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Atavachron Digest 11/94
Atavachron Digest - The Allan Holdsworth Discussion Digest
Number 113
Thursday, 10 November 1994
TODAY'S TOPICS:
==============
hello from SB
Soft Machine
RE: Soft Machine
west coast
Happy Birthday!
Re: Soft Machine
Re: west coast
Re: west coast
Tempest!
(none)
First Post
Allan's playing the west coast, but...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 13:53:27 GMT
From: jennifer@material.demon.co.uk (Jennifer Moore)
Subject: hello from SB
hi people
just thought I'd say hi, especially to people who didn't get to see
Single Bass on the recent tour - Apologies - As some of you will know,
I injured my back on the afternoon of the Birmingham gig and had to
go home and lie down for 2 weeks! :-(
(For those who now want to know how I did it... (which seems to be
a popular question recently) ...nothing exciting... it was an old
injury from a fall 12 years ago that somehow got activated by sitting
in a bad way & further aggravated by 2 hours in a van seat travelling
to Birmingham - by the time we got to B. I could hardly walk - Went
home the next day in a black taxi cab from B. to Nottingham, 50 quid,
cos I couldn't manage trains)
This meant I missed Bath, Portsmouth, Manchester, Stockton & Aberdeen,
although I did manage to do Nottingham (where I live, hence no travelling
- and one of the last gigs so I was a bit better by then).
Sorry people! & hope I get to play to you next time.
I feel I should also apologise to the Birmingham contingent - I did
manage to play the gig but I was on painkillers & losing my voice so
I was crap (IMHO)! probably the worst SB gig of all time! Oh well.
If you want to know an even more annoying thing - When the tour was
in Stockton without me, the van got nicked! And some of my gear was
in it! :-( :-( :-(
(None of the band's stuff got nicked cos they were doing the soundcheck
at the time. Just total bad luck for me because if I had been there,
my gear would have been in the venue as well.)
Anyway my back is sort of nearly better now. And the police have
recovered one little bit of my gear - the merchandise case - But my
SPX90 has gone probably never to be seen again....
I am just really happy that I did the 2 nights at the Jazz Cafe
before things went wrong, cos I really enjoyed them - I think the
2nd night there was one of the best gigs I've done ever.
Speaking of which...
Jason Julyan writes:
> Jennifer: "I hate playing to Allan's audiences - I always think
> you're all top muso's..."
> Crowd: "We ARE!" :-) :-)
I feel I should offer a slight correction here! - I didn't say I hated
it (which would certainly not be true - on the contrary)
What I said was, I always get really scared! though I am getting
used to it now I think, I was much scareder on the first tour last year,
specially the first couple of dates.
(Also my recollection is that what the voice in reply actually said
was "No we're not".... what do you reckon Jason? perhaps your
version is more true to the spirit of the exchange than to the actual
words!)
I'll tell you why I said that that night as well, this was on the
1st night at the Jazz Cafe...
Well for people who know the venue, you know when they are serving food
on the balcony there is a table at the top of the stairs which is like
"reception" for the restaurant...
Well I had just come out of the dressing room & went to walk down the
stairs, and there were a few people at the top of the stairs, and one
of them looked a bit familiar and he was saying "It's a table for 5
in the name of Kennedy...."
And I thought FUCK! It's Nigel Kennedy!
(don't know if he is famous in the States, he is a very good violinist)
Well I know this is not very cool of me but I have this hangup about
famous people, you know like as if they were aliens or something,
can't talk to them at all or be normal, knowhatImean.
So the minute I saw him my mind was instantly going
AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! IT'S A FAMOUS PERSON! AAAAAAAARGH!
So that is why I was so scared that night about who was in the audience!
(Gary said Nigel K knows Allan, so it is actually not that surprising he
was there.)
It's weird really because of course Allan & Gary et al are famous people
as well, probably not as much as Nigel K but still enough to scare me
in an audience, only I am used to them now and they are my friends
so that is DIFFERENT...
Jason also writes:
> Strangely, the above is almost exactly the same set as when I last saw Allan
> in '93.
Warren (my best friend / sound engineer) was talking to Steve at the
Nottingham gig & commented on this, & asked why they weren't playing
stuff from HHA. & Steve said it was basically just that they hadn't
had a lot of rehearsal time. I think it was only 2 days. so that is
why they had to resort to a similar set to last year's.
Well that's all for now
hope it was interesting
catch y' later
--
Jennifer * a k a SINGLE BASS * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* "manages to make the bass fill the space *
* most people need a band for" - Scene & Heard *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 17:32:50 -0500
From: jerfo@student.umass.edu
Subject: Soft Machine
Recently, I managed to find a copy of Soft Machine's "Land of Cockayne",
which, though it does not feature Allan nearly as predominantly as the
"Bundles" LP, is worth a listen. Just for the curious, it also has Jack Bruce
on bass, John Marshall on drums, along with a full orchestral backing.
Here are the specs missing in Allan's discography:
w/ Soft Machine:
Land of Cockayne
==== == ========
(c) 1981; EMI Records Ltd., EMC 3348
A personal note:
This album sounds like a failed attempt by Soft Machine keyboardist/
founding member/leader Karl Jenkins at a full scale, "pull out all the stops"
album. The first few songs seem rather lifeless and bland...
Perhaps future listens may lead me to believe otherwise.
Jerfo@Umass Amherst
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 94 19:29:30 -0500
From: rardin%orion.dnet@auriga (R. Lynn Rardin)
Subject: RE: Soft Machine
> Recently, I managed to find a copy of Soft Machine's "Land of Cockayne",
>which, though it does not feature Allan nearly as predominantly as the
>"Bundles" LP, is worth a listen. Just for the curious, it also has Jack Bruce
>on bass, John Marshall on drums, along with a full orchestral backing.
> Here are the specs missing in Allan's discography:
>
>w/ Soft Machine:
>
> Land of Cockayne
> ==== == ========
> (c) 1981; EMI Records Ltd., EMC 3348
Is this on CD or LP?
-Lynn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 23:05:43 -0500 (EST)
From: "Donald M. Pfeiffer"
Subject: west coast
Does anyone have west coast info??? Dates, locales, etc... I really
missed the talked about but not carried out east coast shows and would
like to catch Allan ANYWHERE out west, so if ANYONE has ANY info for me,
please, make my day.
-Don
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 94 08:43:10 -0500
From: rardin%orion.dnet@auriga (R. Lynn Rardin)
Subject: Happy Birthday!
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
+ Happy Birthday to the Atavachron mailing list! Congratulations and thanks *
* to Jeff for providing us with a forum for 3 years worth of interesting +
+ discussion and news on Allan's work! Keep up the good work, Jeff. *
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
-Lynn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 09:35:27 -0500
From: jerfo@student.umass.edu
Subject: Re: Soft Machine
>> Land of Cockayne
>> ==== == ========
>> (c) 1981; EMI Records Ltd., EMC 3348
>
>Is this on CD or LP?
>
>-Lynn
This is an LP, for certain. GOOD LUCK finding a CD copy as I doubt they even
exist.
Jerfo@Umass
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jeff Preston
Subject: Re: west coast
Date: Mon, 31 Oct 94 22:50:11 EST
> From: "Donald M. Pfeiffer"
> Subject: west coast
> Does anyone have west coast info??? Dates, locales, etc... I really
> missed the talked about but not carried out east coast shows and would
> like to catch Allan ANYWHERE out west, so if ANYONE has ANY info for me,
> please, make my day.
I hope to soon, Don -- I spoke to Allan on Saturday and he said
they're gearing up for a week or two's-worth of shows in California
in November. Claire should be in touch shortly with the details.
I also just got off the phone with our mutual acquaintence Pat
Schroeder, and he says to call him collect once we get the dates
(heh... well, he did say to *call* him...). ;)
Jeff
P.S. Thanks for the birthday wishes, Lynn... I'm celebrating that
as well as other things tonight (and hey, I'm taking the rest of the
week off -- so there!).
--
Jeff Preston =*= Moderator of the Allan Holdsworth discussion forum
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= atavachron-request@msuacad.morehead-st.edu =*=*=*=
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 1994 15:47:12 -0800
From: dmick@pongo73.West.Sun.COM (Dan Mick)
Subject: Re: west coast
I hear he's scheduled at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood sometime in the
next few weeks, but I haven't heard anything else.
> From server@msuacad.morehead-st.edu Sun Oct 30 21:16 PST 1994
> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 1994 00:05:32 -0500
> Comment: The Allan Holdsworth discussion forum
> Originator: atavachron@msuacad.morehead-st.edu
> Version: 5.31 -- Copyright (c) 1991, Anastasios Kotsikonas
> From: "Donald M. Pfeiffer"
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: west coast
>
> Does anyone have west coast info??? Dates, locales, etc... I really
> missed the talked about but not carried out east coast shows and would
> like to catch Allan ANYWHERE out west, so if ANYONE has ANY info for me,
> please, make my day.
>
> -Don
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 1994 19:23:45 -0500
From: jerfo@student.umass.edu
Subject: Tempest!
I just got back from the local record store with a little gem in my hands:
a recently (i.e. THIS WEEK) re-released CD copy of Tempest's first album.
Here's the specifics for the discography:
w/ Tempest --
Tempest
=======
(c) 1973 Bronze Records; (c) 1994 One Way Records OW 30648 [no SPARS
code]
I'm listening to it for the first time as I type, and it has a DISTINCT
Jimi Hendrix flavor! Allan and "power chords"? You've got it...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 16:26:25 MST
From: RHULL@PALVX.NMSU.EDU
Since I haven't seen it posted yet, thought I'd mention a hardware
article featuring Maestro Holdsworth...
Vol 1, no. 4 of "Guitar Shop" has a brief interview and equipment report.
Just a couple pages, but there's a nice photo!
This magazine is new this year, found it first in Canada, but it's
published in New York state.
Other great electric guitar stuff in this mag, for us gearheads.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 94 16:25:31 PST
From: "Chris Manuel"
Subject: First Post
Hey Folks,
I'm new to internet, be gentle.
I'd lost touch with guitar playing and music over the last few years as I've be
en hunkered down learning the CD-ROM publishing industry from the inside. I'm u
p for a breath of fresh air and discover a forum on Allan Holdsworth's work. To
o cool!
Anyway, I haven't been able to log on to the ftp site with the archive of discu
ssion so am probably going to ask stupid questions. Here goes:
The last I heard, Holdsworth was living and working in California. Recently I p
icked up a Level 42 CD with our hero guesting, then I saw the list of concert d
ates in the UK. Has he moved back home? If so, why? Not that I'm a huge booster
of So Cal and can understand the need to get out of there ...
I picked up Hard Hat Area (long back order process, but worth it.) I haven't en
ough listening time with the CD to fully appreciate it; however, it seems like
he is playing with a softer (rolled off highs) tone than previously. Also, it s
eems like he was recording at a quieter guitar volume. That edge of feedback so
und is lacking this outing. Am I really hearing this our am I just thinking the
misty green British Isles have softened his attack?
Also, the Pearce amp seems to be missing from the credit list. Boogies seem to
be the tool of choice. Anyone with a current equipment lineup could share, if t
hey like ...
I had the good fortune of seeing Holdsworth live once, in Toronto at the Diamon
d Club (back in 1988 I think). He actually plays that stuff live! A friend off
my is the King of Backstage and managed to get in afterwards and chat up our he
ro. I was wandering around in a daze afterward thinking I had just seen the nig
ht of nights. Turns out Allan was disappointed with things and apologized! I'm
not a kid anymore but still have a little of the hero worship thing going here.
Has anyone else seen similar shows and reactions?
I suppose for a first outing this is enough, right?
Thanks.
Regards,
Chris Manuel, Windsurfer-At-Large
BC Systems Corporation
V:604.389.3503 F:360.7285 Internet:CPMANUEL@BCSC02.GOV.BC.CA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jeff Preston
Subject: Allan's playing the west coast, but...
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 94 14:51:10 EST
... we've darn near missed getting the dates! I'm not sure Claire
is reading her e-mail anymore.
I called Akira Yada just now, and he says Allan is playing the Catalina
Bar and Grill in Hollywood, CA, all this week (11/8 through 11/13). So
that's all I have... sorry I couldn't get them before now!
Jeff
--
Jeff Preston =*= Moderator of the Allan Holdsworth discussion forum
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= atavachron-request@msuacad.morehead-st.edu =*=*=*=
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Atavachron Digest - The Allan Holdsworth Discussion Digest
Number 114
Wednesday, 23 November 1994
TODAY'S TOPICS:
==============
Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
RE: Interview
Is a new interview welcome? Absolutely!
Atavachron Digest Number 113
Allan Interview
Tempest
SB banter and some Jens Johannson news
Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
Re: SB banter
FS: Uncommon chord
Re: FS: Uncommon chord
Holdsworth at Catalina: November 8 and 13, 1994
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 20:03:19 -0500
From: AFCPeterS@aol.com
Subject: Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
> Date: Sun, 30 Oct 1994 17:32:50 -0500
> From: jerfo@student.umass.edu
> Subject: Soft Machine
> Land of Cockayne
> ==== == ========
> (c) 1981; EMI Records Ltd., EMC 3348
> A personal note:
>
> This album sounds like a failed attempt by Soft Machine
> keyboardist/ founding member/leader Karl Jenkins at a full
> scale, "pull out all the stops" album. The first few songs
> seem rather lifeless and bland... Perhaps future listens
> may lead me to believe otherwise.
FYI, Karl Jenkins is not a founding member of Soft Machine. The original
members were Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. Allen
departed before the first album was recorded, and Ayers was replaced on the
second album by Hugh Hopper. Jenkins arrived on Sixth by way of Ian Carr's
Nucleus.
Personally, I think Land of Cockayne is a horrendous album, embarrassing for
all involved, including poor Allan who suffers with the worst guitar sound
he's ever had on record. "Pull out all the stops"? Someone should have pulled
the plug.
Peter Stoller
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 11:24:10 -0700
From: igregson@wimsey.com (Ian Gregson)
Subject: Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
Back in 1987 or so I did an interview with Allan here in Vancouver after
his gig at the Town Pump. Although it was one the first interviews I did I
found Allan to be a great subject even if it was after 2 nights and he was
obviously tired.
If there any fans out who would like a transcript of the interview I will
gladly send it to you or post it to the list.
I don't know if Allan has been up to Vancouver in recent years, we would
like to see him here again soon.
Is there any chance of "complete" Holdsworth discography ??? Including
every track Allan has ever played on. Especially rarities like "Rainy
Taxi".
I was not suprised to here Allan had played with Level 42, they are a great
bunch of guys (I interviewed Mike Lindup a few years ago).
Love the atavachron listserv.
Ian Gregson
Moderator Amputee Listserv
Chair BC Sport & Fitness Council for the Disabled
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 16:53:13 -0500
From: rardin%cygnus.dnet@auriga (R. Lynn Rardin)
Subject: RE: Interview
>If there any fans out who would like a transcript of the interview I will
>gladly send it to you or post it to the list.
Ian,
I say post it to the list! :)
-Lynn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jeff Preston
Subject: Is a new interview welcome? Absolutely!
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 22:08:59 EST
> From: igregson@wimsey.com (Ian Gregson)
> Subject: Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
> Back in 1987 or so I did an interview with Allan here in Vancouver after
> his gig at the Town Pump. Although it was one the first interviews I did I
> found Allan to be a great subject even if it was after 2 nights and he was
> obviously tired.
> If there any fans out who would like a transcript of the interview I will
> gladly send it to you or post it to the list.
Sounds great -- please send it to Atavachron, if you don't object
(although an idea as to its size might be helpful... if it's pretty
long, I'd prefer to split it up into sections). We're always eager to
get new, unique material like this... don't be shy! :)
> I don't know if Allan has been up to Vancouver in recent years, we would
> like to see him here again soon.
It's been a while (1991?). The band has had problems crossing into
Canada in recent years... actually, it's the work permit fees they
have to pay upon returning to the *U.S.* from Canada which has been
the problem.
> Is there any chance of "complete" Holdsworth discography ??? Including
> every track Allan has ever played on. Especially rarities like "Rainy
> Taxi".
Is that the Jon St. James track?
Regarding "complete": Although it has been a hotly-contested topic
here in the past, I have, out of courtesy to Allan and a desire to
continue a good working relationship with him, agreed NOT to list
items that he finds objectionable. I do not agree with his reasoning
on some of the items, as he knows, but I will honor our agreement in
the expectation that Allan's support of the list outweighs whatever
benefit might be gained by including "unsanctioned" items in the
Atavachron discography. I think it's a good sign that Allan has
allowed us a more complete discography than any magazine or other
source.
> Love the atavachron listserv.
I'm glad you're enjoying the list! Please drop me a line about that
interview, eh?
Jeff
P.S., Re: WWW: The MSU Infoserver has finally come online, so I expect the
Atavachron WWW Page to be accessable by next week. Stay tuned.
--
Jeff Preston =*= Moderator of the Allan Holdsworth discussion forum
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= atavachron-request@msuacad.morehead-st.edu =*=*=*=
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Atavachron Digest Number 113
From: gil.amarilio@execnet.com (GIL AMARILIO)
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 94 12:49:00 -0500
Hi Jeff,
You can get Tempest-Tempest/Living
In Fear (2 on 1) for the same price as the domestic release from Dutch
East India 516-764-6200
Gil
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 94 20:57:36 +0000
From: "Bob Lynch"
Subject: Allan Interview
Just got the new Guitar Shop Magazine (Vol.1 #4), and it features a small
but insightful interview with Allan regarding his equipment. He details the
delays in his rack and talks about an upcoming processor a guy from Carvin
is working on for him.
Check it out!
--Bob
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bob Lynch
Global Enterprise Services, Inc.
3 Independence Way, Princeton, NJ 08540
Voice: 609-897-7335 Fax: 609-897-7310
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 94 23:31:23 -0500
From: rardin%cygnus.dnet@auriga (R. Lynn Rardin)
Subject: Tempest
>You can get Tempest-Tempest/Living
>In Fear (2 on 1) for the same price as the domestic release from Dutch
>East India 516-764-6200
I don't know what "the same price" is. :) But I can say that I ran across a
copy of this at HMV last week for $9.99! Now _that's_ a deal!
-Lynn
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jason.Julyan@tiuk.ti.com
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 94 16:45:38 GMT
Subject: SB banter and some Jens Johannson news
Hi all,
A couple of quickes...
Jennifer Moore writes:
Jason Julyan writes:
> Jennifer: "I hate playing to Allan's audiences - I always think
> you're all top muso's..."
> Crowd: "We ARE!" :-) :-)
Correction accepted on your initial comment - hey several pints of Guinness does
that to me! :-) But I definately heard the reply "We are!" rather than "No
we're not" - maybe it was "Oh yes we are!". I was near the DJ's decks to your
left - maybe is was Kennedy from above me? :-)
Here's some news culled from the Rising Force neo-classical guitar mailing
list. Jens Johannson (a long time keyboard player with Yngwie Malmsteen's band
tho now out on his own) reveals:
> Will go in the studio on Thursday next week if all goes well. Tracking
> for two records, one 'funk' instrumental record that perhaps Allan
> Holdsworth will play on (!) and one more Johansson brothers (with only
> simple stuff, so the singer won't get completely lost.)
TTFN, Jason
_
* Jason B.E. Julyan BEng(Hons) MSc * Texas Instruments Ltd. * | |_o_ _
* TMS380 LAN Chips Design Team * Manton Lane, * __| |_i_| |
* a740778@server1.tiuk.ti.com IMS: JBEJ * Bedford, U.K. * \ |i| |
* All opinions expressed herein are personal ONLY * \__ |_| /
|___/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 1994 14:21:12 -0500
From: jerfo@student.umass.edu
Subject: Re: Atavachron Digest Number 113
>FYI, Karl Jenkins is not a founding member of Soft Machine. The original
I realized my error a good thirty seconds after I sent the message...
I'm surprised that somebody picked up on it!
>Personally, I think Land of Cockayne is a horrendous album, embarrassing for
>all involved, including poor Allan who suffers with the worst guitar sound
>he's ever had on record. "Pull out all the stops"? Someone should have pulled
>the plug.
>
I'd have to agree with you on this one, though I'd say his sound on the
Tempest album has to compete pretty closely for the title of "worst" (However,
"Tempest" was recorded before Allan really had been given a chance to develop
his "signature" sound and style...) However, despite the horrendous sound and
unusually poor compositions, I think the album is (almost) worth it for the
superb guitar work on the track "Sly Monkey".
It's too bad that Jenkins literally ruined the music for what really was
a collection of great musicians; this album COULD have been quite an
accomplishment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 94 11:33:36 GMT
From: jennifer@material.demon.co.uk (Jennifer Moore)
Subject: Re: SB banter
hi people
> Jason Julyan writes:
> > Jennifer: "I hate playing to Allan's audiences - I always think
> > you're all top muso's..."
> > Crowd: "We ARE!" :-) :-)
>
> Correction accepted on your initial comment - hey several pints of Guinness
does
> that to me! :-) But I definately heard the reply "We are!" rather than "No
> we're not" - maybe it was "Oh yes we are!". I was near the DJ's decks to your
> left - maybe is was Kennedy from above me? :-)
oh well, this makes sense - Whoever said "No we're not" was somewhere
in the middle, so the one you heard must have been someone else defending
their muso status in traditional pantomime fashion!
yes I like the idea it was ol' Nigel...
don't *believe* it, but I *like* it...
--
Jennifer * a k a SINGLE BASS * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* "manages to make the bass fill the space *
* most people need a band for" - Scene & Heard *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 94 13:27:03 PST
From: Kyle Wohlmut
Subject: FS: Uncommon chord
I have before me a copy of the long-out-of-print Allan Holdsworth guitar
book, 'Reaching for the uncommon chord.' Contains selected transcriptions of
tunes from the UK days through 'Metal Fatigue' (in tab & staff music w/o
solos). Also contains numerous anecdotes about touring, recording, & beer,
with many b/w photos. 80 pages.
Yours for only $21! (Includes shipping.) Email me ASAP...
/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\
Kyle Wohlmut -- The 4.15 Stanford Executive -- Heute brau ich, morgen
back ich, und uebermorgen hol ich mir der Koenigin ihr Kind. Ach, wie
gut dass niemand weiss das ich kyle@csli.stanford.edu heiss --
\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/^\^/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jeff Preston
Subject: Re: FS: Uncommon chord
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 94 17:52:50 EST
> From: Kyle Wohlmut
> Subject: FS: Uncommon chord
> I have before me a copy of the long-out-of-print Allan Holdsworth guitar
> book, 'Reaching for the uncommon chord.'
Well, I hope I'm not taking food off the table, but it's not out
of print -- or if it *is*, it's very recently so. As far as I know,
it's still published by 21st Century Music, and it can still be
ordered from:
Music Dispatch
P.O. Box 13920
Milwaukee, WI 53213
(800) 637-2852 (orders only)
Your price might be better than theirs, though! :)
Jeff
--
Jeff Preston =*= Moderator of the Allan Holdsworth discussion forum
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= atavachron-request@msuacad.morehead-st.edu =*=*=*=
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 14:49:08 +0000 (PST)
From: Andre LaFosse
Subject: Holdsworth at Catalina: November 8 and 13, 1994
Holdsworth's gigs at Hollywood's Catalina bar and grill during the week
of November 8-13 marked the return of the group to L.A., and also served
to inaugurate a new member in the band. That member is Joel Taylor, who
replaces Gary Husband on drums. Taylor was apparently introduced to
Holdsworth through mutual acquaintance Jeff Berlin, and this series of gigs
was Taylor's first performance experience with the group.
I caught two gigs during this stand: the late shows on both the first and
last nights. There was a marked improvement in terms of the band's
performance by the last night, and Taylor seemed to have become much more
comfortable with the material.
THE BAND
Taylor was the only new face in the group; Steve Hunt and Skuli Sverissen
(sp?) remain at their respective roles. However, with Taylor aboard, the
band's sound has taken on a considerably different perspective. I'm not
a drummer, but I can say that Taylor's playing is considerably more
"down-to-earth" than either Husband or Wackerman; whereas the latter two
tend towards dizzying frenzies that almost willfully obscure the barline,
Taylor leans more towards a straightforward rock/funk approach.
Ironically, I attended the first night's show with two drummers, neither
of whom seemed very impressed with Taylor (one of them said "I would have
much rather seen Gary or Chad;" the other one was less charitable,
chastizing Joel's dynamic sense and phrasing and claiming that his
playing was nothing that a person couldn't hear by hanging around the
practice rooms of Musician's Institute). For my part, I felt that Taylor
acquitted himself admirably; particularly by the last night's show, he
showed a degree of confidence markedly higher than on the first night. He
also seemed more at ease with asserting his own style into the material,
particularly on the group's rendition of "Rukkukkah" (sp?), where he dug
into the verses to mine a deep funk groove, and on "Funnels," where his
ride cymbal work gave the tune a newfound sense of momentum.
I remain somewhat unconvinced by Steve Hunt's playing, inasmuch as his
choice of synth patches tends not to agree with my own sensibilities and I
find his lead work to be rather aimless and undistinguished. (Of course,
it can't help matters than he has to constantly stand up to comparisons
with Allan when it comes to lead work). In spite of his unquestionable
talent as a player, his work with Allan, more often than not, has always
smacked of the "obligatory other voice" syndrome to my ears. Nonetheless,
Hunt fulfilled his role admirably on both nights.
Sverrissen seems to have had little trouble filling the considerable shoes
left by the likes of Jeff Berlin and Jimmy Johnson, and by Sunday night's
show he was locked in with Taylor as if they had been playing together for
years. This was my first time seeing the band live, and consequently my
first opportunity to hear Sverrissen's playing beyond the REH video and
_HHA_. I was quite impressed with the manner in which he took many
bass-dominated selections from Allan's catalog ("Water on the Brain,"
"Devil Take The Hindmost") and put his own stamp on them.
Allan was phenomenal, as was to be expected. I generally don't get
overly excited at performances, but I found myself unprepared for the
full impact of seeing Allan play live, particularly at such close
proximity (more on the venue later). Allan continues to evolve as a
player; one of the more striking aspects of his latest stage seems to be
his penchant for Frank Gambale-style pseudo-sweeped arpeggios. The
energy and passion with which he approached each song was striking, and
more than a little bit uncanny.
THE SHOWS
The set list itself offered no surprises, and was identical on each
night, with the exception of "The Things You See," which was played in
abbreviated form as an encore on the last night (there was no encore on
the first night's late show). Allan did defer to the other band members
late in the set, offering Steve Hunt the sole solo space on "House of
Mirrors" and allowing for the rhythm section to step out on "Water On The
Brain Pt. II" and the drum solo which followed. (Here again, Taylor's
solo spot seemed more satisfying on the last night than on the first).
The venue itself is something of an apex for the L.A. jazz scene, as it
hosts many top-name acts (John Scofield, Pharoh Sanders (sp?), Elvin
Jones, and Mike Stern have been through over the past two months). Still,
it was a strange experience to see Holdsworth in a pink-walled dinner club
(the man who I sat next to at Sunday's show asked if it was a violation of
Holdsworthian protocol to munch on seafood in the midst of the set).
Likewise, the venue itself is much smaller than I had expected; Skulli
knocked Steve on the back with his headstock during a couple of bass
solos, and Allan had to shimmy between my table (on Sunday night) and the
club's piano in order to get off stage during the drum solo.
The crowd on the first night was rather small, and seemed to consist
largely of what I can only (and somewhat regrettfully) refer to as "guitar
geeks" -- teenage males who seemed obsessed with technicalities such as
instrument type, amp type, etc, etc, etc... There's nothing wrong with
this, of course, but as I saw some of the people in the audience staring
stunned at Holdsworth's solo flights and then stepping out to the bathroom
during a keyboard or drum solo, I couldn't help but feel that there was
something being missed by a large portion of the audience. Likewise, the
after-show afairs were a tad disturbing. Asking Allan what sort of guitar
he plays and posing with him for pictures is all good and fine, I suppose,
but it made me feel oddly uncomfortable. It seems likely that this may
have contributed to the somewhat muted vibe of the night's performance (or
at least colored my perception of it to a degree).
Of course, technical difficulties never help a gig, and that night
Holdsworth seemed plagued by a notoriously uncooperative piece of gear:
the SynthAxe. Much to my surprise, the thing was sitting atop his live
rig, plugged into a Yamaha synth module. I didn't even notice it for what
it was until after the gig, however, because I had assumed that the guitar
sitting atop of rig (I was some distance away from the stage on the first
night) was either a spare instrument or a baritone model. However, the
SynthAxe was not used during the night's show. When I spoke to Allan
after the gig, he explained that he had left one crucial piece of gear
behind, and was unable to use the rig. "Maybe tomorrow night," he said.
Whether he did indeed use the SynthAxe the following night is unknown to
me, but by Sunday there was no sign of it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd on Sunday, as it was much larger
than the first night's, and seemed more attuned to the music, as opposed
to just the methodology. Again, this seems likely to be a reason behind the
band's improved performance.
TALKING SHOP Aside from the aforementioned SynthAxe, Allan also has a
spare blond DeLap guitar with him on the second night, which he switched
to for two songs before going back to his main instrument for no apparent
reason. I was somewhat taken aback by the large size of his rig, given
that he only used three different "sounds" during the shows, and that none
of the tones smack of the highly-processed tone one would associate with
such high-end gear. Similarly, Steve Hunt had a plethora of synth gear on
stage (including an Oberheim unit), which I had a hard time noticing being
used during the sets.
Based upon reviews of past gigs I have read, I was ready for a badly-mixed
show. As it was, the overall balance on both nights was excellent --
granted, it wasn't a heavy amplified gig (Taylor used no mikes on his
drums). The guitar got a bit buried at times on the first night, however,
and perhaps my one major criticism of Taylor would be his... affection
for his china cymbal. Beware, people, this man has a china boy, and he's
not afraid to use it. A lot.
LAST WORDS
By Sunday night's show, the band seemed to have found a very comfortable
groove indeed, and Allan seemed in good spirits (in contrast to his
demeanor on Tuseday, which struck me as somewhat sullen). Allan hopes
that Taylor will stay on as the regular drummer in the band, so it seems
to be Joel's call at this point. Allan also confirmed that the band is
off of Restless and has been picked up by Polygram. As Chris Hoard
alluded to a few digests back, things seem to be looking up in a big way
for Allan. Given the problems he's had to put up with over the last two
or three years, it's about time.
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