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Allan Holdsworth, Niacin, Brand X, Steps Ahead and Yellowjackets
by Len Davis
We remember the late Allan Holdsworth on his birthday. The choice of three tunes from the late guitarist have been selected by Richard Hallebeek from the Netherlands, Alex Machacek from the US and Brett Garsed from Australia, and we thank them for their contribution. We also have Cab with Bunny Brunel, Dennis Chambers and Tony McAlpine, plus Niacin and Brand X. Playlist Allan Holdsworth} “Low Levels High Stakes" from Hard Hat Area (Restless) 00:00 Allan Holdsworth “Ruhkukah" from ...
Continue ReadingSoft Works: Abracadabra in Osaka
by Claudio Bonomi
«Nel 2000 mi venne questa pazza idea di aiutare il mio vecchio amico Elton Dean a organizzare una reunion dei leggendari Soft Machine...» Inizia così il racconto di Leonardo Pavkovic, patron della Moonjune Records, al giornalista Chris M. Slawecki di All About Jazz sulla genesi dei Soft Works, quartetto composto da Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper e John Marshall che, nel 2002, diede alle stampe l'album Abracadabra. Allora, si trattò di una delle prime reincarnazioni ...
Continue ReadingAlvas Showroom: The Art of Listening
by Jim Worsley
Allan Holdsworth was a giant, a genius, a gifted guitarist who had a great gauge for sound. An upper level musician can become less than that playing in a room, club, or hall that is beneath the caliber of their artistry. Holdsworth played the intimate and superbly sound engineered Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, CA many times. The coastal town of San Pedro can be found some thirty-five miles southwest of Los Angeles. The uniquely conceived Alvas Showroom is a ...
Continue ReadingAllan Holdsworth: Live in Japan 1984
by John Kelman
The loss of Allan Holdsworth in the spring of 2017 remains the passing of one of the most distinctive and innovative guitarists of the past half century. Born in the U.K in 1946, but moving to the U.S.A. in the early '80s, most who are familiar with Holdsworth's work also know how vastly influential he became, almost from the first moments of his mind-blowing appearance on trumpeter Ian Carr's Belladonna (Vertigo, 1972), but even more so with groups in which ...
Continue ReadingBruford: Seems Like a Lifetime Ago 1977 - 1980
by John Kelman
With the plethora of box sets being issued these days with new masters and, perhaps even more importantly, new mixes of classic recordings, it was inevitable that the small but significant discography of drummer Bill Bruford's first steps into a solo career with his band Bruford should finally get the deluxe treatment. Seems Like a Lifetime Ago 1977-1980 not only covers the three studio and one live recording that this at-the-time completely unexpected and utterly distinctive surprise of a group ...
Continue ReadingAllan Holdsworth: Eidolon
by Maurizio Comandini
L'etichetta americana Manifesto Records ha curato una importante ristampa quasi integrale del materiale discografico inciso dal chitarrista inglese Allan Holdsworth e ha pubblicato un bel cofanetto di 12 CD che raccoglie il tutto, escludendo solo il disco Velvet Darkness del 1976 per esplicita volontà del chitarrista stesso che non aveva avallato la sua pubblicazione all'epoca, a seguito di una decisione presa dal produttore senza il suo consenso. Dal cofanetto di 12 CD lo stesso Allan Holdsworth ha ...
Continue ReadingThe Man Who Changed Guitar Forever!
by John Kelman
In a time when album sales are a challenge being mitigated, at least to some extent, by the release of deluxe editions and box sets, it's still more necessary than ever to grab potential listeners with imagery and words; the title of a box set can have, especially for those less than intimately familiar with the artist, either real attraction or, well, the opposite. And, at a time when more music than ever is being released (and for a myriad ...
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