Elegant Gypsy

Elegant Gypsy
Studio album by Al Di Meola
Released	1977
Recorded	May–September 1977
Genre	Latin jazz, jazz fusion
Length	37:00
Label	Columbia
Producer	Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola chronology
Land of the Midnight Sun (1976) Elegant Gypsy (1977) Casino (1978)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Elegant Gypsy is the second album by American jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola. It was released in 1977 on Columbia Records.

Background

Elegant Gypsy was a follow-up album to Di Meola's debut release, Land of the Midnight Sun. The distinctive music on the album is a speedy fusion of jazz and rock, with lightning-fast guitar riffs intermixed with lyrical acoustical passages. The songs include explorations of Latin music themes, including acoustic genres like flamenco.^[3]

Elegant Gypsy won an annual award for Best Guitar Album in Guitar Player Magazine.

Track listing

All songs by Al Di Meola unless otherwise noted.

Side One

1. "Flight Over Rio" (Mingo Lewis) 7:16
   • Al Di Meola - electric guitar
   • Mingo Lewis - Arp Odyssey, Arp Sequencer and background synthesizers, organ, congas, percussion
   • Jan Hammer - electric piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
   • Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
   • Steve Gadd - drums
2. "Midnight Tango" 7:28
   • Al Di Meola - electric and acoustic guitars, Arp synthesizer, castanets, maracas
   • Barry Miles - electric and acoustic pianos
   • Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
   • Lenny White - drums
   • Mingo Lewis - congas
3. "Mediterranean Sundance" 5:14
   • Al Di Meola - acoustic guitar (first solo, right side)
   • Paco De Lucia - acoustic guitar (second solo, left side)

Side Two

4. "Race with Devil on Spanish Highway" 6:18
   • Al Di Meola - electric guitar, timbales
   • Barry Miles - electric and acoustic pianos, Mini-Moog synthesizer
   • Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
   • Lenny White - drums
   • Mingo Lewis - congas
5. "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" 1:46
   • Al Di Meola - acoustic guitar
6. "Elegant Gypsy Suite" 9:16
   • Al Di Meola - 6- and 12- string electric and 6-string acoustic guitars, Arp String Ensemble, acoustic piano, maracas, percussion
   • Jan Hammer - electric piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
   • Anthony Jackson - bass guitar
   • Steve Gadd - drums
   • Mingo Lewis - congas

Personnel

• Al Di Meola: Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, piano, synthesizer, percussion.
• Paco de Lucía: Acoustic guitar (track 3).
• Anthony Jackson: Bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6).
• Jan Hammer: Keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 1, 6).
• Barry Miles: Piano, keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 2, 4).
• Steve Gadd: Drums (tracks 1, 6).
• Lenny White: Drums (tracks 2, 4).
• Mingo Lewis: Congas, synthesizers, organ, percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6).

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
1977	Billboard 200	58[4]
1977	Billboard Top Jazz Albums	5[4]

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 61. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. Review in Ultimate-guitar.com
4. "Elegant Gypsy - Al di Meola | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.