As polarizing as jazz fusion was in the ’70s, technicians such as Al Di Meola showed the world that passion and technique were comfortable bedfellows. His seminal work with Return to Forever was a cornerstone of the genre, and his endeavors into world music are both flashy and mindful. As comfortable with a soft flamenco melody as he is with a fast, loud, screaming electric solo, Di Meola belongs in the pantheon of the greats. — James Kelly