Mistrzowie Gitary (Gitara i Bas 1998): Difference between revisions

(Due to the extensive material, we have decided to present Allan Holdsworth's profile in two parts. In this section, we are publishing an interview conducted last autumn. In the next issue, we will discuss his extensive discography, equipment, and interesting facts from his biography.)

Allan Holdsworth's name is mainly associated with the band U.K. Some guitar fans remember him from albums by Tony Williams, Jean Luc Ponty, GONG, and SOFT MACHINE. He's often called the Coltrane of the guitar, although such labels don't mean much to him personally. Masters like Van Halen, Zappa, Santana, and Joe Zawinul regard him as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, yet he remains in the shadows. He is known, especially in our circles, to a narrow audience, although more and more people are discovering the charm of his challenging but very interesting and original music. Musicians appreciate him for his creativity and attitude - he is perpetually dissatisfied with what he played in the past, always seeking something new. He defined modern legato playing on the guitar and is a master of tremolo use. He perfected the use of the SynthAxe, an instrument designed to bring sound synthesis into the realm of the guitar. Thanks to his unconventional approach to harmony and the development of his own theory of scales based on mathematical permutations of intervals, he became one of the few guitar innovators. He possesses a technique that still impresses to this day. As Eddie Van Halen once said, "What I do on the neck with both hands, he does with one." He can be appreciated not only for intellectualism and a conceptual approach to the instrument but also for the emotions expressed in his harmonies and dramatic solos, where solo lines are always a pretext to showcase harmonic structures. His phrasing is an unparalleled model. Listening to him demands dedication and concentration. His albums are sometimes uneven, but that's the result of constant exploration. This artist never rests on his laurels, which is why buying one of his albums after a few years may lead to a completely different musical experience. He has a large and devoted fan base scattered around the world. Every self-respecting guitarist sooner or later comes across his records. He's not the idol type; he doesn't play on heavily advertised super-guitars (although you could see him on advertising pages recently), he doesn't have a record contract, and he doesn't like it when someone tells him what to play. Perhaps by working with good producers, he would record entirely different, maybe better, perhaps more palatable albums for a broader audience. However, he doesn't trust anyone; he composes, records, produces, and mixes his own albums, wanting complete control over the music he releases under his name. Hence, he despises bootlegs. He also dislikes critics, the showbiz, and discussions about music, which he claims you either play or listen to. You won't find his music on radio stations, simply because it can't be unequivocally classified as jazz or rock, and the word "fusion" is already outdated. In his sounds, you can find impressionism reminiscent of classical music, elements of jazz improvisation, rock expression, and progressive coolness.

He hails from Bradford, Yorkshire, where he was born on August 6, 1946. His musical education was greatly influenced by his father, a jazz pianist and enthusiast who taught him the basics and, most importantly, surrounded him with music. Albums by Django Reinhardt, Jimmy Rainey, Charlie Christian, later Joe Pass and John Coltrane, had a significant impact on him, as he admits. He learned to play several instruments (see the interview). His first band was called IGGINBOTTOM, and he even recorded an album with them in 1969. After the group disbanded, Holdsworth returned to his daily activities while occasionally playing in local clubs at night. At that time, he viewed music as a hobby, but over time, it began to take up more and more of his time. He moved successively to Manchester and London, playing in clubs, partly thanks to the discovery of his talent by saxophonist Ray Warleigh. This period was marked by new experiences and acquaintances. One of his acquaintances, Jon Hiseman (ex-COLLOSEUM), formed his band TEMPEST, with Allan Holdsworth as the guitarist and Paul Williams as the singer. After recording their debut album, a series of concerts, and his departure from the group, the artist began performing with the group NUCLEUS. In 1973, he played concerts with SOFT MACHINE and became a member of the band in the spring of the following year. He gained recognition in the music industry as a guitarist and musician, and in 1975, he joined Tony Williams' LIFETIME. After leaving the group due to "financial uncertainties" in 1976, he recorded his first solo album, "Velvet Darkness." A year later, he appeared on GONG's album and collaborated with Jean-Luc Ponty. During the same period, he also played with Bill Bruford, who invited him to a recording session for his album "Feels Good To Me." Thanks to the album "In The Dead of the Night" by the band U.K., his name became known to a wider audience of music lovers, including many guitarists who closely followed his career and music development from that point on. However, he left the group, recorded more albums with Bruford, and contemplated a solo career. With nothing else to do, he repaired amplifiers and sold equipment accumulated during concert tours with U.K. He began rehearsals with his good friend Jack Bruce (ex-CREAM) and Jon Hiseman. In the United Kingdom at that time, punk was reigning supreme, and no one cared about the music they had to offer. In the meantime, he met the fantastic young drummer Gary Husband, with whom he formed a new band. Along with Paul Carmichael (bass) and old friend Paul Williams, they recorded the album I.O.U. (the name suggests it's about borrowed money, and indeed, without it, there would be no album). It was released in 1982 (reissued in 1986), and in the meantime, Holdsworth even considered seriously quitting music altogether. He moved to California, and his big fan, Eddie Van Halen, convinced the Warner Bros executives to the extent that they signed a record deal with Holdsworth. In 1983, the legendary EP "Road Games" was released, which is now almost unavailable on the market. However, this marked the end of Warner's collaboration with the artist. Holdsworth's solo career began, yielding instrumental albums starting with "Metal Fatigue" (1986) and ending with "None Too Soon" (1996). A fan of Tetley beer, he loves bicycle rides and the TV series "Star Trek." He has a wife, Claire, with whom he raises three children.

I spoke with Allan Holdsworth before his concert at the Quasimodo club in Berlin, where he performed alongside Chad Wackerman (drums) and Dave Carpenter (bass). The Berlin performance was part of their European tour, organized after the success of previous shows in late February and March 1997. Allan Holdsworth's trio performed the following songs in Berlin: "Sixteen Men Of Tain" – a new melody from the upcoming album, "Looking Glass" from the album "Atavachron," "Above + Below," "E-tune (Material Real)" – another new track, and "Water On The Brain" from the album "Road Games," in which Carpenter excellently stepped into the shoes of the famous predecessor, Jeff Berlin, and delivered an astounding bass solo. After playing the new song "Running on Fumes," Allan Holdsworth commented on the enthusiastic fan response with the words, "This is a new song; you can't imagine how we f...ed it up." They performed "Funnels" in a somewhat swinging version, significantly altered from the original on the "Atavachron" album, featuring an excellent drum solo by Chad Wackerman. After a short break, they returned to the stage to play "Letters of Marque" from the "I.O.U." album, another new composition "0-1-2-7-4," and again from "I.O.U.," this time "Where Is the One." "House of Mirrors" from "Hard Hat Area" didn't sound as good as on the album, and the guitarist used a Roland VG-8 instead of the SynthAxe, if I recall correctly. "Texas" was another new song of the evening, followed by "Shallow Sea" from "I.O.U.," the galloping "Proto Cosmos" dedicated to Tony Williams, and finally, the encore, "Tokyo Dream" from "Road Games," which was welcomed with applause. For the encore, they played "Mr. Berwell" from "Atavachron," as far as I remember. As you can see, most of the material came from the albums "Atavachron" and "I.O.U." I'm not sure if this was driven by sentiment, which the artist holds for these albums, or rather their versatility and adaptability to the trio format. However, in my opinion, there was a lack of keyboard instruments in the background, which, besides creating atmosphere, would have provided a harmonic backdrop for the solos. Although Dave Carpenter did his best by playing various bass patterns, including regular and spread chords (sometimes it sounded like he was using a "sweep" technique on the bass!), he couldn't replicate the rich harmonies when Holdsworth played a solo. The master himself, as always, was focused and showed that despite his age, his fingers had not lost their agility. Speed, precision, and most importantly, his unique improvisations, which required the audience to keep up with his thoughts and narratives, were showcased. Comparing his live performance to what he recorded on albums, I had the feeling that his guitar style was slowly evolving, and the character of improvisations, especially in the new songs, hinted at another facet of the artist. We'll see what we find on the new album. Strangely, he didn't use the tremolo at all, and as fans may recall, using the "whammy bar" (which, incidentally, Van Halen cleverly emulated) added a specific atmosphere to his solos. Dave Carpenter skillfully handled the solo parts during the evening, playing at times similar to Jimmie Johnson, extremely technically proficient and musical. Chad Wackerman set the pace with very economical movements, and it was clear that the section's cooperation was working well. Allan Holdsworth is worth listening to and watching live, as it's an opportunity to hear improvisations that have not been recorded on any album yet. It's high time for the artist to consider a live album, although he often says that he won't record one too quickly.

Guitar and Bass: Are you currently recording an album?