitar, selling more than 2 million copies, worldwide.
In 1983, the great guitarist released Scenario, an album that he explored with the electronic side of jazz in collaboration with Jan Hammer (keyboardist with Fusion pioneers “Mahavishnu Orchestra,” on albums with Jeff Beck, and later, composed the Miami Vice theme).
Beginning with this change, he further expanded his horizons with the acoustic album Cielo e Terra. He began to incorporate the Synclavier guitar synthesizer in the mid-1980s albums such as Soaring Through a Dream.
By the 1990s Di Meola recorded albums closer to world music and modern Latin styles than jazz—a good example was in the 1991 album, Kiss My Axe, an album that peaked at #2 on the U.S. Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
In 2006, Di Meola rediscovered his love of the electric guitar, and the DVD of his concert at the Leverkusen Jazz Festival 2006 is subtitled Return to Electric Guitar. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of music from his alma mater Berklee College of Music.
Al Di Meola Songs
1976: Land of the Midnight Sun (Columbia)
1977: Elegant Gypsy (Columbia)
1978: Casino (Columbia)
1980: Splendido Hotel (Columbia)
1981: Friday Night in San Francisco with John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia (Columbia)
1982: Tour De Force – Live (Columbia)
1982: Electric Rendezvous (Columbia)
1983: Passion, Grace & Fire with John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia (Columbia)
1983: Scenario (Columbia)
1985: Soaring Through a Dream (Manhattan)
1985: Cielo e Terra (Manhattan)
1987: Tirami Su (Manhattan)
1991: Kiss My Axe (Tomato)
1991: World Sinfonia (Tomato)
1993: Heart of the Immigrants (Mesa)
1994: Orange and Blue (Bluemoon)
1995: The Rite of Strings with Stanley Clarke, Jean-Luc Ponty
1996: The Guitar Trio with John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia (Verve)
1996: Di Meola Plays Piazzolla (Bluemoon)
1998: The Infinite Desire (Telarc)
1999: Winter Nights (Telarc)
2000: World SinfonÃa III – The Grande Passion (Telarc)
2002: Flesh on Flesh (Telarc)
2005: Cosmopolitan Life with Leonid Agutin (Ole)
2006: Vocal Rendezvous (SPV)
2006: Consequence of Chaos (Telarc)
2007: Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar (In-Akustik)
2007: Live in London
2008: World Sinfonia – La Melodia
2008: He and Carmen with Eszter Horgas
2010: One Night in Montreal (Jazz Hour)
2011: Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody (Telarc)
2013: All Your Life: A Tribute to the Beatles Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London
2015: Elysium (In-Akustik)
2017: Morocco Fantasia (In-Akustik)
2018: Elegant Gypsy & More Live (Ear Music)
2018: Opus (Ear Music)
2020: Across the Universe (Ear Music)
Frequently Asked Questions About Al Di Meola
Who is Al Di Meola?
Al Di Meola (born Albert Laurence Di Meola) is an Italian-American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist known for his ongoing fascination with complex rhythmic syncopation combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony. He came to prominence when he was first the guitarist of the group Return to Forever in the 1970s when he also released his albums, Elegant Gypsy and Friday Night in San Fransisco, both of which earned him critical and commercial success.
How old is Al Di Meola?
Di Meola is an American national born on 22nd July 1954, in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.
How tall is Al Di Meola?
Di Meola stands at an average height, he has not shared his height with the public. His height will be listed once we have it from a credible source.
Is Al Di Meola married?
Yes, he/she is married to Stephanie and together they have one child. The couple resides in New Jersey, USA together with their daughter.
How much is Al Di Meola worth?
Di Meola has an approximate net worth of $5 million. This amount has been accrued from his leading roles in the entertainment industry.
How much does Al Di Meola make?
Details about Di Meola’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Where does Di Meola live?
He is a resident of New Jersey, USA, we shall upload pictures of his house as soon as we have them.
Is Di Meola dead or alive?
Di Meola is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of him being sick or having any health-related issues.
Where is Di Meola Now?
Di Meola is and has been producing music since 1976, having his last music released on YouTube on 11th March 2020. Watch and listen to Di Meola’s latest release below.