Allan Holdsworth

 

I can appreciate that absolutely no one did anything like the kind of playing Holdworth did before he did. But lots of guitarists have taken his techniques and moved forward. I'm warming to the Bruford album after a couple listens.

 

Gary Husband  is at last in demand, plays keys for John McLaughlin and drums for Holdsworth - what next, sax for Pat Metheny?

 

BTW Wayne Krantz Group at Ronnies 3/4th May

A great collection is "Against The Clock" which is a double disc... one is all synth-axe material and one is all guitar stuff.  It has a great array of material....

 

 

 

also, his live albums are great!  "Then!" and "All Night Wrong" (Live in Japan--- the title beig a play on japanese mispronunciation of the word "long" LOL- or at least that is how I interpret the double entendre)... are both great.  I almost prefer them.  Usually the individual instruments really sound clear and distinct.

 

I have pretty much all of the solo stuff... some Gong, and then some Tony Williams.... I prefer his solo stuff...

 

try to find some dvds or videos or even vids on youtube, he is amazing to watch perform.  He mostly plays those crazy fast legato runs with his eyes closed!  That is guitar mastery...

 

 

 

I believe from talking to a number of long term devoted AH fans, that there many of us feel this way - indeed a few have suggested that after Metal Fatigue, Holdsworth's compositions have been vehicles of his superb playing, but few have that "old grey whistle test" thing about them cf. Fred (aka Kinder) from the late 70's  and personal favourite. I feel Holdsworth comes into his own playing other's compositions and he does touch on the essence of what the tune is about many time . My reference point is the brilliant short solo on Jack Bruce's Obsession (ex. A Question Of Time);  less than 1 minutes of guitar work that says 'obsession' to me. Often Holdsworth's contributions to others' recordings makes the mediocre shine (e.g. Stanley Clarke's Stories To Tell). However, I wish Holdsworth would take more opportunities to record with the artists, rather than drop in x bars of solo into a pre-recorded tape isolated in some distant studio - e.g. Jens Johansson's Heavy Machinery, MVP's  Truth In Shredding - sometimes I don't feel a rapport in his playing.

 

BTW anybody heard Fred played on Blues For Tony double CD? I t sounds to me Alan Pasqua played his solo and almost closed the number, before remembering there was  more to come and needing to rescue the tune allowing Holdsworth to do his solo - IMHO there is a strange hiccup between the two solos.