Allan Holdsworth

[GilMil]

He also plays a short violin solo on "Temporary Fault" on IOU I believe.

[BWV 1080]

Holdsworth is great, Devil Take the Hindmost remains my favorite electric guitar solo.

[thedwork]

Originally Posted by zaza

...What do you think of him?

Originally Posted by thedwork

A total master of guitar.

Originally Posted by Jakeweiser

Holdsworth is a freak. He's probably the most unique and harmonically advanced guitarist that I know of, and obviously that legato single line technique stuff is just mind blowing.

Originally Posted by BWV 1080

Holdsworth is great, Devil Take the Hindmost remains my favorite electric guitar solo.

i love that solo as well, but i just searched this out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnmEaGjgEVI










fugghhettaboutit... insane genius. i truly believe there will never, ever be anybody who will ever play anything truly like him again. he's remarkable and completely original. and you can say he's plays too many notes here, but he doesn't play like that all the time. and i personally think it's not too many notes. it's just right because it's him. this is simply... simply Holdsworth. unfucking real man.

[shiatoru]

Wonderful, original player & composer....

I saw him here in Seattle in the mid 90's. Mind blowing. Had a beer with him after the show. When I said anything even remotely complimenting his performace that night, he'd say, "Nah, it was terrrible, bloody awful....ah couldn't heeer meself all night..." He stresses out about his shows alot and yes, he's extremely humble.

I know he's got a live album recorded in May, 2002 at the Roppongi Pit Inn in Tokyo, Japan, which I haven't heard yet (what the hell's wrong with me?!?)

I second the earlier suggestions of Metal Fatigue and IOU which are great if you can make it through the singer - it's not that the guys voice is horrible or anything, it's just that these tunes don't seem real appropriate for vocals.

I _had_ None Too Soon (was stolen) and while his playing was good on this disc of jazz standards, I really wish he'd cut it like a jazz record - live in the studio. Instead, the rhythm section was done first (with Gordon Beck on digital piano) , then he overdubbed his guitar, probably due to his anal retentive nature...

Definitely one of a kind!

[jazzfingers19]

I love his playing on None to Soon. I hate the rhythm section! So I am glad I am not the only one.
I've been battling with wanting to transcribe some of his stuff. Not the 32nd note stuff....but all ths lines before that! I don't play with that sound or that style; but I love the sound of the lines on that disc.

I wonder....I know that the anal retentiveness and the need to beat up on yourself alot can really drive you to practice to the extremes and all that. I know it also humbles a guy like Allan. At the same time you ever think he sits back and looks at what he as done?

I am still young and still suck!! But from time to time I listen back at stuff I did....and I don't get an ego but it is nice to see where you've been and how far you've come. There are always going to be miles to go.

I wonder if Allan does that...or if it is constantly " I suck that was terrible" I've heard he's like that from several people.

[shiatoru]

I'm fairly certain he doesn't listen to his back catalogue. In fact, I don't know if it's still there, but on his website, he used to have some stuff up about certain albums in particular that he couldn't stand at all and wished he could get rid of any remaining copies.

Yeah, I pulled out None Too Soon today and was re-visiting it....

Imagine if he'd just done a trio with DeJohnette and Holland.....

[Bill Robinson]

I agree with jkelman that "Floating World" by Soft Machine has some of the best early Holdsworth I've heard, along with "Bundles" by same; also strong on Gong's "Gazeuese" and Expresso II", as well as Bill Bruford's "Feels Good To Me" and the follow-up. His earlier sound was raunchier and not as smoothed-out as it is on "All Night Wrong", which is 3-piece and hard to follow on solos, with no other instrument but bass for harmonic reference. Like Sonny Rollins' trio stuff, a hard listen. The vocals on IOU, Metal Fatigue, and Road Games are cheezy. I think his violin playing is one of the keys to his technique. He was good in UK, too. He needs to collaborate with someone, for ideas, because he seems to be in danger of disappearing into his own world. I'd like to hear him with Ornette Coleman or something totally crazy like that, or Carla Bley & Steve Swallow. Or sitting in with Ravi Shankar, playing over a drone. Or a totally solo, no overdubs record. Or like Walkin said, a totally acoustic record. He needs a good producer to get him out of that box he's built himself into. After hearing Holdsworth, I said "Now I know why they call Clapton "Slowhand".

[ResidentAlien]

wow, it's a breath of fresh air to be on a forum where there isn't a bad or ignorant word to be said about guys like Allan Holdsworth. He's an absolute genius, he's been the best guitarist in the world for the last 30 years.

If you haven't heard any of his stuff before I would start with the Gambale/Holdsworth album, it's still mind melting but Gambale's pop/jazz song writing makes it sound alot more structured than AH's solo stuff.

[jkelman]

For those interested:

Review of Holdsworth/Pasqua/Haslip/Wackerman DVD here;
Review of Holdsworth/Johson/Wackerman at 2007 Montreal Jazz here.
Best!
John

[Mark of Cenla]

Originally Posted by jkelman

For those interested:

Review of Holdsworth/Pasqua/Haslip/Wackerman DVD here;
Review of Holdsworth/Johson/Wackerman at 2007 Montreal Jazz here.
Best!
John

That DVD is great sounding and great looking. The double-live CD they made called Blues for Tony is excellent too. Peace and goodwill.

[Open Lane]

I love Allan, I kind of understand what you're saying though.


Do yourself the favor of seeing him live. I wasn't sure how it would be but i've seen him four+ times now and each time was nothing short of amazing.