Al Di Meola - Soaring Through a Dream (Manhattan, 1985)
Al Di Meola – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, classical guitar, Synclavier guitar
Phil Markowitz – Steinway grand piano, synthesizers
Chip Jackson – electric bass, acoustic bass
Danny Gottlieb – drums
Airto Moreira – percussion, vocals
This is one of my favorite jazz records of the 1980s. I bought it when it first came out, during my junior year in high school, when I was first diving into jazz. I must've listened to it a thousand times. (I literally wore out the LP.) . . . It's an atypical Di Meola album, much less jazz-rock fusion, much more dreamy & Brazilian. That's largely due to Airto, who brings his usual soulful brilliance, both as a vocalist and percussionist.
Fair warning: Like many 80s jazz albums, Soaring Through a Dream is very synth heavy. But unlike many 80s jazz albums, the synths really work well here. They add to the gauzy, otherworldly aspects of the music; they actually open up musical avenues, rather than sounding like nifty gizmos that are added on as technological afterthoughts.
That said, as much as this music in engrained in my brain, it's likely impossible for me to hear it like most folks do. So, there's that.