One of his best - As an Al Di Meola fan it is very hard - and unfair to the artist in my opinion - to say that one of his albums is better than another, i.e. that one creative era surpasses another very different era in sound. I think this was the first album where Al Di Meola really broke off from rock and delved into world fusion trying to reconcile it with jazz. Whether this experiment works for the listener depends on personal tastes. It is interesting to note that this album marks the artists first realease with the TELARC label and was recorded in pure digital medium (DDD). As a result it does exhibit a tremendous amount of digititis (audiophile terminlogy, for those who don t understand it, it s time to start a search) which is absent on Kiss My Axe and A.D.Meola plays Piazzolla. Sonically at least, I can say with certainty, the latter two are better releases! Unfortunately this digital trend with Telarc continues to this day and I can assure even the most avid listeners that the latest SACD release (Flesh on Flesh) still gets and ass whooping when compared sonically to Kiss My Axe played on a reference vinyl setup and even when both are played in digital format as well. I really feel that some of this artists energy is lost in the digital recording medium at Telarc studios. For me though, the music found on this cd puts it in the top ten favorite albums of all time.
Kaleidoscopic inspiration! - If I was requested for the most experimental work of Al Di Meola, this would be my first choice. This gifted artist made a true kaleidoscopic album pregnant of livings and memories. That explains its cosmopolitan feature, every track is a stage by itself. In my mother s eyes accuses the eternal debt of all musician respect the Brazilian moods. It is absolutely undeniable the boss a nova taste, which is blended with clever innovations. But there is still more.Vizzini is a personal tribute to the famous Venetian painter. The infinite desire would seem to be thought in Astor Piazzolla. So in this sense I do not have any doubt to recommend you, keeping in mind this advertence s clause.
Too many things - Some could say this work of Al is mature, so there s an evolution, etc.I met Al s music when I made a blind buy in a record store, the LP was sealed. That LP was Elegant Gipsy , in my opinion the best of Al.In The Infinite Desire there are too many things, a plethora of instruments. I really don t understand where Al was going to when he recorded this material. I m not looking for fusion or jazz. I m just looking for guitar, I mean Al s guitar, maybe the old way, but not an experiment hard to listen to.
Depth of color! - ...First off...let me say - I really like this album. The very thought of this album always brings to mind a college professor of mine. The man was very provocative (a good quality for a teacher) and really challenged the pre-conceptions of his students world view. He did, however, make at least one assertion with which I strongly disagreed. It was his view that the visual arts (painting) were the highest form of the high arts . I did not agree. I had always belonged to that group of aficionados that understood that music was the finest of the fine arts. I considered his position untenable despite knowing that he possessed two degrees in music. Therefore, I found it quite amazing to read Mr. DiMeola s comments on the liner notes of The Infinite Desire . There he was, expressing essentially the same viewpoint as my old college professor. Referring to the works of a painter that he admires named Vizzini(for whom the 3rd track on the recording is named), Mr.DiMeola wrote: Somehow, he paints with colors in such deep, vivid harmonic contrast ... that one can only dream to create in music.Mr. DiMeola s remarks compelled me to reconsider my philosophical position and, as a result, I now have a much more conscious conception of the parallels between painting and music. Just as a painter starts with a blank canvas, so too does the composer start with an empty manuscript. The guitar, trumpet or clarinet does not make the slightest peep while sitting on it s stand, but in the hands of a master it transforms a blank canvas of empty air into a dazzling soundscape. Though I still feel that music is the finest of the fine arts, I highly encourage others to embrace the aforementioned analogy when attempting to listen with an open mind. The Infinite Desire is exceptional material for use in practicing ones listening skills. Quite beautiful actually.Mark Edward HendricksWilton Manors, FL
So-So - Overall this is a fairly pleasant listen. Al has mellowed since his jazz-rock fusion days of the 70 s. Shaking the Spirits is a great track, Istanbul is carried by Herbie Hancock s solo and Peter Erkshine s drums, and Race With the Devil on a Turkish Highway is astoundingly cool, with some great rapid fire guitar trade-offs at the end with Steve Vai. Al earns bonus points for his attempt at playing straight-ahead jazz on Invention of the Monsters, but it just goes to show that he s not really suited for that kind of setting. Azzura sounded much better in the stripped down guitar trio version, Beyond the Mirage however works fairly well with the added production (as opposed to the guitar trio version). Valentina is a very pretty piece with a convincing VG-8 trumpet sound. Overall though, it seems as though Al would best be suited to stick to his acoustic group World Sinfonia or the guitar trio... This is not bad though, better than Kiss my Axe but almost up to the level of Orange and Blue (his other 2 electric releases of the 90 s).