Impex Records continues to honor the legacy of celebrated guitarist Al Di Meola with a new 180 gram LP reissue of his 1977 jazz fusion classic, Elegant Gypsy. The album attained gold record sales status in the year of its release, peaking at the number 5 position on Billboard's jazz album charts, and Guitar Player magazine gave it their award for Best Guitar Album of 1977. The album has been out of print domestically as an LP for well over forty years, and original Columbia label pressings—including a limited-edition half speed master LP from 1981—are fairly easy to find, but haven't always been particularly well-regarded by audiophiles. Impex is now giving Elegant Gypsy the all-analog audiophile treatment fans have been longing for with this new LP reissue.
Elegant Gypsy was remastered from a 1:1 copy of the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman, who also cut lacquers for the 180 gram LPs at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. Impex's AAAA, all-analog process (analog original to analog mix, master, and lacquers) was used throughout, with RTI then pressing the LPs on high-definition vinyl. The heavy, tip-on jackets were printed by Stoughton, and the clarity of the album images—featuring Di Meola alongside 70's supermodel Janice Dickinson—rivals that of my Columbia label original. A printed insert replicates the original album's inner sleeve, and also includes a new note from Al Di Meola. The LP arrived inserted in Impex's heavy poly inner sleeve, which prevents dust accumulation, static build-up, and scratching, and the album's jacket was encased in a resealable outer sleeve. It's a beautiful album package that's totally on par with the level of perfectionism Impex puts into each and every LP reissue. You can order a copy of Elegant Gypsy from their partner Elusive Disc HERE.
Al Di Meola, Elegant Gypsy, Impex Records 180 Gram LP. $39.99
Between 1974-1976, Al Di Meola contributed his peerless guitar work to three albums for iconic fusion group Return To Forever. Following the successful tour in support of their biggest selling album to date, 1976's Romantic Warrior, keyboardist and leader Chick Corea shocked the music world by announcing he was reforming the band—which would no longer include Di Meola or drummer Lenny White. Despite his changing fortunes, the guitarist headed straight into the studio to record his first solo album, the critically acclaimed Land of the Midnight Sun. His sophomore effort, Elegant Gypsy, came only months afterwards, and was a huge commercial and critical success, thrusting Di Meola into the spotlight as one of the newest stars of jazz fusion. Elegant Gypsy is an undeniable classic of the fusion genre, featuring some of Al Di Meola's best performances with a stellar cast of supporting musicians.
The recording sessions for Elegant Gypsy took place between December 1976 and January 1977 at Electric Lady Studios in New York; Al Di Meola self-produced the album. A core group of talented players were assembled for the studio sessions, including Jan Hammer and Barry Miles on keyboards and synthesizers, Anthony Jackson on bass, Steve Gadd and Lenny White on drums (both had played with Return To Forever at points in the band's career), and Mingo Lewis on congas, synths, and percussion. Elegant Gypsy also marked Di Meola's first recorded performance with Spanish flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia, and their appearance together here served as the genesis for future collaborations. To help market the new album to the public, Di Meola signed onto an American tour as the opening act for fusion giants Weather Report, who'd recently added bassist Jaco Pastorius to their lineup and were at the peak of their popularity. The tour was well-received, with sold-out shows across the country, and Elegant Gypsy soon reached gold record status in the US. Al Di Meola suddenly found himself at the forefront of his artistic medium.
The album of mostly Latin-inspired originals features several of Di Meola's signature tracks, like "Race With Devil on Spanish Highway," which offers a veritable showcase of his lightning-fast guitar technique. Along with the sprawling "Elegant Gypsy Suite," which opens with the first of his forays into settings featuring multiple Spanish guitars; Di Meola's inimitable collaboration alongside the astonishing fretwork of Paco de Lucia is one of the album's definite highlights. The recording occasionally veers toward progressive rock, especially on Mingo Lewis' "Flight Over Rio," where Di Meola's rapid-fire guitar interplay and Jan Hammer's keyboard and synth bursts brazenly duel against each other, while Steve Gadd's drums and Lewis' congas and Latin percussion provide the rhythmic foundation. As every song on Elegant Gypsy reached its conclusion, I yearned for the nearly irresistible mix of fiery flash and provocative rhythms to continue infinitely!
Listening Results
Clicking on my name in the header above will show the full complement of components that occupy my dual audio setups. For Elegant Gypsy, I used the all-analog system for my evaluation; it now features a pair of XSA Labs Vanguard compact monitor loudspeakers, which offer an updated homage to classic British monitor designs like the LS3/5A. They're running in tandem with a pair of Caldera 10 subwoofers to add a couple of extra octaves to the overall bass response. The setup also incorporates PS Audio's superb Stellar phono preamplifier, and the system is powered by my PrimaLuna EVO 300 tube integrated amplifier. It features a matched quad of Sovtek 6550 power tubes and a pair of vintage, NOS Brimar 12AU7 output tubes, both of which have lifted the EVO 300 to a wondrous new level of analog goodness. My ProJect Classic turntable that's mounted with an Ortofon Quintet Bronze moving coil cartridge tracked RTI's pressing perfectly, giving Elegant Gypsy the kind of elegant but dynamic sound one hopes for!
RTI's 180 gram LP reissue of Elegant Gypsy was razor-flat, flawless, and pristine, with beautifully glossy, defect-free surfaces that yielded zero ticks or groove noise, providing a perfect foundation of silence for my evaluation. I'd always thought my Columbia label LP sounded quite good; that is, until compared to Impex's superb new reissue, which trounces it on every level! Bernie Grundman's new master has greater clarity, improved dynamics, and deeper, more well-defined bass when compared to the 1977 original. Having listened to Impex's new LP repeatedly over the last couple of weeks, the shortcomings of the original are so much more obvious to my ears. Impex has definitely nailed it (as always!) with this excellent 180 gram reissue!
Fans will want Impex's new LP reissue in their collection
Al Di Meola's Elegant Gypsy showcases an artist and exceptionally talented guitarist who was at the peak of his creative abilities, and Impex's new reissue helps cement his legend much more dramatically than the original LP ever could. Elegant Gypsy is an album my college buddies and I would play again and again, usually after having imbibed any number of often illicit substances. And would endlessly marvel at Al Di Meola's impressive technique, while spewing nearly non-stop streams of expletives in the process ("How the holy f@ck did he do that?"). Hearing this record again brought those memories back in full force, and Impex's excellent new reissue of Elegant Gypsy has been in constant rotation since it arrived a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Abey Fonn and everyone at Impex Records and Elusive Disc for making this review possible. Elegant Gypsy gets my very highest recommendation!
Impex Records
Elusive Disc
All photos courtesy of Impex Records and Elusive Disc.
