Allan Holdsworth is Dead

[Richard Barrett]

Sometimes I found myself wondering what exactly he's doing with his left hand and really not being able to work it out at all, in the way that I sort of can with most guitar players (big difference between that and being able to do it oneself of course!)... he seems to have more left-hand fingers than is usual for human beings.

[Boilk]

... he seems to have more left-hand fingers than is usual for human beings.

Indeed, even when briefly soloing for a more mainstream act like Level 42, although this number was penned by their jazz-leaning drummer (and Holdsworth band alumnus) Gary Husband...

[Joseph K]

Sometimes I found myself wondering what exactly he's doing with his left hand and really not being able to work it out at all, in the way that I sort of can with most guitar players (big difference between that and being able to do it oneself of course!)... he seems to have more left-hand fingers than is usual for human beings.

Yes indeed - mostly achieved through large stretches, and aiming for a fluidity more associated with the saxophone or other woodwind instrument. What's more, apparently he would play most (slurred) things with hammer-ons - instead of pull-offs for the most part he'd use a reverse hammer-on... mind-blowing!

[Joseph K]

This features one of Holdsworth's most epic solos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgL7WCE-eZo

[Boilk]

This features one of Holdsworth's most epic solos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgL7WCE-eZo

One of Mr. Holdsworth's most majesterial tracks - and Steve Hunt's solo is wonderful too. Hunt said that with the Secrets album they didn't meet, but sent tapes to each other; would be incredible to think it was the same with Hard Hat Area, as they sound so together.

[Serial_Apologist]

One of Mr. Holdsworth's most majesterial tracks - and Steve Hunt's solo is wonderful too. Hunt said that with the Secrets album they didn't meet, but sent tapes to each other; would be incredible to think it was the same with Hard Hat Area, as they sound so together.

And Gary Husband the drummer is British, and also a whizz pianist - at which he thinks he's better than on the drums! I wonder how many knew that he really acquired his reputation at age 18, playing in Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia for a while in a succession of drummers prior to hubby Jon Hiseman permanently taking on the job in 1979. I did have a cassette of early Paraphernalia, taken from a Jazz in Britain broadcast around 1977, but then "made the mistake" of handing it over to Barbara, as I thought she is more deserving of it than me! Last time I checked I couldn't find any early Paraphernalia on youtube, though there was some concert footage on there a few years ago. I seem to remember Ian Thomas, the Welsh drummer, as being the one on that broadcast.

[Boilk]

And Gary Husband the drummer is British, and also a whizz pianist - at which he thinks he's better than on the drums! I wonder how many knew that he really acquired his reputation at age 18, playing in Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia for a while in a succession of drummers prior to hubby Jon Hiseman permanently taking on the job in 1979. I did have a cassette of early Paraphernalia, taken from a Jazz in Britain broadcast around 1977, but then "made the mistake" of handing it over to Barbara, as I thought she is more deserving of it than me! Last time I checked I couldn't find any early Paraphernalia on youtube, though there was some concert footage on there a few years ago. I seem to remember Ian Thomas, the Welsh drummer, as being the one on that broadcast.

I have a Jazz in Britain broadcast of Paraphernalia (c. 1984) on cassette and have never been able to determine the title of one of the pieces, as it seems not to appear on any '80s album of hers that I've heard. Maybe you know SA if you have that broadcast? One piece was Voices Behind Locked Doors the other was Requiem for Two Pilots and the middle one was a slow tune with Barbara on sax, and featured a Peter Lemer keyboard solo. It also used a very simple, but effective, drum machine pattern.

As for Mr Husband on keyobards, I wasn't overly enthused by his 2001 solo piano album The Things I See: Interpretations of the music of Allan Holdsworth. The earlier Diary of a Plastic Box is entertaining though (the plastic box in question being the once omnipotent Korg M1 keybaord on which the whole thing was recorded).

[Serial_Apologist]

I have a Jazz in Britain broadcast of Paraphernalia (c. 1984) on cassette and have never been able to determine the title of one of the pieces, as it seems not to appear on any '80s album of hers that I've heard. Maybe you know SA if you have that broadcast? One piece was Voices Behind Locked Doors the other was Requiem for Two Pilots and the middle one was a slow tune with Barbara on sax, and featured a Peter Lemer keyboard solo. It also used a very simple, but effective, drum machine pattern.

As for Mr Husband on keyobards, I wasn't overly enthused by his 2001 solo piano album The Things I See: Interpretations of the music of Allan Holdsworth. The earlier Diary of a Plastic Box is entertaining though (the plastic box in question being the once omnipotent Korg M1 keybaord on which the whole thing was recorded).

Hi Boilk. I'm sorry to say I haven't got any Paraphernalia rrecordings from between the "Mother Earth" release recorded in 1982, plus broadcasts from around that time featuring mostly the same materials, which I gave to Barbara, and one from 1985 which featured 3 movements from "The Appiah Suite", dedicated to a Swiss painter, none of which had either of those titles.

[Boilk]

Hi Boilk. I'm sorry to say I haven't got any Paraphernalia rrecordings from between the "Mother Earth" release recorded in 1982, plus broadcasts from around that time featuring mostly the same materials, which I gave to Barbara, and one from 1985 which featured 3 movements from "The Appiah Suite", dedicated to a Swiss painter, none of which had either of those titles.

Thanks for looking SA. I have consulted the online Radio Times archive, thus far personnel but no track listings.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for looking SA. I have consulted the online Radio Times archive, thus far personnel but no track listings.

Ok - shame about there being no track listings. But thanks very much for finding this (I hadn't known it existed!) because I can give Barbara those recording dates and places, which might be useful for an intended autobiography which she is compiling information for.

[Joseph K]

This looks tempting:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Warsaw-Summ...s=music&sr=1-1

This has not long arrived.

[Joseph K]

Sometimes I found myself wondering what exactly he's doing with his left hand and really not being able to work it out at all, in the way that I sort of can with most guitar players (big difference between that and being able to do it oneself of course!)... he seems to have more left-hand fingers than is usual for human beings.

I meant to add: it's also quite something that he manages to do it with just his left hand - many guitarists would use their right-hand also on the fretboard (known as right-hand tapping) check out guitarist Stanley Jordan to see this technique taken to its fullest conclusion...

[Serial_Apologist]

I meant to add: it's also quite something that he manages to do it with just his left hand - many guitarists would use their right-hand also on the fretboard (known as right-hand tapping) check out guitarist Stanley Jordan to see this technique taken to its fullest conclusion...

Or the German Hans Reichel.

[Richard Barrett]

I meant to add: it's also quite something that he manages to do it with just his left hand - many guitarists would use their right-hand also on the fretboard (known as right-hand tapping) check out guitarist Stanley Jordan to see this technique taken to its fullest conclusion...

... or indeed the first movement of transmission...

[Joseph K]

... or indeed the first movement of transmission...

Hmm - I didn't realise that that featured tapping. That Buckley fella is quite formidable...