Allan Holdsworth

Allan Holdsworth - REH Video (Audio Tracks) - 1992 - REH

"Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Jimmy Raney, Wes Montgomery in fact most of the great guitar players; I loved them all. The newer guys: John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Scott Henderson and Frank Gambale... They're all amazing with very different musical personalities. Of course there's Michael Brecker and Keith Jarrett, but they don't play the guitar (thank God!). I think I've been influenced by all instruments. I was influenced a lot by horn players, from Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderly, John Coltrane on to Michael Brecker. There's many, many more that you could fill this whole page with people that have brought great gifts to the world of music." - Allan Holdsworth on his influences

One of the all-time greats of fusion guitar, Allan Holdsworth has played with many great artists including Ian Carr's Nucleus, Tony William's Lifetime, UK, Jean Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford, Gong, Level 42, and Soft Machine. He has influenced countless others, including musicians like Frank Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Alex Lifeson and Steve Vai. This audio CD is part of an instructional video released by Allan Holdsworth. He plays seven electrifying tunes with his band, keyboardist Steve Hunt, bassist Skuli Sverrisson, and drummer Chad Wackerman. Listen to Allan's "Atavachron" album, Chad Wackerman's "Forty Reasons" album and Steve Hunt's "Live at the PCA". Allan Holdsworth's "Hard Hat Area" album features bassist Skuli Sverrissen. Check this blog for more Allan Holdsworth related releases. Also read about Steve Hunt @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Hunt#Studio_Albums Chad Wackerman @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Wackerman and Skuli Sverrissen @ http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/artist/2221

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Funnels
2 Proto Cosmos
3 Looking Glass
4 The Things You See
5 Tell Me
6 Zones
7 House Of Mirrors

All tracks composed by Allan Holdsworth except Track 2 by Alan Pasqua, and Track 5 by Chad Wackerman

MUSICIANS

Allan Holdsworth - Guitar
Skuli Sverrissen - Bass
Steve Hunt - Keyboards
Chad Wackerman- Drums

BIO

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth is widely considered to be one of the finest instrumentalists in all of jazz fusion, yet has never truly received the recognition that he so rightfully deserves. Born on August 6, 1946, in Bradford, Yorkshire, Holdsworth was originally taught music by his father, who was a pianist. Holdsworth didn't pick up the guitar until he was 17 years old, but learned the instrument quickly. After playing in local outfits (and learning the violin), Holdsworth relocated to London, where he was taken under the wing of saxophonist Ray Warleigh. By 1972, Holdsworth had joined progressive rockers Tempest, appearing on the group's self-titled debut a year later before joining Soft Machine in December 1973 -- and radically changing the latter outfit's sound to guitar-based fusion in the process. U.S. drummer Tony Williams discovered Holdsworth around this time, which led to an invite for the up-and-coming guitarist to replace John McLaughlin in Williams' Lifetime project -- Holdsworth abruptly left Soft Machine in March of 1975, subsequently appearing on the Williams recordings Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. But Holdsworth's union with Williams was a brief one, as the guitarist joined up with French-English prog rockers Gong for such albums as 1976's Gazeuse! (released as Expresso in the U.S.) and 1978's Expresso II, in addition to guesting on recordings by Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford, Gordon Beck, Jack Bruce, and UK. Also in the late '70s, Holdsworth launched a solo career, which over the years has seen the release of nearly 20 albums (a few standouts include 1983's Road Games, 1985's Metal Fatigue, 1994's Hard Hat Area, and 2000's The Sixteen Men of Tain), as the guitarist has been joined by such acclaimed musicians as Paul Williams (a former bandmate of Holdsworth's in Tempest), Gary Husband, Chad Wackerman, Gary Husband, Jimmy Johnson, Steve Hunt, and Alan Pasqua, among others. In the mid-'80s, Holdsworth was one of the first musicians to use a Synthaxe, a guitar that contained a breath controller that proved to be a cross between a synthesizer, guitar, and saxophone (Holdsworth was awarded Best Guitar Synthesist from 1989 through 1994 in the readers' poll of Guitar Player magazine). In the '90s, Holdsworth also created his own signature guitar model with the Carvin company. In the mid-'90s, Holdsworth briefly shifted away from his fusion originals and recorded an album with longtime musical partner Gordon Beck that dipped into jazz standards. The Sixteen Men of Tain (2000) marked another shift, in that it was the first Holdsworth release to feature an all-acoustic rhythm section. This was followed in 2002 by All Night Wrong, his first official live release. Then! Live in Tokyo was next, featuring Holdsworth's 1990 live band, which was followed by Against the Clock, a career retrospective, in 2005. © Greg Prato © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/allan-holdsworth-p6754/biography