Passion, Grace & Fire

Following up the incendiary fun of *Friday Night in San Francisco*, these guitar heroes assembled in the studio for an album no less pyrotechnic and intense, although the lack of crowd noise makes for a more contemplative listening experience. There’s an enigmatic, chamberlike mood to the music throughout. John McLaughlin, having set the standard for fusion guitar with Miles Davis and his own Mahavishnu Orchestra, was in the thick of an acoustic period at this time, reflected in his pieces “Aspan” and “David,” originally from his 1982 album, *Music Spoken Here*. Di Meola offers his three-part “Orient Blue Suite” and the closing title track, which he’d recorded as a less intricately arranged duo with de Lucía on his 1982 album *Electric Rendezvous*. Flamenco master de Lucía, who contributes “Chiquito” and “Sichia,” plays with a classical finger-style technique that contrasts richly with the speed-picking styles of his partners. In their respective ways, these monster virtuosos bring precision and nuance to every lightning run, contrapuntal flourish, and rippling arpeggio.