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Allan Holdsworth spielt und bewirbt Instrumente von Carvin Guitars; die Carvin HF2 und HF2 Fatboy wurden nach seinen Vorstellungen konzipiert. Live spielt er aber auch immer noch Gitarren von Bill DeLap, einem Instrumentenbauer aus Monterey. Er verwendet 1mm-starke Dunlop-Plektren und LaBella-Saiten (.008er und .009er-Sätze). Verstärkt wird mit Amps von Yamaha (DG80 112) und auch den Hughes-&Kettner-Modellen TriAmp MKII und ZenTera. Momentan arbeitet Holdsworth bevorzugt mit Yamaha-Magicstomp-Effekten; er verwendet mehrere dieser Pedale parallel: eins für Chorus-, eins für Echo-Sounds und ein drittes für Amp-Sounds; gelegentlich kommen weitere Magicstomps für zusätzliche Effekte (Distortion, Pitch-Shifting, etc.) hinzu. Noch ein Tipp: Über den Artikel-Download auf www.gitarrebass.de findet man zehn weitere Interviews, Workshops, Features etc. die seit 1987 in G&B zum Thema Holdsworth erschienen sind.■
=ChatGPT version, sept 2023=
GB 2010
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, LEGEND
Before the concert with bassist Tony Levin and drummers Pat Mastelotto and Terry Bozzio, guitarist Allan Holdsworth is not available for conversation. He paces back and forth in Berlin's Quasimodo, observing the setup of Bozzio's giant drum set. I hadn't expected this iconic guitarist to not give interviews before concerts due to stage fright.
But Allan Holdsworth wanted to talk. Before the gig at Quasimodo, he kindly gave me his phone number and suggested that I should call him after the tour. I did just that, and a completely relaxed conversation developed from continent to continent. In it, the now 63-year-old, who lives in Vista, California, looks back on the exciting improvisational project of his current quartet and gives an outlook on what his fans can expect in the near future. British-born Allan Holdsworth began his career in the 1960s in London, where he first played with trumpeter Ian Carr's band Nucleus and then with Jon Hiseman's Colosseum successor, Tempest. He enriched the art-rock pioneers Soft Machine from 1973 to 1975, simultaneously becoming involved in the groundbreaking band Lifetime led by American drummer Tony Williams. In the early 1980s, Allan Holdsworth moved to America and began advancing his solo career. Holdsworth's legato sound is unique. His powerful fusion lines with intelligent, almost incomprehensible voicings and melodies inspired countless guitarists – but any attempt to copy this style remains unnecessary. Because this musician is one of a kind. Allan Holdsworth is also known outside of his musical endeavors as a passionate cyclist and beer connoisseur; having a patent on a beer-tapping device is an important point in his biography.
Thank you for the exciting concert in Berlin with this unconventional lineup. It must have been a special event for you as well, considering the pieces were not prepared in advance.
I think this project was very special for all of us. None of the guys do something like this in their other bands. Perhaps there are some small parts that are improvised, but for the most part, the music we usually play is composed. So, it was unique for everyone. Some people like this sort of thing, while others do not...
You had posted an explanation about it on your website.
Yes, I received some nasty emails when we were touring along the American West Coast. I felt personally attacked by people who hated the program and thought I would be playing my music with this lineup. Some were very upset, so I put a note on my website. First of all, this is not my band, and we really play everything freely and improvised.
How were the European reactions then?
Better. I think it helped a lot that this tour was announced as an improvised tour and as a collective, not as my band. This way, the audience was prepared for what they would see and hear. It's a big challenge for me to find something new every day. I've learned a lot about myself on this tour. And we definitely had some bad concerts; mostly, we had good nights, sometimes extremely good nights, and very rarely a really bad concert. In that regard, we were very lucky in Berlin: It was our first concert of the tour, and the German audience is hungry for such things. Sometimes, first gigs can be a bit rough. But this time, there were no excuses because we couldn't forget anything. However, the stage was a bit too small for all of us...
Since there were many drummers, bassists, and guitarists in the audience: Is it actually more difficult to play for an audience that consists of 95 percent musicians?
It can be, but it doesn't have to be. It's normal for this genre, I think. It can sometimes be nerve-wracking. Sometimes, you have to have a few beers to relax. It's just manly music; the only girls in our audience are fans' girlfriends who were dragged along, screaming and yelling (laughs).
Your sound and legato playing are admired and copied by many guitarists. How do you work on your sound ideas?
Basically, the sound starts in your head, and you work on your instrument and with your equipment to get as close as possible to the sound you've heard. You never quite achieve it, but as long as you know you don't know, that's okay with me. It doesn't depress me anymore.
You seek and try to improve your sound and music. How many of your sounds were predetermined at the improvised concerts, and how many were also created freely improvised?
I've tried some of the sounds in my own bands before, but with this band, I needed different things. And I really wanted to come up with new ideas. I have three Yamaha Magicstomps (floor-effect devices with amp modeling and multi-effect capabilities), and a program for the computer that I brought with me. I experimented with it to find a way to be creative with sounds. New sounds make you play differently because you hear different ideas.
I read in an old interview that you suffer from stage fright, which is hard to imagine. Is that still the case?
It has actually gotten worse over the years. When I was around 20 and playing with Tony Williams, I was already nervous, but it was different. I had nothing to lose because nobody knew me, and nobody had any expectations of me. That didn't matter as much as it does today. Nowadays, people have so many expectations, and I always think, "Oh man, maybe I'm going to disappoint all these people today!" - and that really makes me nervous! I like talking to people after the gig, but before it, it makes me extremely nervous. After the soundcheck, I have to go away to a quiet place to clear my mind. I don't want to think about music or scripted questions.
But being a bit nervous is good, I think. The German trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff used to say that if he wasn't nervous, it would be a bad concert.
That's definitely true because that nervousness keeps you alert. However, only if you can control it... And that's difficult for me. Usually, after the soundcheck, I go away and don't even stay with my fellow musicians. Otherwise, they'll make me think about the music. I go to a restaurant, come back at the last minute, and immerse my hands in warm water. I just move my hands in warm water. When the moisture is in my fingertips, the guitar feels better. So, before the gig, I don't play anymore because I want to be open to spontaneous ideas.
I wonder if your SynthAxe is still alive.
Surprisingly, it is still alive. I'm waiting for the day when it won't turn on anymore. So far, I've been lucky. Over the years, I had three or four of these instruments, but now I only have one left. That's why I don't take it anywhere. I used it a lot in the past, and since I'm afraid it might die, I use it in only about 20% of my music at most. I don't want to become too dependent on it. You know, the SynthAxe almost ruined the electric guitar for me. For a while, I only wanted to play the SynthAxe. Then there were problems with the manufacturer, disputes with distributors, and the company went bankrupt. I was very depressed about it and sold them all because I didn't want to be stuck with one instrument. After three months, I went completely crazy and arranged for a new one, trading in a few guitars. Now it stays in the studio.
Have you considered a replacement, something newer like the Roland V-Guitar system?
I already have a V-Guitar, an old one and a fairly new one. And I also own a Roland controller, just in case the SynthAxe really breaks down.
A completely different question: Django Reinhardt was born 100 years ago. What influence did he have on your style of playing the guitar?
He had a significant influence! Although I never tried to copy him because I invested more time studying Charlie Christian, Django was still important to me. I have all of Django Reinhardt's records, and every guitarist should have a large collection of his music. Everything about him was great: amazing music, strong character...
Who else has influenced you? Are there guitarists or other instrumentalists today who inspire you?
Actually, everything inspires me. I try to pick out things I like, whether it's from jazz, classical, or rock. Sometimes I listen to my old classical records, Ravel, Debussy, and Aaron Copland. Sometimes it completely blows me away, and my eyes pop out because it's so magnificent... But I like that kind of inspiration too. I like things that make you feel something, no matter what.
Who is making good music today?
There are so many great musicians; I always feel awkward when I mention one and forget others... I like Tim Miller, I like James Moore when he does his own stuff, more the jazz stuff, not so much the fusion stuff. I like Kurt Rosenwinkel; he's incredible. I appreciate Django Bates, I like Gary Husband on the piano. Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, John Scofield, and one I always forget because he's no longer primarily seen as a guitarist: George Benson! He's amazing... It's like Nat King Cole; with George Benson, you think more of the singer than the instrumentalist.
What are your plans and projects?
My last studio album is now ten years old, "The Sixteen Men Of Tain." The problem was that I went through some personally difficult phases. I lost my studio, and it took a while to get everything back together. I changed my agent, and the new one kept me so busy that I was constantly on the road. Meanwhile, I have three albums full of new material sitting at home! And now I've told my agent to stop booking me for a moment because I need time to finish it all. Two-thirds of the material is already done, all composed and recorded with three different bands, featuring Jimmy Johnson and Gary Husband, Jimmy and Chad, and Ernest Tibbs and Joel Taylor. It will be a mix of these three bands. Maybe I'll make a double CD, I don't know yet. Or it could be three different CDs.
Will the new album be released on your own label?
I owe the first CD to Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. All the others would be on my own label. Initially, I was against the whole internet marketing thing; I thought it was ruining everything. But I had to change my mind; obviously, it's not that bad because it allows you to have control over everything.
Fast alles; because there will always be people who unfairly enrich themselves. It can't be right that CDs are already being offered on free download platforms before their release date.
The whole bootlegging business is part of it too. Many of my bootlegs, illegal live recordings, come from Australia, and they rip us musicians off... We played a gig in Italy, and outside there were T-shirts with our faces and bootleg CDs with our music - all completely illegal. These guys make money, and we get nothing!
Thank you very much for the conversation!
Equipment
Allan Holdsworth plays and promotes instruments from Carvin Guitars; the Carvin HF2 and HF2 Fatboy were designed according to his specifications. However, he also plays guitars from Bill DeLap, an instrument maker from Monterey, for live performances. He uses 1mm thick Dunlop picks and LaBella strings (.008 and .009 sets). He uses amplifiers from Yamaha (DG80 112) and also Hughes & Kettner models like the TriAmp MKII and ZenTera. Currently, Holdsworth prefers to work with Yamaha Magicstomp effects; he uses several of these pedals in parallel: one for chorus, one for echo sounds, and a third for amp sounds; occasionally, he adds more Magicstomps for additional effects (distortion, pitch-shifting, etc.). Another tip: You can find ten more interviews, workshops, features, etc., on Holdsworth that have appeared in G&B since 1987 through the article download on www.gitarrebass.de.
