Allan Holdsworth: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Allan_Holdsworth-0250.jpg|450 px|right]]Allan Holdsworth (1946-2017) was a British musician, composer and bandleader. He was primarily known for his work on electric guitar, and to a somewhat lesser extent for his use of the [[SynthAxe]] synthesizer controller. In addition, he also occasionally performed on vocals and violin, live and on record, especially in earlier years. Later in his career, he would record, produce, engineer and mix his own records from his home studio, "The Brewery". | [[File:Allan_Holdsworth-0250.jpg|450 px|right]]''This is an unsourced biography written by The Allan Holdsworth Archives. All factual information is supported by information contained on this website, allanholdsworth.info. Some viewpoints are subjective, but we believe them to be well supported by musical community.'' | ||
Allan Holdsworth (1946-2017) was a British musician, composer and bandleader. He was primarily known for his work on electric guitar, and to a somewhat lesser extent for his use of the [[SynthAxe]] synthesizer controller. In addition, he also occasionally performed on vocals and violin, live and on record, especially in earlier years. Later in his career, he would record, produce, engineer and mix his own records from his home studio, "The Brewery". | |||
Holdsworth's musical style was often referred to as jazz-rock or fusion, although he disapproved of such labels. His music was influenced by jazz in that he devoted most of his energy to improvising on chord changes, but rhythmically and sonically he drew heavily on rock, and harmonically he created a very personal amalgam of jazz harmony blended with contemporary classical music of the 20th century. He eschewed traditional forms such as the blues or jazz standards, with a few notable exceptions. | Holdsworth's musical style was often referred to as jazz-rock or fusion, although he disapproved of such labels. His music was influenced by jazz in that he devoted most of his energy to improvising on chord changes, but rhythmically and sonically he drew heavily on rock, and harmonically he created a very personal amalgam of jazz harmony blended with contemporary classical music of the 20th century. He eschewed traditional forms such as the blues or jazz standards, with a few notable exceptions. | ||
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, | 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, ethereal 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". | 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". | ||
