Fusing jazz, flamenco, bossa nova and even a hint of the blues Friday Night In San Francisco brought togther three absolute masters in their own particular styles for in my opinion one of the greatest and most musically inspirational guitar albums ever.
John Mclaughlin- Was born in 1942 in Yorkshire England and had already found fame with his jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra. Having returned from touring to do this gig McLaughlin is on his usual high form for this recording.
Al Di Meola- Hailing from the sweltering/frigid New Jersey heat/conditions the youngest member of the trio having being born in the relatively recent 1954. Well known at the time as one of the faster players around Di Meola was one of the first real shredders.
Paco de Lucia- Spanish born in 1942 was made to practice up to 12 hours a day from the age of 5 from his father who's master plan to mould him into the greatest flamenco guitarist shows great success on the sublime-
Mediterranean Sundance
The Perfect intro to such a record. A few moments of the crowd wooping and cheering without hearing a note giving the listener a snatch of the excitement felt within the Warfield Theatre before snatching everyone's attention with a descending phrase laced with intrigue and texture before going into one off the most effortlessly stylish riff's I have ever come accross. What follows from this point on is as the name describes the sort of music one would expect to accompany a dance. Melodies that seem to creep in and hide between the intricate lace woven by by these three guitarists. Ferocious runs and melodies only describeable as "hot" ensue through the 11:35 of this song.
The song ends with the same riff as heard in the beggining this time played by all three guitarists in harmony at the end as if a poignant poem being repeated for dramatic effect. Effective it most certainly is.
Short Tails of the Black Forest
This piece originally written by Chick Corea starts off with a quirky and buisy riff which soon seeps into the darker and overal less melodic soundscape. Ridden with sinister sounding jabs and ripps before emerging again with a triumphant sounding section before again droping down into the murk. Just when you think that you are so stuck in the intricatly spun web of darkness you hear a familiar tune, is it? snap yes it is!!
The cool and famous tune that accompanied Peter Sellers through the "Pink Panther" is recreated by the three most well respected and musically admired guitarists of the time. Yes the song that even your simple cousin,who you feel sorry for but wouldnt let in your room due to that unfortunate dribble accident from last time, can play on the piano. But strangely enough it fits, rather well as it happens. This goes on for a little while before evolving again into another and unexpected form. The trio decide to show their blues roots, this said it is easy to hear Di Meola's unmistakeable style as De Lucia and McLaughlin swap rhythm and lead places. As if a brief interlude the song emerges on again from a moment of silence with the friendly beginning riff.
Frevo Rasgado
A very soulful and slow song Frevo Rasgado is clearly one of the more traditional ones on the list containing slowly plucked phrases and soft melodies this is very much a midway song and serves its purpose well before diving into-
Fantasia Suite
My favorite of the five songs which constitute to Friday Night In San Francisco, Fantasia Suite starts of with another happy and buisy melody which leads into the suprisingly simple D-A, A-E progression punctuated by Di Meola's speedy decending and ascending runs. The middle section of the piece is again a minor section dotted with preccussive techniques such as raking and slapping which for a guitarist like myself are quite interesting but to anyone else might not be so intriguing. The final section bursts in with the same chords from before played in together creating a real release from the tention built up during the middle section. My friend Phill describes this song as "Sorta folky" and my friend Ed as "A gay ole time" I feel more inclined to agree with Phill as you can definetly hear folkly touches in the main theme of the song. I think this has something to do with the success of the Trio and their ability to take basic sounds such as folk or even blues and give it their own touch.
Guardian Angel
A cover of one of McLaughlin's songs the trio perform this beutiful and delicate song perfectly with such passion. The beginning picking sets the mood for the rest of the song as more downbeat than the others. An unusual song that like the beginning it perfectly placed on the set list at the end. The swooping melodies really bring to a close the special experience that is Friday Night In San Francisco.
