Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy (1977)

Elegant Gypsy is the second album by American jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola, released in 1977. It was a follow-up album to Di Meola's debut release, Land of the Midnight Sun. The distinctive music in the album is a speedy fusion of jazz and rock, with lightning-fast guitar riffs intermixed with lyrical acoustical passages. The songs include explorations of Latin music themes, including acoustic genres like flamenco. Elegant Gypsy won an annual award for Best Guitar Album in Guitar Player Magazine.

Di Meola often closes out shows with an energetic rendition of one of his most challenging pieces, "Race with Devil on Spanish Highway", from the Elegant Gypsy album. Even in technical showcases like this, he combines blindingly fast scalar runs with subtle, dazzling rhythms, and melodic phrases. Because of his early recordings, Di Meola became arguably the most important pioneer of shred guitar.

Tracklist:
1. "Flight Over Rio" (Mingo Lewis)
2. "Midnight Tango"
3. "Mediterranean Sundance"
4. "Race With Devil on Spanish Highway"
5. "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil"
6. "Elegant Gypsy Suite"