"It's Obscenely Heavy and Growls Like Nothing Else!"

Al Di Meola discusses his famous Les Paul – and his friendship with the man himself

- By Amit Sharma

When it comes to jazz-rock, few Les Pauls are as storied as Al Di Meola’s 1971 Les Paul Custom – famously held on the cover of his groundbreaking 1977 album Elegant Gypsy. By that point of his career. Al was already wellknown for his breathtaking virtuosity. At the tender age of 19 he had been recruited by Chick Corea in fusion supergroup Return To Forever, with whom he’d go on to record three Top 40 Billboard albums in the mid-70s. As a solo artist he fused elements of progressive rock and flamenco into some of the most stunning guitar recordings ever committed to tape, taking those Mediterranean influences to even greater heights alongside John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía on seminal early 80s live album Friday Night In San Francisco. Widely considered one of the world’s finest alternate pickers, Al tells TG of his love for Les Pauls – and his connection with the main man...

“I started using Les Pauls early on, probably because I’d seen Jeff Beck using one around the beginning of his career. There were some heavy metal acts too. The