Land of the Midnight Sun (album)

Land of the Midnight Sun
Studio album by Al Di Meola
Released	25 October 1976
Recorded	December 1975-July 1976
Genre	Latin jazz, jazz fusion
Length	35:11
Label	Columbia
Producer	Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola chronology
Land of the Midnight Sun (1976) Elegant Gypsy (1977)

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

Land of the Midnight Sun is the first album by Al Di Meola, released in 1976. The complex pieces (which include the three-part "Suite-Golden Dawn," an acoustic duet with Chick Corea on "Short Tales of the Black Forest" and a brief Bach violin sonata) show Di Meola's range even at this early stage.

Track listing

Side One

1. "The Wizard" (James Mingo Lewis) – 6:46
   • Al Di Meola - 6- and 12-string guitars
   • Mingo Lewis - keyboards, percussion
   • Anthony Jackson - bass
   • Steve Gadd - drums
2. "Land of the Midnight Sun" (Al Di Meola) – 9:10
   • Al Di Meola - electric guitar
   • Barry Miles - electric piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
   • Anthony Jackson - bass
   • Lenny White - drums
   • Mingo Lewis - percussion
3. "Sarabande from Violin Sonata in B Minor, (Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002)" (Johann Sebastian Bach) – 1:20
   • Al Di Meola - acoustic guitar
4. "Love Theme from Pictures of the Sea" (Al Di Meola) – 2:25
   • Al Di Meola - 6- and 12-string acoustic and 6-string electric guitars, vocals, synthesizer, chimes
   • Patty Buyukas - vocals
   • Stanley Clarke - bass, vocals
   • Mingo Lewis - percussion

Side Two

5. "Suite Golden Dawn" - (Al Di Meola) – 9:49
   • I. "Morning Fire" - 1:15
   • II. "Calmer of the Tempests" - 1:11
   • III. "From Ocean to the Clouds" - 8:38

• Al Di Meola - electric guitar
• Barry Miles - electric piano, Mini-Moog synthesizer
• Jaco Pastorius - bass
• Alphonse Mouzon - drums
• Mingo Lewis - percussion

6. "Short Tales of the Black Forest" (Chick Corea) – 5:41
   • Al Di Meola - 6-string acoustic guitar, gong
   • Chick Corea - acoustic piano, marimba ^[3]

^[4]

Personnel

• Al Di Meola: Guitars, synthesizer, percussion, vocals.
• Anthony Jackson: Bass guitar (tracks 1, 2).
• Stanley Clarke: Bass guitar, vocals (track 4).
• Jaco Pastorius: Bass guitar (track 5).
• Barry Miles: Keyboards, synthesizer (tracks 2, 5).
• Chick Corea: Piano, marimba (track 6).
• Steve Gadd: Drums (track 1).
• Lenny White: Drums (track 2).
• Alphonse Mouzon: Drums (track 5).
• James Mingo Lewis: Percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5), keyboards (track 1).
• Patty Buyukas: Vocals (track 4).

Chart performance

References