Allan Holdsworth: Difference between revisions
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Holdsworth was known for his distinctive guitar work both as a soloist and accompanist. His guitar solo work pioneered the use of legato technique combined with sophisticated signal processing, harnessing amp distortion, to create a fluid sound recognized by fast and harmonically complex scalar runs, which has drawn analogies to John Coltrane. His chordal work is recognized by a pianistic approach, with the use of close intervals and unusual chord voicings, and a sophisticated use of delay, chorus and pitch shifting, to create a lush, etheral sound. | Holdsworth was known for his distinctive guitar work both as a soloist and accompanist. His guitar solo work pioneered the use of legato technique combined with sophisticated signal processing, harnessing amp distortion, to create a fluid sound recognized by fast and harmonically complex scalar runs, which has drawn analogies to John Coltrane. His chordal work is recognized by a pianistic approach, with the use of close intervals and unusual chord voicings, and a sophisticated use of delay, chorus and pitch shifting, to create a lush, etheral sound. | ||
A prime example of his skills as a guitar soloist can be found on the track "Devil Take The Hindmost" from the album "Metal Fatigue" (1985). Likewise, a prime example of his chordal playing can be found on the track "Above And Below" from the album "The Sixteen Men Of Tain" (2000). The SynthAxe was introduced on "Non-brewed Condiment", the first track off his 1986 album "Atavachron". | |||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
Allan came from Bradford in Yorkshire and played in local bands there (see [[Early Days]]). His father, [[Sam Holdsworth]], was a jazz pianist, and Allan's first music teacher and mentor. In the early 70s, he moved to London and played with a wide assortment of groups, notably [[Tempest]] and [[Soft Machine]]. In the mid 70s, he also stayed a period in the U.S.A., recording and touring with [[Tony Williams]]. On returning to England, he recorded with [[Gong]], [[Bruford]] and [[U.K.]], among others. He released his official debut album,[[I.O.U. (album)| "I.O.U."]], independently in 1981. Frustrated by a lack of opportunities in England, he migrated permanently to California in the early 80s. There, he started a long-running solo career, releasing several solo albums and doing several world-wide tours, in addition to doing scattered work as a session musician and guest performer. From the mid 80s, he became a pioneer in the use of the [[SynthAxe]] synthesizer controller. His last studio album featuring a band was [[The Sixteen Men Of Tain (album)| "The Sixteen Men Of Tain"]] (2000), followed by the mostly one-man SynthAxe solo album [[Flat Tire (album)| "Flat Tire"]]. In later years, his recording output and touring diminished, partly due to health reasons. In April 2017, shortly after the release of the box set[[The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever (album)| "The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever"]], Allan passed away at his home. | Allan came from Bradford in Yorkshire and played in local bands there (see [[Early Days]]). His father, [[Sam Holdsworth]], was a jazz pianist, and Allan's first music teacher and mentor. In the early 70s, he moved to London and played with a wide assortment of groups, notably [[Tempest]] and [[Soft Machine]]. In the mid 70s, he also stayed a period in the U.S.A., recording and touring with [[Tony Williams]]. On returning to England, he recorded with [[Gong]], [[Bruford]] and [[U.K.]], among others. He released his official debut album,[[I.O.U. (album)| "I.O.U."]], independently in 1981. Frustrated by a lack of opportunities in England, he migrated permanently to California in the early 80s. There, he started a long-running solo career, releasing several solo albums and doing several world-wide tours, in addition to doing scattered work as a session musician and guest performer. From the mid 80s, he became a pioneer in the use of the [[SynthAxe]] synthesizer controller. His last studio album featuring a band was [[The Sixteen Men Of Tain (album)| "The Sixteen Men Of Tain"]] (2000), followed by the mostly one-man SynthAxe solo album [[Flat Tire (album)| "Flat Tire"]]. In later years, his recording output and touring diminished, partly due to health reasons. In April 2017, shortly after the release of the box set[[The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever (album)| "The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever"]], Allan passed away at his home. | ||
