Speak a Volcano: Return to Electric Guitar | 
| Actor: Al Di Meola
Studio: Inakustic Gmbh
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $11.96
You Save: $7.99 (40%)
New (25) Used (5) from $11.96
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 20023
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), German (Unknown)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 0
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 7002
UPC: 707787700276
EAN: 0707787700276
ASIN: B000UX6O0W
Theatrical Release Date: October 30, 2007
Release Date: October 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED!
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Product Description
After 30 years of a splendid career and exploring a variety of styles Al Di Meola still ranks among the most popular guitar-masters of jazz and jazz-rock. Here on his first "electric" DVD Di Meola shows up with "Speak A Volcano" in Leverkusen in November 2006. Surrounded by a band including his old companion and superb percussionist Gumbo Ortiz he rediscovers his love of the electric guitar without denying newer influences. The result is a balancing act between volcanic electronic ecstasy and emotionally moving sound excursions between fervent improvisations and intimate conversations including many compositions of Al Di Meola himself and five Piazzolla tunes.System Requirements:Running Time: 120 mins Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 707787700276
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
awesome!!! November 14, 2007
David Martinez (San Antonio, Tx)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Great to see AL playing the electric guitar again. This dvd has a good mix of his musical diversity. My only wish is that it have about 3 to 4 more songs of some of his early electric classics. But i am happy to have this dvd.
 Return to the electric guitar...for half the show anyway December 2, 2007
herb (somewhere hopefully)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Yes it is great to see him back on electric. The image quality is stunning, really incredible. The camera angles are great on Dimeola (Patient and revealing) but a little weird on some of the band. There are no shots that reveal the keys of the keyboardist and or what type of boards he uses. (The angle is kind of from below) This may not be important to most people but I would have liked a little bit more creativity on the shot selection and angles. Few revealing shots of the bassist and percussionist. There are some good shots of the drummer. (especially the overhead) Wish they had that on the keys! It's weird because there are no guitar amps visible and I wanted to see what amp he had. He's playing a beautiful PRS. The drum set is behind glass which is a little weird but... Clearly this was an effort to get the best sound rather than an approximation of an actual live show.
This is the best Dimeola DVD thus far. His guitar sound is nice but polished..gone are the intense Les Paul and raw amp sounds of his "Wizard" days. Speaking of that how can he not play the "Wizard?".
My only gripe is that he plays too much acoustic when it's billed as the return to the electric. We have had years of hearing and seeing what he can do on the acoustic. Then he also breaks out the classical guitar too..almost feels like he is saying "look what I can do!" We all know he's great and his right hand technique is stunning. I just think the acoustic ruins the pacing of the presentation and is too reminicent of the other dvd's. The bonus material is very good with a lenghty & detailed interview and even some playing tips which are pretty cool. This guy has one of the strongest right hands in the business.
It IS a 5 star product but the song selection and the over-use of the acoustic(given it's billed as a return to the electric)brings it down to 4. Two hours of material. Dimeola needs to be playing electric like this...it has way more impact than the all acoustic material. Wish he would have done some more from the first 3 albums. BUY IT.
Great to see these songs live December 20, 2007
red herring (Chicago)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'm not going to belabor the opinion I've expressed in my reviews of Al's other work here, that his fans need to allow him to grow as an artist and understand that you can't play Elegant Gypsy forever, but if that's what you want I would submit that you'd still be very happy with at least 80% of what this disc contains. I believe his versatility is what makes Al so unique, both as an instrumentalist and composer/arranger--he can obviously still rip it better than anybody on pure electric, but the electric/acoustic also featured in this concert creates sonic nuances that need to be seen to be believed. Whatever you think of what Al's been doing the last 15 years, please do yourself a favor and watch this concert--maybe you'll grow as a listener as well.
A Pleasure As Always December 20, 2007
Kurt Harding (Boerne TX)
Any Al DiMeola show is a treat. I've seen his shows a half dozen times at various points in his career and I've never left disappointed except that the shows eventually ended. I also own all his other DVDs and was excited to learn that he was going electric on this one. Well, not quite. Speak a Volcano is more like an acoustic sandwich with some great electric fireworks at both ends but with a tasty slice of acoustic wizardry in the middle. I know that annoys some fans who were hoping for the glories of Elegant Gypsy, Casino, and Electric Rendezvous all rolled into one, but the fact is that DiMeola long ago left those days in the past.
The DVD leans heavily on his work of the last two decades with only a slight nod to the glory days of the seventies. Over the course of his career, DiMeola has perfected an otherworldly and almost mystical sound. Whenever you hear him play, you can just kick back and let your mind soar with the music. He has also long indulged his obsession with the music of the late nouveau tango master Astor Piazzolla to whom he pays much homage once again on this DVD.
I've watched Speak A Volcano several times since I received it and find something more to like each time. The light show is great and the shots of DiMeola's seemingly effortless guitar pyrotechnics are thrilling. He is backed by a competent and well-rehearsed band. Long-time fixture, percussionist Gumbi Ortiz, seems almost an extension of DiMeola's talent. The interplay between the two is a joy to behold.
I don't really have any favorites, maybe Milonga del Angel (Milonga misspelled as two words on the DVD housing), Tangata, and the fiery Senor Mouse from way back in his Casino days are the most memorable. I like the interior acoustic set but I am with some of the other reviewers who think that a DVD billed as a return to electric guitar should be all-electric. Perhaps DiMeola could have offered some electric interpretations of songs he had previously performed acoustically but he didn't so I'm just happy to hear what is here. So lets all enjoy this one and hope that sales are strong enough to spur DiMeola to record an even more electric show for his next DVD!
One of the top 5 in the world February 8, 2008
music maven
Those familiar with his work understand the complexity of the music he performs. This video displays the 3 personalities of of Al's quitar styles. The Eletric perfomances are outstanding, exerpts from latest and greatest CD's drive you back in your seat. Amplified acoustic sessions with switchable digital guitar effects are alway amazing. The Piazzola sessions are mind boggling. To witness a master guitarist reading sheet music on stage and understanding the musical challenges he is faced with, is magic to watch. You will not see this type of performance in concert again. To quote Mr. Dimeola, "My runnin and gunnin days are over". Buy this video and enjoy it, just be sure your sound system can handle it.
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