FRIDAY NIGHT IN SAN FRANCISCO

Since I have memory, I've been a Paco de Lucia fan so one day searching for one album that I can't remember now, found this masterpiece, already knew about John Mc'Laughlin because of Mahavishnu and had heard excellent comments about Al DiMeola.

Without hesitation bought the LP in the same instant and went running to my house. Listening it for the first time was one of the most rewarding and at the same time more frustrating moments in my life. Rewarding because I have never heard something so close to perfection and frustrating because I realized that I would never be able to play remotely like this guys and abandoned my guitar lessons.

Is it Prog? Don't believe so but neither I care, it's just perfect and that's all that matters, three men with three different styles playing blues, Jazz and Flamenco in perfect synchronicity with only acoustic guitars and equal skills.

Something people need to understand is that with an electric guitar and easier with a band you can create an effect to cover some lack of ability to play a section, but when playing alone with acoustic guitars, there's no place for mistakes and if you do it on stage, you have suicidal tendencies,

No effects to hide your inability to perform a song and no possible trick, if you succeed you're a musical god if you fail you're human, this the trio of musicians never failed, something that is evident just listening the reaction of the audience, in an acoustic guitar concert people remain quiet in respectful silence but the public simply can't avoid screaming each time one of the three musicians makes a perfect solo.

My favorite track would be Sundance/Rio Ancho. DiMeola with his delicate style and Paco de Lucía with his frantic Flamenco touch make a perfect combination, as if it was a contest between this two excellent musicians, but a contest where there's not a winner except the public, simply breathtaking.

"Frevo Rasgado" and the Chick Corea's track "Short Tales of the Black Forest" are outstanding but wouldn't be fair to ignore "Fantasía Suite", where the three monsters play together, the cliché phrase "They don't make albums like this anymore" is more accurate than ever.

The three musicians released another album in 1996 called simply The Guitar Trio but with less success, there was nothing spontaneous and people was expecting more than what any human can give..

Now, how in hell can I rate this album?

5 stars could be too much according to the guidelines because it isn't Prog' but 4 stars is too low for perfection. I will make en exception and give 5 stars to a non Prog' release, Friday Night in San Francisco is essential for everybody and a masterpiece of any genre.