Guitarist
Al di Meola, violinist
Jean-Luc Ponty, and bassist
Stanley Clarke, all of whom recorded numerous albums as leaders during the 1970s and 1980s, join forces for this 1994 concert in Montreux. Each musician's compositions are featured in this mostly acoustic performance, though charts were necessary to help them find their way through unfamiliar pieces. There is a noticeable lack of ego apparent on-stage, with no one player trying to steal the spotlight. For his solo feature, "Eulogy to Oscar Romero,"
Ponty incorporates the use of a digital delay to accompany himself, while
Clarke's and
di Meola's solo performances are more in the context of the concert.
Monty Alexander is added on a digital piano for a reprise interpretation of
Clarke's lively Latin-flavored "Song to John," with
di Meola utilizing MIDI effects. Beautifully photographed and edited with excellent sound, this concert DVD will especially appeal to fans of the trio's CD The Rite of Strings, which was recorded the following year. ~ Ken Dryden