Allan Holdsworth @ Yoshi's
Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua, Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Haslip @ Yoshi's of Oakland.
Holdsworth is one of those guys destined to be loved by musicians and ignored otherwise. This is partially because his music is very idiocyncratic, and also because the long known rumor is that his business and promotional sense is next to nil. In person he seems very shy, almost to the point of Forrest Gumpism. On stage, this carries over to his demeanor (he barely moves at all save his fingers), but usually one is so transfixed by what he does on a fretboard, you really do not notice much else.
His resume is a little bit all over the map; he played with Bill Bruford in both Bruford, and in the first iteration of prog-rock supergroup U.K., played solos with both Level 42 and Heavy Machinery, and as it relates to this show, did an early stint with jazz juggernaut Tony Williams.
This show was supposed to be a tribute of sorts to both he and Pasqua's time with Williams. In a way it was, as you could hear some of the vamps and transitions from thatperiod, but it was all engulfed in what was really a showcase for Holdsworth and Wackerman. This is not a bad thing mind you, but if you came for a mimicry of early Lifetime! you were in for a sore disappointment.
Pasqua is an able player, and had some firey solos, and even Haslip was given a spot or two to deliver some chops, but cut after cut, it was Holdsworth and Wackerman firing on all cyninders. And not everything is just soloing fusion madness, but this is where tasty composition actually comes into play. This is not Chick Corea Elektric Band, or Najee. This is original sounding jazz fusion with a lot of energy but not a wankfest. It was a great show.
Also, this is the second time we have been to Yoshi's where it has been recorded for later release. The first was for a Bill Bruford's Earthworks show ironically that turned into a live album. In this case, it was being videotaped in HD for DVD release early next year.
The prelude to this show was dinner at Yoshi's which is covered in detail here.
Holdsworth is one of those guys destined to be loved by musicians and ignored otherwise. This is partially because his music is very idiocyncratic, and also because the long known rumor is that his business and promotional sense is next to nil. In person he seems very shy, almost to the point of Forrest Gumpism. On stage, this carries over to his demeanor (he barely moves at all save his fingers), but usually one is so transfixed by what he does on a fretboard, you really do not notice much else.
His resume is a little bit all over the map; he played with Bill Bruford in both Bruford, and in the first iteration of prog-rock supergroup U.K., played solos with both Level 42 and Heavy Machinery, and as it relates to this show, did an early stint with jazz juggernaut Tony Williams.
This show was supposed to be a tribute of sorts to both he and Pasqua's time with Williams. In a way it was, as you could hear some of the vamps and transitions from thatperiod, but it was all engulfed in what was really a showcase for Holdsworth and Wackerman. This is not a bad thing mind you, but if you came for a mimicry of early Lifetime! you were in for a sore disappointment.
Pasqua is an able player, and had some firey solos, and even Haslip was given a spot or two to deliver some chops, but cut after cut, it was Holdsworth and Wackerman firing on all cyninders. And not everything is just soloing fusion madness, but this is where tasty composition actually comes into play. This is not Chick Corea Elektric Band, or Najee. This is original sounding jazz fusion with a lot of energy but not a wankfest. It was a great show.
Also, this is the second time we have been to Yoshi's where it has been recorded for later release. The first was for a Bill Bruford's Earthworks show ironically that turned into a live album. In this case, it was being videotaped in HD for DVD release early next year.
The prelude to this show was dinner at Yoshi's which is covered in detail here.
posted by theloniusfunk at 7:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home