When I first saw the advertisement for this DVD showing Al Di Meola playing the electric guitar, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on the thing. As much as I love Di Meola's acoustic guitar playing - he is certainly one of the world's best - it was the blazing electric jazz fusion of his early solo albums, as well as his work with Chick Corea's Return To Forever, that really made me a fan.

Up until now, Di Meola's only live music videos have been solely acoustic based. His two Live At Montreux releases, 1986/1993, and 1994, with Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke, both brilliantly showcased some amazing acoustic guitar performances. But what about his legendary electric guitar output? Speak A Volcano is certainly a fitting title for a live Al Di Meola performance, because his playing can be that explosive. But the subtitle, A Return To Electric Guitar, is a tad misleading.

Speak A Volcano was recorded at Leverkusener Jazztage, Germany, in November 2006 and captures one of the world's greatest jazz fusion guitarists sounding stronger than ever thirty years after the release of his debut solo album Land Of The Midnight Sun in 1976. The guy looks like he hasn't aged in thirty years either. Dressed in black jeans, a long sleeve black tee shirt, and a head full of thick black hair, the 60 year old Di Meola looks fit enough to be playing left-wing for the Boston Bruins.

Di Meola takes the stage backed by a foursome of equally impressive musicians; Mario Parmisano (keyboards), Joel Taylor (drums), Mike Pope (bass), and his longtime companion Gumbi Ortiz on percussion. They begin the show with "San Marco" from Di Meola's brand new (at the time) Consequence of Chaos album. Di Meola is playing a gorgeous new, black and gold, tiger-striped Paul Reed Smith electric guitar, which allows him to expertly mix delicate world music passages with blazing jazz and rock riffs making this one of the best electric compositions he has done in years.

"San Marco" is very similar in style to the next song, "One Night Last June," which comes from one of my favorite mid-period Di Meola albums, 1991's Kiss My Axe. The band extends the song into an 11-minute epic jam that gives plenty of time to showcase each of their dazzling musical chops. So far, so good. Al Di Meola has definitely made a dazzling return to the electric guitar. Ah, but not so fast.

This is where I became a bit befuddled by this DVD's subtitle. Beginning with the third song of the set, "Azzura", Di Meola completely changes course as he takes a seat at the front of the stage with his black Ovation signature acoustic guitar and proceeds to lead the next eight songs in a row solely, with the exception of the second half of a drastically expanded "Red Moon", on the acoustic. This is what you call a return to electric guitar?

Now I am not saying that this part of the show wasn't outstanding. Di Meola's acoustic guitar performance was absolutely mesmerizing, as usual - but I was really jonesing for some more of that fiery electric fusion from the master of the genre.