the sound: About two minutes into this live album’s first song, “Mediterranean Sundance,” guitarist Al Di Meola unleashes a torrent of acoustic notes that leaves the audience reeling. Listening to the CD, stripped of the visual aid of actually watching him pick the strings, it is difficult to fathom that one man is producing such a rapid expulsion of notes on a normal, six-string guitar. Trying to imagine Di Meola’s fingers as they race across the frets is like picturing a humming bird flap its wings. One audience member eventually lets out a whoop of approval, and several others follow suit, as if emerging from a hypnotized stupor. When it comes time for Paco de Lucía to take his turn in the spotlight, it seems unlikely that he will be able to match his partner’s intensity. But, de Lucía manages, galloping through a lengthy improvisation while Di Meola provides punctuating rhythm support. By the time the song ends and legendary fusion guitarist John McLaughlin takes the stage to join Di Meola for a follow-up, the crowd is in a state of elation. There are a total of five tracks on “Friday Night in San Francisco,” the awe-inspiring acoustic collaboration between three sultans of guitar. The first four tunes were recorded live at San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre on Dec. 5, 1980, while the fifth represents a studio effort from the trio. Although the three guitarists showcase very different styles, they are linked by a shared level of skill and passion that only an elite group of instrumentalists ever reach. All five compositions are rooted firmly in the Latin jazz tradition, although glimpses of rock, blues and American jazz peek in from time to time. In “Short Tales of the Black Forest,” a Chick Corea composition performed here by Di Meola and McLaughlin, the guitarists even bang on their guitars and play a brief sample of the “The Pink Panther” theme, much to the crowd’s delight. The musicians do a round robin of collaborations, performing in pairs for the first three tunes. In the fourth and fifth songs, listeners get the whole pie.

the background: All three of the guitarists featured on “Friday Night in San Francisco” are legends in their own jazz niches. Perhaps the most widely known of the batch is the English McLaughlin, who built his name playing with Miles Davis in the late 1960s and later pioneered the jazz fusion movement with his own electric band, “Mahavishnu Orchestra.” De Lucía is a Spanish guitarist known for his mastery of the forbiddingly difficult flamenco style. Hailing from New Jersey, Di Meola has tried his hand extensively—and with tremendous results—at both Latin jazz and fusion guitar. Representing three nations, probably none of the guitarists knew exactly what to expect when they came together in 1980. McLaughlin and de Lucía had spent much of the previous year touring Europe with lesser known guitarist Larry Coryell, but they added Di Meola to the roster when they toured the United States, creating a commercially viable trio with ample name recognition. About two months into the tour, the San Francisco show captured the three at their energetic peak, striking a memorable musical connection that the audience gobbled up. The trio went on to release a studio album, “Passion, Grace & Fire,” in 1983.

the significance: In 1980, live acoustic guitar performances were certainly not prevalent. Psychedelic rock of the late ’60s and early ’70s had given way to glam rock and nerd pop (David Bowie representing the former, Devo the latter), which paved the way for the synth pop and new wave sounds that would dominate the ’80s. Set at the cusp of this transition, “Friday Night” was an exhilarating breath of fresh air. The album relied purely on the more-than-adequate power of raw instrumental talent and musical passion, uncontaminated by technological tampering. Acoustic guitar junkies have called “Friday Night” one of the most influential live acoustic guitar albums of all time. The disc also marks a unique moment in the careers of all three musicians, who stand out as three of the most gifted guitarists of the latter 20th century.