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Atavachron Digest 4/92
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Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 04:57:26 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Live Holdsworth Video
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 04:53:20 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Live Holdsworth Video
Since the last topic has been live Holdsworth material, please allow
me to take up some bandwidth with a little more...
Tom Buck, who runs the Sun Ra list (SATURN@KNOX.Bitnet) posted a note
to the Allmusic list a few days ago that mentioned a live Holdsworth video
available from some folks in North Carolina. This is supposed to be video
from a 1984 show in Tokyo and also from German TV from 1986. I imagine the
latter is professionally-shot; the former may have been amateur (Tom said
their catalog specified the quality of each tape). I'm writing a check
today, so I'll let you know what it's like. In the meantime, I'll also
ask Tom if there are any other Holdsworth-related items in the catalog he
has.
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 13:13:44 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Final Project
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 12:11:36 EDT
From: ouij%triples@Triples.Math.McGill.CA (Luigi Perrotta)
Subject: Final Project
Has anybody heard of an ensemble called
Final Project in which Holdsworth plays
guitar on quite a few tracks??
While driving on the Chicago Loop hours
before the river sprang a leak, I heard
a song that had Holdsworth signature guitar
solo. The DJ said that Final Project was
headed by a drummer Armando Machelli (or
something like that) and there are
at least two other well known musicians in
the ensemble (after driving 2 thousand miles,
details are not as clear!).
IT was refreshing to hear holdsworth playing
straight electric guitar.
Ouij
--
ouij@math.mcgill.ca
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Date: Fri, 17 Apr 92 04:25:09 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Mystery tune
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 92 04:21:56 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: Mystery tune
>Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 12:11:36 EDT
>From: ouij%triples@Triples.Math.McGill.CA (Luigi Perrotta)
>Subject: Final Project
>Has anybody heard of an ensemble called
>Final Project in which Holdsworth plays
>guitar on quite a few tracks??
>While driving on the Chicago Loop hours
>before the river sprang a leak, I heard
>a song that had Holdsworth signature guitar
>solo. The DJ said that Final Project was
>headed by a drummer Armando Machelli (or
>something like that) and there are
>at least two other well known musicians in
>the ensemble (after driving 2 thousand miles,
>details are not as clear!).
>IT was refreshing to hear holdsworth playing
>straight electric guitar.
Could this be that CD (_Silent Will_ , was it?) that David Motes was
talking about last November? He mentioned a Canadian import CD which
featured an Andrea Marcelli, and also had Mike Stern (ex-Miles Davis)
and John Patitucci (currently with Chick Corea) onboard, I think (if not,
I'm remembering things again!).
Of course, I would love to hear more about this... what were your
impressions of what you heard, Ouij? Did the DJ mention a record label
(hope, hope)? :)
Jeff Preston ("the Maytag repairman")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Mon, 20 Apr 92 16:41:18 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Marcelli / Holdsworth
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 92 10:08:28 PDT
From: rpeck@pure.com (Ray Peck)
Subject: Marcelli / Holdsworth
> Could this be that CD (_Silent Will_ , was it?) that David Motes was
> talking about last November? He mentioned a Canadian import CD which
> featured an Andrea Marcelli, and also had Mike Stern (ex-Miles Davis)
> and John Patitucci (currently with Chick Corea) onboard, I think (if
not,
> I'm remembering things again!).
> Of course, I would love to hear more about this... what were your
> impressions of what you heard, Ouij? Did the DJ mention a record label
> (hope, hope)? :)
> Jeff Preston ("the Maytag repairman")
> Owner and moderator of Atavachron
Alright, you jokers. . . From the Audiophile Imports new
catalogue ((301) 484 7752), whose address I got from this
list. . . comes this entry:
Silent Will featuring Andrea Marcelli
-----------
Amazing jazz-fusion debut from this drummer/percussionist. Marcelli has
assembled a virtual who's who of players for this project: Allan Holdsworth,
Mike Stern, Bob Berg, John Patitucci, Alex Acuna, Wayne Shorter, and Mitch
forman. Killer! CD........$14.99
postscript to anyone who hasn't yet picked up the Chad Wackerman disk,
DO! Best Holdsworth playing I've heard in *years*. I like it much better
than his last few solos disks (overall - there's nothing that matches
Devil Take the Hindmost).
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Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 00:41:54 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: More Marcelli, Wackerman
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 00:33:44 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr
Subject: More Marcelli, Wackerman
>Date: Mon, 20 Apr 92 10:08:28 PDT
>From: rpeck@pure.com (Ray Peck)
>Subject: Marcelli / Holdsworth
[speculation on my part about whether or not the tune Ouij heard was from
_Silent Will_ , featuring Andrea Marcelli, etc. - mercifully deleted]
> Alright, you jokers. . . From the Audiophile Imports new
> catalogue ((301) 484 7752), whose address I got from this
> list. . . comes this entry:
> Silent Will featuring Andrea Marcelli
> -----------
> Amazing jazz-fusion debut from this drummer/percussionist. Marcelli has
> assembled a virtual who's who of players for this project: Allan Holdsworth
> Mike Stern, Bob Berg, John Patitucci, Alex Acuna, Wayne Shorter, and Mitch
> forman. Killer! CD........$14.99
I bet that *is* a killer. I will be looking into that CD next payday,
certainly. So, Ray... what Holdsworth goodies have *you* acquired since
getting your copy of that catalog? :) Speaking of which - I sent off
for one of Audiophile's catalogs months ago (before Christmas, now that
I think about it), and it has failed to make its way into my mailbox.
Was I supposed to send them some front bucks, or what?
> postscript to anyone who hasn't yet picked up the Chad Wackerman disk,
> DO! Best Holdsworth playing I've heard in *years*. I like it much better
> than his last few solos disks (overall - there's nothing that matches
> Devil Take the Hindmost).
I don't know about the parenthetical statement, but to the rest: amen,
*amen*, AMEN! What really surprised me was finding 3 copies of it in a
chain store last month... believe me, folks, the chains don't carry much
more than the Billboard Top 100 in this part of the country. But I decided
to poke around in the jazz section (such as it is in this store), and there
sat three copies of _Forty Reasons_ . Utter shock and disbelief. Oh well...
I still got mine cheaper via mail order... even with the postage.
Jeff Preston ("the Maytag repairman")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 05:19:11 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: Marcelli / Holdsworth
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1992 00:43:45 -0400
From: wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca (Anil Prasad)
Subject: Re: Marcelli / Holdsworth
Can soeone tell me if this Marcelli CD is *definitely* a Canadian
release? Being a Canadian, I wanna run out and get it!
Please leave complete details/catalog numbers, titles etc. in
a message to atavachron or to me!
Thanks,
Anil Prasad
wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca
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Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 17:04:44 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: More Marcelli, Wackerman
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 10:54:28 -0400
From: barrett@astro.cs.umass.edu (Daniel Barrett)
Subject: More Marcelli, Wackerman
>> Silent Will featuring Andrea Marcelli
>>Amazing jazz-fusion debut from this drummer/percussionist....
> I bet that *is* a killer. I will be looking into that CD next payday,
I have it, and I think it's pretty boring. At least, I've
listened to it only a few times (in the past year) because it doesn't
really grab my attention.
Dan
//////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
| Dan Barrett -- Dept of Computer Science, Lederle Graduate Research Center |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 -- barrett@cs.umass.edu |
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Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 17:07:30 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Andrea Marcelli, etc.
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 09:55 EST
From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
Subject: Andrea Marcelli, etc.
OK, OK..... I realize I should have done this sooner but
I have really been swamped at work... Honest...
Silent Will - Andrea Marcelli - Released 1990, 1991 US
Silent Will is a pretty much standard jazz-fusion album.
The music on the album is reminds me of some of Mike Stern's
solo work, John Patitucci's solo work, maybe even some Spyrogyra..
John Patitucci plays bass on every track.
The only other player on every track is Andrea Marcelli playing
drums,percussion, synths, etc...
Alan Holdsworth plays on 3 songs.. (there are 8 songs on the disc)
Final Project - Yes its here- guitar and synthaxe
Love Remembered - guitar and synthaxe
Lights - synthaxe
A.H. does a couple of great solos.. The song Lights
is interesting with A.H. on Synthaxe and John Patitucci
on acoustic bass..
There is a lot of sax on the album from Bob Berg and Wayne Shorter.
It is interesting hearing a song where A.H. does a guitar solo
then Wayne Shorter does a sax solo after him.
Mike Stern is pretty hot on this album as well.. (Other 5 songs)
Silent Will is a good album but there is nothing really new
on it.. I was kind of disappointed in the fact that the
leader of the project is a percusionnist and the songs
do not seem to have very many interesting rhythms.
The album is on the Verve Forecast label. I do not
believe it is an import.. Although I got it from
Audiophile Imports..
Yes --- Forty Reasons is great.....
I keep seeing comments about how the majority seems to prefer
A.H.s older stuff as opposed to the newer stuff..
I think you are comparing apples and oranges..
The older music is basically guitar oriented fusion ( I am being
pretty general) where the newer projects (Atavachron, Sand, Secrets)
seem to be more melody, texture, layers of sound oriented.
Whenever I listen to Sand or Secrets I always seem to hear
something I had not heard before. At least A.H. is not playing
it safe and is producing interesting music. When you hear an
A.H. solo project it is something new...
Later,
David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
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Date: Wed, 22 Apr 92 04:44:24 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Marcelli, personal observations, etc.
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 92 04:31:00 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr.bitnet
Subject: Marcelli, personal observations, etc.
>Date: Tue, 21 Apr 92 09:55 EST
>From: David.Motes@emc2-tao.fisc.com
>Subject: Andrea Marcelli, etc.
> Silent Will - Andrea Marcelli - Released 1990, 1991 US
[...]
Sounds very encouraging... thanks very much for the all this info,
David! With what you said about this reminding you of Stern's work,
I'm really looking forward to yet another framework in which to hear
Holdsworth's playing. I have _Jigsaw_ by Stern, and although it took
a while for me to warm up to, it was worth the effort once I did.
What initially piqued my curiosity about this release had to do
with an unusual observation of mine (which would be sure to wreak
havoc if we had about double the number of subscribers, I'm guessing):
I've felt that much of Holdsworth's best playing has come about during
his participation in projects where the drummer/percussionist is
the bandleader/main composer (Tony Williams, Pierre Moerlin, Bill
Bruford, Chad Wackerman). Am I onto something here? :)
> Yes --- Forty Reasons is great.....
Yet another wholesome vote of confidence... :) If you don't have
it, listfolk, you need it. Go buy it today!!!!
> I keep seeing comments about how the majority seems to prefer
> A.H.s older stuff as opposed to the newer stuff..
> I think you are comparing apples and oranges..
Minor point to make, David: some people prefer apples to oranges. :)
> The older music is basically guitar oriented fusion ( I am being
> pretty general) where the newer projects (Atavachron, Sand, Secrets)
> seem to be more melody, texture, layers of sound oriented.
> Whenever I listen to Sand or Secrets I always seem to hear
> something I had not heard before. At least A.H. is not playing
> it safe and is producing interesting music. When you hear an
> A.H. solo project it is something new...
I'll agree that comparing Allan's *playing* (as in "with other
musicians' projects") with his *composing* is comparing two unlike
things. When I say, "I like the pre-SynthAxe material better," I
am not saying that his SynthAxe work is not good, or creative - for
the most part, it's very good *and* very original. I think it's like
Holdsworth himself said in that May '90 Guitar Player interview -
"my fans have been quite forgiving whenever I've wanted to do something
different" (paraphrased). Inasmuch as I like to hear the man play
guitar, I still enjoy hearing his compositions... and probably would
even listen to him if he decided to play (shudder!) accordion on his
next album. This forgiving fan would like to see him continue to
do "something different" (even though I often say I'd love a _One
Of A Kind, Pt. II_). A fun game we could play would be to come up
with suggestions for "something different" that we'd like to see him
do in the future... what musicians, styles, instrumentation, etc.
I'll reserve mine until I see if anyone takes that hook. :)
I like what you have to say about hearing something new each time
you listen to these albums. Before getting _Sand_ on CD, I had all but
written that album off as being "much too quirky" for my tastes. Now
it is my favorite of the "SynthAxe" releases... re-examination is
always a functional tool for enlightenment. So, I also agree that he
is managing to continue to write interesting and innovative music...
it usually takes me dozens of plays of something like _Secrets_ before
good "mental images" of the melodies solidify, and that says to me
that he's going beyond what I have heard before. But, what tune can
you name from his last three solo releases that has as much fire and
passion as does "Holiday Insane"? To me, it's very refreshing to hear
something like this after three albums of what might be considered
intense introspection on Holdsworth's part. Would anyone else care to
jump in here before I get into 200+ lines of speculation? :)
Jeff Preston ("the Maytag repairman")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 21:37:02 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 19:32:28 CDT
From: Paul Heroy
Subject: *unknown*
Hi Holdsworth enthusiasts,
Just found out about ATAVACHRON and signed on, and no sooner do I get the
current discography than I drop by the record store and happen to notice
a fairly new disc by Jeff Watson (former guitarist for Night
Ranger - but I hear he's pretty good...) that lists Steve Morse and Allan
Holdsworth as guest artists. Haven't heard the CD - has anyone out there
heard it or heard/know anything about it?
Second question - I have Metal Fatigue and Secrets; would anyone care to
make recommendations on AH acquisitions (solo or otherwise) given that my
musical tastes include John Scofield, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Coltrane,
and NOT Kenny G.
Thanks,
Paul Heroy
heroy@lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu
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Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 23:27:19 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1992 23:03:17 -0400
From: Gerald E Sylvester
Subject: Re: *unknown*
> From: Paul Heroy
> Just found out about ATAVACHRON and signed on, and no sooner do I get the
> current discography than I drop by the record store and happen to notice
> a fairly new disc by Jeff Watson (former guitarist for Night
> Ranger - but I hear he's pretty good...) that lists Steve Morse and Allan
> Holdsworth as guest artists. Haven't heard the CD - has anyone out there
> heard it or heard/know anything about it?
I have never heard about an album by Jeff Watson but then again, I have
never looked for one by him. Anyway, the name Jeff Watson looked semi-
familiar so I checked out the last Steve Morse Album SOUTHERN STEEL and
Jeff Watson did play on one song. He didn't solo so and his guitar playing
isn't too prominent (sp?) so I can't comment on his playing. I didn't know
Watson was from Night Ranger. I think we should all keep that
*hussshhhh*. 8-) I am pretty almost positive he didn't play on any other
Morse album but I am not sure about AH albums although I do not think so.
***************************************************
* Gerald Sylvester *
* The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD *
* BITNET: SYLVE_GE@JHUNIX.HCF.JHU.BITNET *
* INTERNET: SYLVE_GE@JHUNIX.HCF.JHU.EDU *
***************************************************
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Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 00:04:37 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 23:35:36 EST
From: preston@morekypr.bitnet
Subject: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
>Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1992 23:03:17 -0400
>From: Gerald E Sylvester
>Subject: Re: *unknown*
>> From: Paul Heroy
>> Just found out about ATAVACHRON and signed on, and no sooner do I get the
>> current discography than I drop by the record store and happen to notice
>> a fairly new disc by Jeff Watson (former guitarist for Night
>> Ranger - but I hear he's pretty good...) that lists Steve Morse and Allan
>> Holdsworth as guest artists. Haven't heard the CD - has anyone out there
>> heard it or heard/know anything about it?
>I have never heard about an album by Jeff Watson but then again, I have
>never looked for one by him. Anyway, the name Jeff Watson looked semi-
>familiar so I checked out the last Steve Morse Album SOUTHERN STEEL and
>Jeff Watson did play on one song. He didn't solo so and his guitar playing
>isn't too prominent (sp?) so I can't comment on his playing. I didn't know
>Watson was from Night Ranger. I think we should all keep that
>*hussshhhh*. 8-) I am pretty almost positive he didn't play on any other
>Morse album but I am not sure about AH albums although I do not think so.
Jeff Watson has not appeared on any of Allan's solo projects. But
since this was brought up tonight, I got _Southern Steel_ off the shelf
and gave it a spin (as well as taking a look at the credits). I think
my ears detect a "swapping" of lead lines between Morse and Watson towards
the end of "Cut To The Chase", however I could be wrong - I'm not very
familiar with any of Night Ranger's tunes (although I remember liking
one of their tunes back in high school... "Don't Tell Me You Love Me",
maybe??), and as a consequence haven't heard enough of Watson to know
what to listen for from a technique standpoint. The reason I think the
two are trading off in "Cut To The Chase" is based on the tonal difference
of the guitar parts... I like to think I'm pretty good at detecting small
nuances in tone (and usually in style, too, but...), having played guitar
for about 15 years, and listened for many more than that. Then again,
my aging ears could be burnt from so many years of loud music, so you'll
have to be the judge. :)
So... who will be the daring one to go out and buy this and tell the
rest of the list about it? Hey you guys... quit pointing! It's not
polite!! :)
As to Paul Heroy's question about what to obtain: Your brief list of
other music sounds not far off base from my own tastes, so if you don't
have the Bruford (as in Bill Bruford) release _One Of A Kind_ , I would
recommend it highly. You might also check out _Forty Reasons_ , a recent
release by Chad Wackerman on CMP Records... I think that covers both ends
of the spectrum and might leave you two good landmarks in your journey
through Holdsworthdom. :)
Jeff Preston ("the Maytag repairman")
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 12:36:50 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1992 04:53:23 -0400
From: Gerald E Sylvester
Subject: Re: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
FROM Gerald Sylvester
> >I have never heard about an album by Jeff Watson but then again, I have
> >never looked for one by him. Anyway, the name Jeff Watson looked semi-
> >familiar so I checked out the last Steve Morse Album SOUTHERN STEEL and
> >Jeff Watson did play on one song. He didn't solo so and his guitar playing
> >isn't too prominent (sp?) so I can't comment on his playing. I didn't know
> >Watson was from Night Ranger. I think we should all keep that
> >*hussshhhh*. 8-) I am pretty almost positive he didn't play on any other
> >Morse album but I am not sure about AH albums although I do not think so.
> I think
> my ears detect a "swapping" of lead lines between Morse and Watson towards
> the end of "Cut To The Chase", however I could be wrong
> The reason I think the
> two are trading off in "Cut To The Chase" is based on the tonal difference
> of the guitar parts... I like to think I'm pretty good at detecting small
> nuances in tone (and usually in style, too, but...), having played guitar
> for about 15 years, and listened for many more than that. Then again,
> my aging ears could be burnt from so many years of loud music, so you'll
> have to be the judge. :)
I do not know how I can be so stupid. I put on the wrong song when
I originally played the Morse disk. "Cut To The Chase" is the correct
song that Watson played on and they do trade licks at the end. There isn't
much tonal difference but Morse is much more melodic and Morse definitely
is not the one doing the finger board tapping (is that what you call it?).
Also, Morse is smoother. Watson sounds pretty good but you can't really
tell since he only plays on one song that he didn't even write.
***************************************************
* Gerald Sylvester *
* The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD *
* BITNET: SYLVE_GE@JHUNIX.HCF.JHU.BITNET *
* INTERNET: SYLVE_GE@JHUNIX.HCF.JHU.EDU *
***************************************************
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Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 12:39:06 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 08:08:51 EDT
From: "Christoper V. DeRobertis"
Subject: Re: *unknown*
The new Jeff Watson release is on Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records
label. This label is home to (at one time or another) some of the
most talented Metal/Progressive Metal/Rock guitarists starting with
the year 1982.
The Watson release has not made it to my area (yet), but knowing what
I do about Shrapnel Records, it should be a killer release. If I'm not
mistaken, it should be an all instrumental release. It is also supposed
to feature Watson's monsterous 8 finger tapping technique in a
Rock/Metal/Fusion-like environment.
-Dero "Metal's Most Progressive Son"
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Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 12:45:17 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 0:12:02 CDT
From: dkohn@ub.d.umn.edu
Subject: Re: Jeff Watson? (was Re: *unknown*)
> >> From: Paul Heroy
> >> Just found out about ATAVACHRON and signed on, and no sooner do I get the
> >> current discography than I drop by the record store and happen to notice
> >> a fairly new disc by Jeff Watson (former guitarist for Night
> >> Ranger - but I hear he's pretty good...) that lists Steve Morse and Allan
I liked NR, but wasn't too excited about JW's "8-finger" technique; I liked
Brad Gillis much better in all sorts of ways. His whammy usage was not very
common..
> >I have never heard about an album by Jeff Watson but then again, I have
> >never looked for one by him. Anyway, the name Jeff Watson looked semi-
> >familiar so I checked out the last Steve Morse Album SOUTHERN STEEL and
> >Jeff Watson did play on one song. He didn't solo so and his guitar playing
> >isn't too prominent (sp?) so I can't comment on his playing. I didn't know
> >Watson was from Night Ranger. I think we should all keep that
> >*hussshhhh*. 8-) I am pretty almost positive he didn't play on any other
> >Morse album but I am not sure about AH albums although I do not think so.
(More NR bashing, eh? :) From what foggy recollection I have, I seem to
remember that they formally got together and cut those tracks for that
"Guitar's practicing Musicians" album: 'Rodo Lana'(?) and 'Play that funky
Music'. (Now if you want to hack on someone, listen to the gtr work:
borderline Yngwie obnoxiousness from both of them.) I also seem to remember
this picture of the two of them, each holding a hand up against the other's.
Anyways, at that point they were talking about putting forth an album,
weren't they? Now I'm gonna haveta wade thru the stacks of GFPMs! :)
>
> As to Paul Heroy's question about what to obtain: Your brief list of
> other music sounds not far off base from my own tastes, so if you don't
> have the Bruford (as in Bill Bruford) release _One Of A Kind_ , I would
> recommend it highly. You might also check out _Forty Reasons_ , a recent
> release by Chad Wackerman on CMP Records... I think that covers both ends
> of the spectrum and might leave you two good landmarks in your journey
> through Holdsworthdom. :)
I think you might also like AH's work on Jean Luc Ponty's "Enigmatic Ocean";
when I played different AH cuts for friends, they found stuff from this disc
to be the most accessible. You often see it turn up in the bargain basement
bin, so it may be one of the cheaper discs to start with...
BTW, who are the other musicians on that project? I am guessing that the
other guitarist is Darryl Stuermer, but no idea on anyone else.
Dave Kohn (JudoMaster) dkohn@ub.d.umn.edu
Today's neato gtr chord: (?)
-----------
(I don't know the chord name offhand, 4fr. x | x | x |
but it sure sounds nasty with -----------
lots 'o' distortion!) Fingering: 1 0 2 0 3 0
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Date: Tue, 28 Apr 92 01:51:57 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 92 10:29:34 PDT
From: adac!wizard!farrar@uunet.UU.NET (richard farrar)
Subject: Re: *unknown*
Actually, there is a recorded Jeff Watson/Allan Holdsworth collaboration.
There is a CD put out by Guitar for the Practising Musician that has many
guitar oriented songs by guitarists like Morse, Vinne Moore, Paul Gilbert,
Steve Vai, Buck Dharma, Leslie West, Jennifer Batten, Blues Sarceno, etc.
The Watson/Holdsworth song is "Play that Funky Music (White Boy)". I know
it sounds ridiculous, but it actually works. I always thought this was a cool
song back when I was a youngster listening to AM radio. It's pretty cool to
hear Holdsworth tear through an amazing solo after a chorus of "Play that
funky music till you die".
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Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 02:00:16 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 01:55:32 EDT
From: PRESTON@morekypr.bitnet
Subject: Live video
I just received a video from Jeff and Dena Morris (202-180 Loft Lane,
Raleigh, NC 27609) which they've titled "Allan Holdsworth - Tokyo 1984/
German TV 1986". I've watched the 145-minute tape a couple of times now,
and have a few comments.
The first part (the Tokyo show) appears to be a less-than-complete
copy of what I suspect is the _Tokyo Dreams_ laser video disc (the title
page does tend to let the cat out of the bag). The audio, while not
outstanding, is a good mix for non-HiFi sound (I only have a mono VCR,
so I don't know if it's in stereo or HiFi... I doubt it, though). The
video is dim and at times very blurry... it looks like this was a 4th
generation SLP recording, to be quite honest. However, the production
was professional (i.e. not an audience bootleg, but shot by pros), and
it may have been better if I had spent the extra $3 to have it put on a
T-160 (I wish I'd known that was an option!) at SP speed.
The band was Chad Wackerman on drums, Jimmy Johnson (announced by
Allan as "the newest member of the band") on bass, and Paul Williams
on vocals (on the numbers with vocals, of course). The tape opens with
Holdsworth changing strings on the red Charvel, and shortly the title
page comes up, and then the show begins. Set list:
Tokyo Dreams - Road Games - White Line - Panic Station - (bad edit
in the middle of) Letters of Marque - Home - (bad edit into) Devil Take
The Hindmost - Material Real - Metal Fatigue - Where Is One - The Things
You See - Was There?
The performance was not as spirited or as confident as the show I
saw last year (understandable... confidence can build a lot in 8 years),
but for the most part was very enjoyable. Johnson sounds a lot better
here than on most of the recordings, and Wackerman sounds much better
than Gary Husband (as evidenced in the second half of the video).
Overall, I say it's good if you haven't seen Holdsworth play live,
but the video quality and editing left much to be desired. Worth $20?
Maybe when coupled with...
The second part is from German TV... the video is a bit wild around
the edges, but much brighter and somewhat clearer than the Tokyo footage.
Again, pro shot (naturally). But the audio is absolutely annoying!
Anytime someone takes a solo, that's about all you hear going on...
the drums are very quick to be taken down in the mix, and that irritates
me. Another peeve was the lack of credits - there was a keyboard player
who looked to be Japanese playing some very Chick Corea things on this
set, and I have no idea who this is!! Any help out there? I suppose
the better video quality and much better performance should make up for
it, though. Set list:
Three Sheets To The Wind - Letters of Marque (whole and unmolested!) -
Tokyo Dreams - Looking Glass - Atavachron - Non-Brewed Condiment -
White Line - Shallow Sea - Devil Take The Hindmost (also whole)
The band here was Gary Husband on drums (bet you guessed that one,
huh), Jimmy Johnson on bass again, and the mystery fellow playing keys.
This is a much better show. Everyone is playing hot, but the keyboard
player does take his share of solos... everyone's solos are fantastic
in "Letters of Marque", but Husband seems to be almost having a bad
night... although there were no fouls called, he just didn't drive the
tunes very hard... he played "safe". It's a little bothersome to be
subjected to so many close-ups of Johnson's right hand throughout the
video (probably had 10 minutes of that alone), but overall the shots
of Allan playing are very good. Makes my hands hurt to see some of those
chords... :)
Well, that's enough for now. Administrative note: we've gotten a
record number of new subscribers this week, and I'd like to remind
everyone to sing out - the only way to keep things interesting is to
contribute, even if it's simply stating your opinion on a certain
album, or asking for other opinions on some point. As the commercial
says, "Just Do It!". :) So much for the cheerleading. :)
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 14:18:18 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 09:33:42 PDT
From: freedman@mprgate.mpr.ca (Elliot Freedman)
Atavachron:
Regarding the German TV video....
The keyboard player is Kei Akagi, and it is he that Allan refers to when
discribing the fact that some keyboard players turned the tunes into
cocktail music (he said something to that effect after a 1987 Toronto
concert with Steve Hunt -- one of the first with him -- very very good).
I've seen the Tokyo video but not the German TV clips -- I really must get
this one:
Are there any other videos out there??
Holdsworth, when told that someone had seen the Tokyo video said sarcasically,
thanks, they ripped me off there not asking permission to release it. I don't
feel too good about giving someone a profit to rip Holdsworth off -- tcosts for
dubbing and a small service fee certainly, but nothing more.
I came accross a catalogue listing for the Tokyo Dream laser disk in Seattle
over the weekend. $83 but the store marks it up to $100. I suppose the
profits go to Holdsworth, right.
As you may well see, I'm a bit torn morally between my desire to see & hear
Holdsworth boots and my knowledge that they don't ($$) support him.
Comments?
Elliot E. Freedman
freedman@mprgate.mpr.ca
BTW Last year in Europe, Reflection Marketing could have offered me
the SynthAxe that he played during the European tour (1990) for a mere
3300 Pounds... ouch.
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Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 15:05:11 EDT
From: atavachron@morekypr
Subject: Re: *unknown*
To: Jeff Preston
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 14:23:36 EST
From: preston@morekypr.bitnet
Subject: Re: *unknown*
>Date: Thu, 30 Apr 92 09:33:42 PDT
>From: freedman@mprgate.mpr.ca (Elliot Freedman)
>The keyboard player is Kei Akagi, and it is he that Allan refers to when
>discribing the fact that some keyboard players turned the tunes into
>cocktail music (he said something to that effect after a 1987 Toronto
>concert with Steve Hunt -- one of the first with him -- very very good).
I thought he was generally good, but it was hard to hear the interplay
between him and Husband... and the only real interplay I hear between Akagi
and Holdsworth is during "Atavachron", which was very solid (unless you
count the SynthAxe malfunction which causes Allan to come in almost too
late for any solo at all). That reminds me - I forgot to mention that
Holdsworth plays the SynthAxe on all three of the _Atavachron_ tunes in
the German video. I get the feeling this may be the only way I'll ever
see him play one live. Thanks for identifying Akagi!
>I've seen the Tokyo video but not the German TV clips -- I really must get
>this one:
>Are there any other videos out there??
This is the only one I know about (other than the laser video you
mention below).
>Holdsworth, when told that someone had seen the Tokyo video said sarcasically,
>thanks, they ripped me off there not asking permission to release it. I don't
>feel too good about giving someone a profit to rip Holdsworth off -- tcosts for
>dubbing and a small service fee certainly, but nothing more.
>I came accross a catalogue listing for the Tokyo Dream laser disk in Seattle
>over the weekend. $83 but the store marks it up to $100. I suppose the
>profits go to Holdsworth, right.
>As you may well see, I'm a bit torn morally between my desire to see & hear
>Holdsworth boots and my knowledge that they don't ($$) support him.
As am I, but several factors come into play in my conscience: firstly,
I didn't realize this was not a legitimate tape when I bought it - I
didn't know the first part would be a copy of the Japanese laser disc,
and I figured commercial TV (from anywhere) should be fair game, although
technically speaking, that's not necessarily true. Secondly, even though
I have no reason to doubt Holdsworth's word about it, I think we're not
hearing the whole story - he has often referred to rip-offs and sour deals
without really explaining the circumstances in the past. Many times he
simply says that he doesn't feel his performance is up to spec. I think
if I owned a label in Japan and were going to pay 20 video and audio
people to come in and tape a performance, I'd have some expectation of
making a profit on my investment, and I think a contract would have
spelled all that out *before* the video was made. Even the most ruthless,
bloodsucking recording companies will spell out the terms before the
work is done. If no such contract existed, then Holdsworth needs a new
attorney and manager.
As far as Holdsworth being his own worst critic - word is that he's
got hours of live recordings that he will not allow to be released
because he's "not happy" with them. I don't know how anyone else feels
about this, but I don't think I expect perfection from any live show.
Will we ever see footage that meets the Holdsworth Seal of Approval?
I don't think so, because the man is simply too self-critical. If he's
that unhappy with his performances, or that prone to be manipulated by
the music industry execs, maybe he's in the wrong business...
>BTW Last year in Europe, Reflection Marketing could have offered me
>the SynthAxe that he played during the European tour (1990) for a mere
>3300 Pounds... ouch.
Wouldn't that be great hanging on the living room wall? :)
Jeff Preston
Owner and moderator of Atavachron
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