As a young rock guitarist back in the 80s, I was a fan of EVH, then Yngwie came along, so I played his stuff just because few could at the time. When I heard Allan, I was still playing Metal and Hard Rock, but I walked away from every rock guitarist right then. I would close my eyes, lay on my bed and just listen to him, dreaming to be that good. His influence started showing up in my Metal playing and people starting asking me after the show "man WTF was that?! Where did you learn to play that way?" Guitarists in the scene started labeling me a virtuoso! I hate to selfishly admit that I miss those days when Allan was that secret no one else (at least in Metal) knew about. Just me and Allan🤣😂
I Met Allan when i was 16, playing to about 12 people. From that day, exchanged emails and he forever remained, the sweetest,humble and beautiful human being and his music is a document of that....Miss you Al
@@SirJamestheIII You're absolutely right. I think they both have a lot in common in their playing. In a just world they would be household names. Well, they are household names...in my household, because I live in a house of music.
What Brett says near the end about how Allan should have been given a government grant to write and record his music is something I've always felt. I used to almost obsess about how, "This guy should not have to tour as much as he does to pay the bills! Someone should give him a few million bucks to relax and do his own thing in the studio!" I would say this to my guitar students and friends. But of course, that's not how the music business works. In a better world a record company would have recognized his unique groundbreaking genius and really helped him out. It was nice that we all got to see him perform and meet him. But it would have been much better if he performed when he felt like it and not because he had to in order to survive.
art is something states should grant and fund as much as education, healthcare etc. it's not an utopia, I know in some nordic countries this happens, and also in Cuba, so basically capitalism is the problem
why would a music company or the government go into a clearly losing business? The problem is that there is no DEMAND for this stuff or not enough at least. The people are just too stupid, as is often the problem. That is the sole root cause problem.
Nzinn73 Look at Danny Gatton. World class talent does not necessarily equal commercial appeal, obviously. It's kind of sad. You need to be good and have opportunity, I guess. If you can play and sing and write, you might be successful, or happen across the right gig.
a very late comment, just came across this video. thanks Brett... I have a signed copy of your album Dark Matter. I love hearing how the influences percolate through great players such as yourself. thanks for a touching tribute. Allan is one of the untouchables.
Met Allan at Iridium, NYC 4-5 years before he passed. We hung out at the bar and I just remember his gigantic hand completely engulfing mine when we shook hands. Such a warm, sweet guy. And he completely killed it as usual on stage that night. Total Mastery. RIP Allan
Brett. Your own music is an inspiration. I was so happy to meet Allan Holdsworth in Buffalo. I just wish that the music that he could play was as satisfying to him as it was miraculous to his audience. Instead, he was sitting at the bar almost crying in his beer because he felt that he had not played well enough. Meanwhile, me and my mates were beyond astonished by his musicality and soul evident in his two sets. And I could not believe how approachable and humble he was as a human being. Perhaps he was from an advanced civilization who landed here but was never aware that he came from some far away place. I imagine that he is there now and brought his beer making talents with him too. Thanks for your reflections mate!
I had the pleasure and honor of being one of Brett's students during my days in Musicians Institute. He is an incredible genius of a musician and all around great guy. He's completely unaware of his own genius and was always so humble. I would have been incredibly lucky had I had a fraction of his greatness.
This is probably the best tribute to Allan Holdsworth especially the legacy part. It's so right! Dear Brett, obviously it's not just notes you can put together in a very nice way, you can put the words as well
I'm not a musician but i live where Allan was brought up. I hear in his music this location. It was part of his personality and musical language. my favourite musician of all time. thanks Brett!
What a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to the genius that IS Allan Holdsworth. When players of the calibre of Brett and Frank Gambale struggle to comprehend what Allan was playing,then you know that he was on a level way above everyone else and completely in a class of his own.
Thank you Brett for a genuine and humble tribute to Allan's music! and it's sad that people like Allan never really had the success in money and in other ways but all the greats died penniless and without the success they deserved. I thing the music industry could do with a relieve fund to help people out when needed if they could put away their egos and images away in a cupboard for a while! I never thought that Eric Clapton would have become a household name and in the same breath completely ignorant of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker but that's life I suppose. Thank you for carrying on Allan's thing for want of a better word but in your own way. Regards Jon
Two notes played by Allan Holdsworth moves a mountain of emotions in me. When I first dropped the needle on my first Allan Holdsworth's album "Atavachron" ( Non-Brewed Condiments) I looked at my friend next to me and I said "what did just happen?" Thank you Brett for your tribute to Allan.
Watched this to the end, and, to my slight surprise, it made me cry. I was lucky enough to see Allan perform seven times. I feel blessed, thankful, and humbled to have had the opportunity to have been in his presence. I will go to my grave wishing I could play like that.
note to self.. add Brett Garsed to list of awesome guitarists.. thanks for the vid : ) we saw Allan downtown Orlando FL in the late 80s in a small pub with Chad on drums.. Allan walked in the front door with his headless axe strapped on his back, just a humble chap! A great memory.. RIP Allan
in 1987 I moved away from my family at 15. At 16, the printer at my school in Adelaide heard me playing guitar at assembly introduced himself and said 'you have to listen to this'.... it was Allan Holdsworth... I get emotional just thinking about it... away from home in a hostile environment and hearing such incredibly emotional guitar playing... he was a musical refuge for me.... he still is..... I was gutted at Allan's death.
Thanks for the wonderful tribute, Brett. Holdsworth's genius was impossible to quantify to non-musicians. I hope that he someday gets the respect he always deserved. Sad that he won't be able to see the mark he makes on the music of the future. His music and musical ideas represent the most advanced system of 12 tone harmony in musical history. I hope that, someday, advanced music theorists give him the respect he deserved.
I like how Allan once said, "not to learn licks, because that can limit improvising " something to that extent .. I am just beginning to understand that, and it's fantastic..
Brett you're incredible. Player and gentleman. I've followed you for many years, and always loved your fluid style, much like Allan. Thank you. RIP Allan.
Couldn't agree more about your comment re the emotion in his playing. I've always ended up in tears listening to the 4.15 Bradford Executive.....it's just pouring out of him on that track. It's like a wailing animal at times. First time I heard him was the intro to Nevermore.......wtf. Totally hooked ever since. I've been fortunate to see him live a number of times with friends, who also dig his playing. So although sad, many great memories.
Ah, Nevermore...brilliant acoustic intro from Allan. I transcribed about 1/3 of his solo in that one trading licks with Jobson. Took me 1.5 yrs to be able to play it. I should get on with the rest of it.
I saw Allan in 1991 at a dive bar in Sacramento, and I bought a CD that night that was produced by Mike Varney. That was the first time I heard of Brett Garsed and Shawn Lane. Ever since then, these are the top three players I admire to this day. They all have this ability to move so fast and fluid, but retain a very musical touch to their playing. RIP Allan!
What a great tribute. Allan was truly a one of a kind musician, the likes we'll struggle to hear again. I first heard him on that astounding solo on that same UK track and it remains one of my all time favourites. I would also give a shout out to Beezebub from Bruford as well. His solo work started with Metal Fatigue for me and I was hooked. Allan's influence on some of my other favourite guitarists (EVH, Scott Henderson, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci) was pretty profound and we're all the richer for hearing it.
I agree with you 100% You forgot to mention one very important player and thats Marshal Harrison, an incredible Titan on the guitar and a true Holdsworth fan. Check him out and your jaw will be on the floor, just ask Garsed.
Jean Luc Ponty's Enegmatic Ocean album also has some great Allan Holdsworth playing on it. UK and Ponty are where I discovered Allan. 6 billion people on the planet at that time and only one Allan Holdsworth. No other guitar player at that time played or sounded like him. Just like Jimi and Eddy, Allan was in a class all buy himself and even more than the others.
Wonderful Brett. "If anyone should've been given a grant just to write and record music...". You're so right. Just a short anecdote, I met Allan once in a very small club in London, early 90's. Pre-internet days so I found out just by luck and was living nearby at the time. I was a huge fan because growing up I always picked up Guitar Player magazine whenever I could and he rightly got a lot of exposure in it. I was young and traveled a lot back then and always took my walkman and a few Holdsworth tapes wherever I went. IOU, Metal Fatigue, Secrets. etc. Secrets was my personal favorite btw. It got me through some lonely times. So anyway, I went to the club and saw his band live. If I remember, Steve Smith was on drums ( I might be wrong about this it was a long time ago), plus bass player plus Allan. They were so tight I'd never seen anything to compare. Even though it was a small club the sound was incredible and the intensity was unbelievable. I can remember to this day that when Allan ramped into his solos that the drum kit was moving across the stage and Steve would regularly have to pull back his hi hat or bass drum or whatever. The point is that those guys were super talented and playing their hearts out for Allan because he was utterly genius. But here's the main bit. After the show Allan was standing at the bar having a beer - just standing there like a normal person - and after a few minutes I plucked up the courage to go speak to him. Not a single part of him was above himself. He took the time to talk to me and was right down to earth. I did a geeky fan thing by asking him to sign my IOU CD which I have to this day. I can tell you that he was a true gentleman and acted like he was completely unaware of his unbelievable talent. We've lost a good one in every respect. Apologies, not such a short anecdote after all but I wanted to share. RIP Allan.
This is such a moving, sincere and beautiful tribute to Allan's music and playing! Especially the legacy part expresses exactly how I relate to Allan's music on an emotional level. It always spoke directly to me despite me clearly not "understanding" his music in any sort of "analytical" or "stringent theory" way. Thank you for this beautiful tribute!
I feel your pain brother! I met Allan many times. At various NAMM shows, different clubs that he would play. I even saw him at a movie theater with his family going to see the movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" He sat right behind me with his family. We talked a bit after the movie and said he would love to do a soundtrack for a movie. He was in his own league! A very nice and humble spirit. We had a beer together at Catalina's Bar and Grill in Hollywood, CA. He was promoting his Road Games EP. We talked about cycling! I was introduced to Allan from the UK album. Nobody heard of him. This was back in 1978. When I heard the solo on "In The Dead of Night" I couldn't believe my ears! I have been a fan ever since. Thank you for posting this. To this day still, I'm trying to figure out what he is doing on that fretboard!
Nice tribute, Brett! I don't play guitar or any instrument, and I couldn't agree more when you say that one doesn't have to intellectually "understand" Holdsworth's music to love it on an emotional level and to simply revel in its awesomely fluid virtuosity, as I've been doing for over thirty-five years. Thanks for posting this.
What a great tribute. Your expression , pun intended, is very heartfelt and wise to say his albums could've been blues albums if you're basing it emotion. I love the sounds Allan made, and like you said, I don't have a clue as to what he's doing, but I know I love it. Allan was our Tesla, a misunderstood genius ahead of his time and the world had to catch up. Once every 500 years does humanity get a person like DaVinci, Einstein, Tesla, and the holy trinity of RUSH, and I got to experience two of those live in person.
Beautiful Brett, thank you. Allan's music has been the soundtrack to my life ever since Igginbottom, and I totally agree that it is music of the soul and not a PHD thesis, as some narrow minded critics would suggest. Technically I could not fathom what Allan was doing but the music spoke to me at an emotional level and took me on a journey to places that would otherwise have been hidden from me but for Allan's genius. If you, and the venerable John McLaughlin amongst others, freely admit you could not fully grasp Allan's immense harmonic universe, then that in itself shows it is the music of the stars and not the physics lab. And lest people forget, whilst naturally the first point of amazement is Allan's soloing, he was so uniquely innovative in any number of areas of the guitar. You have mentioned his chordal genius, and he was also an innovator in sound too, developing over the course of his life a number of evolving guitar sounds that indelibly influenced the guitar world. For example, his unique approach to the whammy influenced rockers and fusion guitarists alike, and also encouraged guitarist to incorporate it into a hybrid accessible style that spoke to musos as well as your everyday listener - the much missed Alan Murphy was a great example of this. So many diverse guitarists were influenced by Allan, for example the wonderful Phill Keaggy on his Wind and the Wheat album (and the incredible solos on his track Sounds from the Getting Closer album, and the amazing modern player that echoes Allan in her own unique way, Susan Weinert (just check out her IOU inspired Running Out Of Time album. And how interesting it was to see truly world class guitarists grappling with the impossible task of taking over from Allan, such as the incredible John Etheridge in Soft Machine (listen to John manfully grappling with Hazard Profile on British Tour ’55) and the criminally underrated John Clarke on Bruford’s Live Tapes (I corresponded with John a year or two ago after his retirement from music and a more humble musician you could never wish to meet - I think he was amazing on those latter Bruford albums). Allan’s music, and his influence on guitar, will resonate forever, and it is not too much to say that he is up there with the giants such as Mozart, Coltrane and the like. And thank you Brett at personal level for developing your own style which harks to Allan but also expresses your own unique approach to the instrument - long may you continue to blaze your own particular path whilst honoring the musical giant that was Allan Holdsworth.
When Steve Vai, Eddy Van Halen, Shawn Lane and Brett Garsed cannot fully understand what Allan was doing it proves he was in contact with something else no other musician could tune in. We all have FM radio in our heads and Allan had XM radio in his.
So interesting how everyone refers to him as this alien type figure. I never read about him much online until I started getting into his music(took me about 8 months of off and on listening). Once I got into it, I would tell my friends that I won't make it to the party because I was in Galaxy Yrslrs on planet Rlasncx listening to Mr.Holdsworth run shop. After being on the internet, everyone has a similar sentiment. His music really does come from another dimension. There are no words to really describe it, the emotion is there, but what kind? I don't know. My best description to any of his music is the song Sixteen Men of Tain: Futuristic, Mysterious, and Calming. The rest of that album fits loosely to that description, I think it takes place about 200 years from now in more of open minded benevolent society..
Hi Brett :) I loved what you said at 9:10, I play guitar, but I'm improvisational, but I haven't played for a few years now, but I think I have always had an ear for music, because I was raised in the mid 60's, heard all that was happening throughout the 70's, and then became a Progressive Rock fan, then in the 80's became a Metal fan (more of the underground), then Classical, Soundtrack Scores and Jazz/Fusion, but all the music stuck with me and the meeting of Metal, Progressive, Classical, Jazz Fusion and the avant-garde. The majority of music "listeners" are layman, they don't play instruments, but those certain few that had an ear for the unusual, musical, creative and thought "rules do not apply" is where I gravitated. Allan was one of those guys that made his own rules, I am VERY sad to see another great leave us, but at the very least, they live on with the music they left us :'). UK's debut was also my introduction to Allan, buying the album as a blind purchase in 1981, but being a huge fan of Bill Bruford and John Wetton (and learning more about Eddie Jobson in the process), I had to purchase the album. What an astounding surprise it was, I practically worship the album to this day, and still haven't caught up to all of Allan's discography. So Brett, I don't know if you have heard of this guitarist, and maybe the band he is in is too extreme for your ears, but he and the drummer in this band worship Allan Holdsworth (the drummer is a fan of Gary Husband and Vinnie Colaiuta as well). "Fredrik Thordendal" is the lead guitarist for the Swedish band "Meshuggah", they are pretty complex and intense, but the wonderful thing about them is Fredriks take on Holdsworth, and he implements it in the solos, as either a breath of fresh air, or odd atmospheres of chords or sounds ala Holdsworth. But his solo works, I can't think of anyone else that has picked up the baton of Allan's sound, other than maybe Chris Poland (former Megadeth guitarist) of "OHM:" and YOU :). Checkout some of Fredriks pieces . . . 1. A short atmospheric piece by Meshuggah featuring mostly Fredrik (and I believe Mårten Hagström the rhythm guitarist): ruclips.net/video/HjMUMkhnNPo/видео.html 2. From the astounding but extreme and complex solo album of Fredrik (Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects - "Sol Niger Within"). But this is a separate track from the relentless carnage toward the end of the album. If you close your eyes . . . : ruclips.net/video/bjW7YNW8xkQ/видео.html 3. Okay, so this is my fave Meshuggah track, they have many albums after and different degrees of extremity, even avant-garde, but this album I believe in a way is the most accessible, yet its very progressive, heavy and complex (as all their albums, each member takes turn being either the lead or "percussion"). But with the brutality, be patient to hear how the guitar solo comes in and how gorgeous it is (rough/cookie monster vocal alert!): ruclips.net/video/gV64DhOSuHw/видео.html Hopefully it appeals to you in some way, there will never be another like Allan, but it is nice to hear those that were influenced and embellishing another sound to push boundaries even further. Thank you for sharing your discoveries and love for Mr. Holdsworth, he was a big part of my life as well. Rest in peace :'(.
Thanks Brett! You helped me into the holdsworth universe. I found your music during the process and fell in love it. Thanks! You Have been a huge inspiration.
Watched this again, with gratitude for all the music Allan Holdsworth made, and appreciation for the way you've articulated not only these key aspects of his playing but also the admiration we all have for his monster talent. Combine that talent with Allan's humility? Out of this world.
Brett your humility, recognition and reverence to the great Alan Holdsworth is humbling to watch. Wonderful to listen to. What a player and innovator he was. Thanks for that...it 's pure gold....beautiful.
I'm sorry I only just stumbled across this. It is a heartfelt and moving tribute to someone who opened my eyes to a new world of music...by someone who is an exceptional guitarist in his own right. Thanks Brett.
I am not sure if watching and listening to all these great players, inspires me to continue to play guitar, or to quit. It is like climbing the mounting even when you already know that you will never reach the top. What a great player, what a brilliant tribute.
Thank you Brett.Lovely words.I am sixty years old and became a fun of Allan's in the early seventies in a recording with a band called Soft Machine.To say that i was blown away is an understatement!!,his soloing was so different to everybody else and so fast!.In years to come i was to attend several concerts and guitar clinics by Allan,and always enjoyed what he did i loved the sound of his guitar,soloing or cording.i liked his jokes and he always came across as a very humble man.You know Brett something you said is so correct,he was so much ahead of everybody else.He wrote some incredible melodies(ballads if you like),at first i didn't understand what he was trying to say but after coming back and hearing time and time again an amazing melody appeared and many times i would cry in joy of recognition that this human being had an amazing ability to write music that was so far off centre that it required full attention to comprehend.How did he do that?.Anyway he will be sadly missed ,a legend has died .Hopefully his music will live on forever.RIP Allan Holdsworth.
The greatest of his generation, or any generation for that matter. A hundred years from now new musicians will be listening to his music in total awe and amazement. RIP Allan.
I, too, first learned about Holdsworth in guitar magazines in the 80s, but when Frank Zappa (who I considered the ultimate musical authority) started repeatedly praising his playing I thought I'd better check it out. I'm so glad I did. I can't say much more about my feelings for Holdsworth without seeming like I'm reciting outtakes from "This is Spinal Tap".
Thank you Brett for this Video. It once more demonstrates how important Allans legacy is for todays best guitar players. You can not praise Allans work high enough. He not only influenced musicians, he also intoduced new playing techniques, new sounds, chords, never heard before and he added something to the music itsself what from now on will be part of music as long as mankind exist.
Allan Holdsworth is the reason I even listen to jazz fusion. He showed me a brand of shredding I had never experienced before. From there I got into Shawn Lane, John McLaughlin, Brett Garsed, Frank Gambale, Chris Poland, Al Di Meola, and so on. In my eyes, Allan was the greatest electric guitarist in history. Rest in peace.
Nice tribute thread Brett - great Guitar playing as well. When Allan passed I said he went back to the Planet Holdsworth. The stuff he did with Tony Williams Lifetime was remarkable. Believe It is to my mind his greatest work. Peace & Twang
I just ordered his _"The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever! The Allan Holdsworth Album Collection (box set)"._ I already had his books -- which'll keep me busy for a few lifetimes. Brett, I really like your sound!
Love to hear Brett talk about the depth of emotion in Allan's playing. So many people throughout the years perpetuated this notion that AH was some overly technical, mathematical musician and guitarist devoid of emotion. I tend to think it's because traditionally so many guitarists think of 'expressive emotion' on the guitar through a blues lens, and that emotion comes from leaning into the various bends typical of that style, where AH's music was founded on harmony entirely removed from that idiom, really from any style to that point. It was too strange and foreign for most, and I'm sure they rejected it from a place of discomfort and conservative dismissiveness; but for those with ears open enough to hear it, it was truly some of the deepest, most emotive music ever conjured from any instrument, let alone the expressive improvisational element. RIP to the greatest.
Awesome tribute to one of the most amazing musicians ever to grace the planet. Thank you for posting this. I became a fan after hearing the UK album then the IOU days and all of his other solo stuff. There will never be another like him. Rest in peace Allan we miss you so.
Great video. The one thing that nobody can deny is that Allan was untouchable at knowing the fundamentals to the core, then throwing it to the side and playing with his heart.
![Gambale and Holdsworth [Featuring Brett Stine]](/img/1.gif)
Bottom line, there maybe a couple of thousand who can play like Yngwie, but absolutely none can play like sir Alan Holdsworth. He's superhuman
People forget, just focusing on guitarmanship. Allan was ahead of everyone musically.
As a young rock guitarist back in the 80s, I was a fan of EVH, then Yngwie came along, so I played his stuff just because few could at the time.
When I heard Allan, I was still playing Metal and Hard Rock, but I walked away from every rock guitarist right then. I would close my eyes, lay on my bed and just listen to him, dreaming to be that good.
His influence started showing up in my Metal playing and people starting asking me after the show "man WTF was that?! Where did you learn to play that way?" Guitarists in the scene started labeling me a virtuoso!
I hate to selfishly admit that I miss those days when Allan was that secret no one else (at least in Metal) knew about. Just me and Allan🤣😂
I Met Allan when i was 16, playing to about 12 people. From that day, exchanged emails and he forever remained, the sweetest,humble and beautiful human being and his music is a document of that....Miss you Al
Beautiful stuff. Brett has always been the link between normal human beings and Allan (and also grossly unaware of his own genius!).
Brett and IMO the highly unrecognized talent of Chris Poland.
Yes boys
Certainly he has Holdsworth's humility.
@@SirJamestheIII You're absolutely right. I think they both have a lot in common in their playing. In a just world they would be household names. Well, they are household names...in my household, because I live in a house of music.
I always thought Ron Jarzombek musically lives in one of these parallel universes as well
What Brett says near the end about how Allan should have been given a government grant to write and record his music is something I've always felt. I used to almost obsess about how, "This guy should not have to tour as much as he does to pay the bills! Someone should give him a few million bucks to relax and do his own thing in the studio!" I would say this to my guitar students and friends. But of course, that's not how the music business works. In a better world a record company would have recognized his unique groundbreaking genius and really helped him out. It was nice that we all got to see him perform and meet him. But it would have been much better if he performed when he felt like it and not because he had to in order to survive.
Especially in a world today where you have a Billionaire on every corner.
art is something states should grant and fund as much as education, healthcare etc.
it's not an utopia, I know in some nordic countries this happens, and also in Cuba, so basically capitalism is the problem
why would a music company or the government go into a clearly losing business? The problem is that there is no DEMAND for this stuff or not enough at least. The people are just too stupid, as is often the problem. That is the sole root cause problem.
Allan was so amazing and unique... But i think that uniqueness is a lonely and hard path.
Nzinn73 Look at Danny Gatton. World class talent does not necessarily equal commercial appeal, obviously. It's kind of sad. You need to be good and have opportunity, I guess. If you can play and sing and write, you might be successful, or happen across the right gig.
none of what this guy has done is primitive or less beautiful than Allan, just different. What a fantastic human that I hope to meet one day.
I've had the pleasure of working with Brett years ago and besides his guitar genius, he is amazingly kind, generous and humble.
I always like Brett's teaching. I was very lucky to took lessons from him 25 years ago.
I’m jealous lol
a very late comment, just came across this video. thanks Brett... I have a signed copy of your album Dark Matter. I love hearing how the influences percolate through great players such as yourself. thanks for a touching tribute. Allan is one of the untouchables.
That was beautiful Brett.
Met Allan at Iridium, NYC 4-5 years before he passed. We hung out at the bar and I just remember his gigantic hand completely engulfing mine when we shook hands. Such a warm, sweet guy. And he completely killed it as usual on stage that night. Total Mastery. RIP Allan
Brett. Your own music is an inspiration. I was so happy to meet Allan Holdsworth in Buffalo. I just wish that the music that he could play was as satisfying to him as it was miraculous to his audience. Instead, he was sitting at the bar almost crying in his beer because he felt that he had not played well enough. Meanwhile, me and my mates were beyond astonished by his musicality and soul evident in his two sets. And I could not believe how approachable and humble he was as a human being. Perhaps he was from an advanced civilization who landed here but was never aware that he came from some far away place. I imagine that he is there now and brought his beer making talents with him too. Thanks for your reflections mate!
I had the pleasure and honor of being one of Brett's students during my days in Musicians Institute. He is an incredible genius of a musician and all around great guy. He's completely unaware of his own genius and was always so humble. I would have been incredibly lucky had I had a fraction of his greatness.
This is probably the best tribute to Allan Holdsworth especially the legacy part. It's so right! Dear Brett, obviously it's not just notes you can put together in a very nice way, you can put the words as well
great tribute brett... very emotional. you are great
I'm not a musician but i live where Allan was brought up. I hear in his music this location. It was part of his personality and musical language. my favourite musician of all time. thanks Brett!
I feel the same about sixteen men of tain. Sounds like the Scottish Highlands.
What a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to the genius that IS Allan Holdsworth. When players of the calibre of Brett and Frank Gambale struggle to comprehend what Allan was playing,then you know that he was on a level way above everyone else and completely in a class of his own.
There can never be enough tributes to this musical genius, Allan Holdsworth. Well done Brett. We all miss Allan.
"in my primitive rock/pop way..." and then you pull off these beautiful chord voicings? Great tribute video. Thanks a lot!
Thank you Brett for a genuine and humble tribute to Allan's music! and it's sad that people like Allan never really had the success in money and in other ways but all the greats died penniless and without the success they deserved. I thing the music industry could do with a relieve fund to help people out when needed if they could put away their egos and images away in a cupboard for a while! I never thought that Eric Clapton would have become a household name and in the same breath completely ignorant of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker but that's life I suppose. Thank you for carrying on Allan's thing for want of a better word but in your own way. Regards Jon
Beautifully said. Thank you...
Two notes played by Allan Holdsworth moves a mountain of emotions in me. When I first dropped the needle on my first Allan Holdsworth's album "Atavachron" ( Non-Brewed Condiments) I looked at my friend next to me and I said "what did just happen?" Thank you Brett for your tribute to Allan.
Beautifully said Brett, and long may you play!
Allan's music is World Heritage. Thank you very much Brett, Jason, and Guitar Techniques magazine for this wonderful tribute to Allan Holdsworth.
Thank you Brett, God bless Allan. Well spoken tribute. Ron.
Watched this to the end, and, to my slight surprise, it made me cry. I was lucky enough to see Allan perform seven times. I feel blessed, thankful, and humbled to have had the opportunity to have been in his presence. I will go to my grave wishing I could play like that.
thanks for breaking it down to a comprehensible level that we all can grab onto and build from.
Very impressive work. Incredible what you worked out on your own you must have an amazing ear and discipline.
note to self.. add Brett Garsed to list of awesome guitarists.. thanks for the vid : ) we saw Allan downtown Orlando FL in the late 80s in a small pub with Chad on drums.. Allan walked in the front door with his headless axe strapped on his back, just a humble chap! A great memory.. RIP Allan
in 1987 I moved away from my family at 15. At 16, the printer at my school in Adelaide heard me playing guitar at assembly introduced himself and said 'you have to listen to this'.... it was Allan Holdsworth... I get emotional just thinking about it... away from home in a hostile environment and hearing such incredibly emotional guitar playing... he was a musical refuge for me.... he still is..... I was gutted at Allan's death.
Thanks, Brett. Another valuable lesson and a great tribute from one master to another. Cheers, B.
Thanks for the wonderful tribute, Brett. Holdsworth's genius was impossible to quantify to non-musicians.
I hope that he someday gets the respect he always deserved. Sad that he won't be able to see the mark he makes on the music of the future.
His music and musical ideas represent the most advanced system of 12 tone harmony in musical history. I hope that, someday, advanced music theorists give him the respect he deserved.
I like how Allan once said, "not to learn licks, because that can limit improvising " something to that extent .. I am just beginning to understand that, and it's fantastic..
Brett you're incredible. Player and gentleman. I've followed you for many years, and always loved your fluid style, much like Allan. Thank you. RIP Allan.
Brett sure is great, thanks for watching James!
Couldn't agree more about your comment re the emotion in his playing. I've always ended up in tears listening to the 4.15 Bradford Executive.....it's just pouring out of him on that track. It's like a wailing animal at times. First time I heard him was the intro to Nevermore.......wtf. Totally hooked ever since. I've been fortunate to see him live a number of times with friends, who also dig his playing. So although sad, many great memories.
Ah, Nevermore...brilliant acoustic intro from Allan.
I transcribed about 1/3 of his solo in that one trading licks with Jobson. Took me 1.5 yrs to be able to play it.
I should get on with the rest of it.
I saw Allan in 1991 at a dive bar in Sacramento, and I bought a CD that night that was produced by Mike Varney. That was the first time I heard of Brett Garsed and Shawn Lane. Ever since then, these are the top three players I admire to this day. They all have this ability to move so fast and fluid, but retain a very musical touch to their playing. RIP Allan!
beautiful tribute,... loved it,.... thanks!
Massive thanks Brett!
Awesome!
thx so much
What a great tribute. Allan was truly a one of a kind musician, the likes we'll struggle to hear again. I first heard him on that astounding solo on that same UK track and it remains one of my all time favourites. I would also give a shout out to Beezebub from Bruford as well. His solo work started with Metal Fatigue for me and I was hooked. Allan's influence on some of my other favourite guitarists (EVH, Scott Henderson, Alex Lifeson, John Petrucci) was pretty profound and we're all the richer for hearing it.
I agree with you 100% You forgot to mention one very important player and thats Marshal Harrison, an incredible Titan on the guitar and a true Holdsworth fan. Check him out and your jaw will be on the floor, just ask Garsed.
Jean Luc Ponty's Enegmatic Ocean album also has some great Allan Holdsworth playing on it. UK and Ponty are where I discovered Allan. 6 billion people on the planet at that time and only one Allan Holdsworth. No other guitar player at that time played or sounded like him. Just like Jimi and Eddy, Allan was in a class all buy himself and even more than the others.
Wonderful Brett. "If anyone should've been given a grant just to write and record music...". You're so right.
Just a short anecdote, I met Allan once in a very small club in London, early 90's. Pre-internet days so I found out just by luck and was living nearby at the time. I was a huge fan because growing up I always picked up Guitar Player magazine whenever I could and he rightly got a lot of exposure in it. I was young and traveled a lot back then and always took my walkman and a few Holdsworth tapes wherever I went. IOU, Metal Fatigue, Secrets. etc. Secrets was my personal favorite btw. It got me through some lonely times. So anyway, I went to the club and saw his band live. If I remember, Steve Smith was on drums ( I might be wrong about this it was a long time ago), plus bass player plus Allan. They were so tight I'd never seen anything to compare. Even though it was a small club the sound was incredible and the intensity was unbelievable. I can remember to this day that when Allan ramped into his solos that the drum kit was moving across the stage and Steve would regularly have to pull back his hi hat or bass drum or whatever. The point is that those guys were super talented and playing their hearts out for Allan because he was utterly genius.
But here's the main bit. After the show Allan was standing at the bar having a beer - just standing there like a normal person - and after a few minutes I plucked up the courage to go speak to him. Not a single part of him was above himself. He took the time to talk to me and was right down to earth. I did a geeky fan thing by asking him to sign my IOU CD which I have to this day. I can tell you that he was a true gentleman and acted like he was completely unaware of his unbelievable talent. We've lost a good one in every respect.
Apologies, not such a short anecdote after all but I wanted to share. RIP Allan.
What a wonderful tribute, Allan will be sorely missed.
Brett seems such a great guy, humility, talent, and wisdom. Thanks for this tribute.
Great tribute! Whenever I listened to Allan I never think of the guitar itself! He was beyond that. Beyond everything really! A true genius.
This is such a moving, sincere and beautiful tribute to Allan's music and playing!
Especially the legacy part expresses exactly how I relate to Allan's music on an emotional level. It always spoke directly to me despite me clearly not "understanding" his music in any sort of "analytical" or "stringent theory" way.
Thank you for this beautiful tribute!
I feel your pain brother! I met Allan many times. At various NAMM shows, different clubs that he would play. I even saw him at a movie theater with his family going to see the movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" He sat right behind me with his family. We talked a bit after the movie and said he would love to do a soundtrack for a movie. He was in his own league! A very nice and humble spirit. We had a beer together at Catalina's Bar and Grill in Hollywood, CA. He was promoting his Road Games EP. We talked about cycling! I was introduced to Allan from the UK album. Nobody heard of him. This was back in 1978. When I heard the solo on "In The Dead of Night" I couldn't believe my ears! I have been a fan ever since. Thank you for posting this. To this day still, I'm trying to figure out what he is doing on that fretboard!
Nice tribute, Brett! I don't play guitar or any instrument, and I couldn't agree more when you say that one doesn't have to intellectually "understand" Holdsworth's music to love it on an emotional level and to simply revel in its awesomely fluid virtuosity, as I've been doing for over thirty-five years. Thanks for posting this.
What a great tribute. Your expression , pun intended, is very heartfelt and wise to say his albums could've been blues albums if you're basing it emotion. I love the sounds Allan made, and like you said, I don't have a clue as to what he's doing, but I know I love it. Allan was our Tesla, a misunderstood genius ahead of his time and the world had to catch up. Once every 500 years does humanity get a person like DaVinci, Einstein, Tesla, and the holy trinity of RUSH, and I got to experience two of those live in person.
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful Brett, thank you.
Allan's music has been the
soundtrack to my life ever since Igginbottom, and I totally agree that it is
music of the soul and not a PHD thesis, as some narrow minded critics would
suggest. Technically I could not fathom what Allan was doing but the
music spoke to me at an emotional level and took me on a journey to places that
would otherwise have been hidden from me but for Allan's genius. If you,
and the venerable John McLaughlin amongst others, freely admit you could not
fully grasp Allan's immense harmonic universe, then that in itself shows it is
the music of the stars and not the physics lab.
And lest people forget, whilst
naturally the first point of amazement is Allan's soloing, he was so uniquely
innovative in any number of areas of the guitar. You have mentioned his
chordal genius, and he was also an innovator in sound too, developing over the course
of his life a number of evolving guitar sounds that indelibly influenced the
guitar world. For example, his unique approach to the whammy influenced
rockers and fusion guitarists alike, and also encouraged guitarist to incorporate
it into a hybrid accessible style that spoke to musos as well as your everyday listener
- the much missed Alan Murphy was a great example of this. So many diverse guitarists were influenced by
Allan, for example the wonderful Phill Keaggy on his Wind and the Wheat album (and
the incredible solos on his track Sounds from the Getting Closer album, and the
amazing modern player that echoes Allan in her own unique way, Susan Weinert
(just check out her IOU inspired Running Out Of Time album.
And how interesting it was to see
truly world class guitarists grappling with the impossible task of taking over from
Allan, such as the incredible John Etheridge in Soft Machine (listen to John
manfully grappling with Hazard Profile on British Tour ’55) and the criminally underrated
John Clarke on Bruford’s Live Tapes (I corresponded with John a year or two ago
after his retirement from music and a more humble musician you could never wish
to meet - I think he was amazing on
those latter Bruford albums).
Allan’s music, and his influence
on guitar, will resonate forever, and it is not too much to say that he is up there
with the giants such as Mozart, Coltrane and the like.
And thank you Brett at personal
level for developing your own style which harks to Allan but also expresses your
own unique approach to the instrument - long may you continue to blaze your own
particular path whilst honoring the musical giant that was Allan Holdsworth.
When Steve Vai, Eddy Van Halen, Shawn Lane and Brett Garsed cannot fully understand what Allan was doing it proves he was in contact with something else no other musician could tune in. We all have FM radio in our heads and Allan had XM radio in his.
Excelente gracias Brett por recordarlo y gracias jason por subirlo a youtube,desde Argentina saludos abrazo !!!
So beautiful, so touching
So well said abouth my all time musician!Thank you so much!🙏
So interesting how everyone refers to him as this alien type figure. I never read about him much online until I started getting into his music(took me about 8 months of off and on listening). Once I got into it, I would tell my friends that I won't make it to the party because I was in Galaxy Yrslrs on planet Rlasncx listening to Mr.Holdsworth run shop. After being on the internet, everyone has a similar sentiment. His music really does come from another dimension. There are no words to really describe it, the emotion is there, but what kind? I don't know. My best description to any of his music is the song Sixteen Men of Tain: Futuristic, Mysterious, and Calming. The rest of that album fits loosely to that description, I think it takes place about 200 years from now in more of open minded benevolent society..
Possibly the John Coltrane of the guitar would be reasonable description or an analogy
He was and more
His work was an attempt to describe the indescribable
Such great insight about Allan from Brett, who is an incredible artist in his own right.
Allan was a gift from the cosmos, a brief and brilliant light, whose echo serves as a landmark and guide for those who would follow.
Some very touching words about Allan. I'm sure he would appreciate your sentiments & musicality.
Nice chordal work btw !
Beautifully said!
Thank you so much Brett.
Hi Brett :)
I loved what you said at 9:10, I play guitar, but I'm improvisational, but I haven't played for a few years now, but I think I have always had an ear for music, because I was raised in the mid 60's, heard all that was happening throughout the 70's, and then became a Progressive Rock fan, then in the 80's became a Metal fan (more of the underground), then Classical, Soundtrack Scores and Jazz/Fusion, but all the music stuck with me and the meeting of Metal, Progressive, Classical, Jazz Fusion and the avant-garde. The majority of music "listeners" are layman, they don't play instruments, but those certain few that had an ear for the unusual, musical, creative and thought "rules do not apply" is where I gravitated. Allan was one of those guys that made his own rules, I am VERY sad to see another great leave us, but at the very least, they live on with the music they left us :').
UK's debut was also my introduction to Allan, buying the album as a blind purchase in 1981, but being a huge fan of Bill Bruford and John Wetton (and learning more about Eddie Jobson in the process), I had to purchase the album. What an astounding surprise it was, I practically worship the album to this day, and still haven't caught up to all of Allan's discography.
So Brett, I don't know if you have heard of this guitarist, and maybe the band he is in is too extreme for your ears, but he and the drummer in this band worship Allan Holdsworth (the drummer is a fan of Gary Husband and Vinnie Colaiuta as well). "Fredrik Thordendal" is the lead guitarist for the Swedish band "Meshuggah", they are pretty complex and intense, but the wonderful thing about them is Fredriks take on Holdsworth, and he implements it in the solos, as either a breath of fresh air, or odd atmospheres of chords or sounds ala Holdsworth. But his solo works, I can't think of anyone else that has picked up the baton of Allan's sound, other than maybe Chris Poland (former Megadeth guitarist) of "OHM:" and YOU :).
Checkout some of Fredriks pieces . . .
1. A short atmospheric piece by Meshuggah featuring mostly Fredrik (and I believe Mårten Hagström the rhythm guitarist):
ruclips.net/video/HjMUMkhnNPo/видео.html
2. From the astounding but extreme and complex solo album of Fredrik (Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects - "Sol Niger Within"). But this is a separate track from the relentless carnage toward the end of the album. If you close your eyes . . . : ruclips.net/video/bjW7YNW8xkQ/видео.html
3. Okay, so this is my fave Meshuggah track, they have many albums after and different degrees of extremity, even avant-garde, but this album I believe in a way is the most accessible, yet its very progressive, heavy and complex (as all their albums, each member takes turn being either the lead or "percussion"). But with the brutality, be patient to hear how the guitar solo comes in and how gorgeous it is (rough/cookie monster vocal alert!): ruclips.net/video/gV64DhOSuHw/видео.html
Hopefully it appeals to you in some way, there will never be another like Allan, but it is nice to hear those that were influenced and embellishing another sound to push boundaries even further.
Thank you for sharing your discoveries and love for Mr. Holdsworth, he was a big part of my life as well. Rest in peace :'(.
What a wonderful tribute...brought tears to my eyes...thank you Brett.
Absolutely superb Bret .. you are an incredibly modest guy.. considering your formidable technique and ear ...
Thank you.
Thank you for this beautiful and perfect video.
Beautiful and touching.
Awesome playing and a very nice tribute
Thanks Brett! You helped me into the holdsworth universe. I found your music during the process and fell in love it. Thanks! You Have been a huge inspiration.
Watched this again, with gratitude for all the music Allan Holdsworth made, and appreciation for the way you've articulated not only these key aspects of his playing but also the admiration we all have for his monster talent. Combine that talent with Allan's humility? Out of this world.
Thanks for watching!
very true words. Thank you, Brett.
Met Allan once when he blew everyone away at Iridium NYC one night. What an inspiration.
Brett your humility, recognition and reverence to the great Alan Holdsworth is humbling to watch. Wonderful to listen to. What a player and innovator he was. Thanks for that...it 's pure gold....beautiful.
I'm sorry I only just stumbled across this. It is a heartfelt and moving tribute to someone who opened my eyes to a new world of music...by someone who is an exceptional guitarist in his own right. Thanks Brett.
Thank you so much Brett
All perfectly and beautifully said, sir. My thanks, I’ll be looking at your recordings, today! Cheers!
Allan Holdsworth ..Unbelievable GENIUS ..LookingGlass ..What a PHANTASTIC Modern Music
Crying here. Thanks mate for putting your feelings out there, and of course your thoughts.
I am not sure if watching and listening to all these great players, inspires me to continue to play guitar, or to quit. It is like climbing the mounting even when you already know that you will never reach the top.
What a great player, what a brilliant tribute.
Beautiful and sincere words
Thank you Brett.Lovely words.I am sixty years old and became a fun of Allan's in the early seventies in a recording with a band called Soft Machine.To say that i was blown away is an understatement!!,his soloing was so different to everybody else and so fast!.In years to come i was to attend several concerts and guitar clinics by Allan,and always enjoyed what he did i loved the sound of his guitar,soloing or cording.i liked his jokes and he always came across as a very humble man.You know Brett something you said is so correct,he was so much ahead of everybody else.He wrote some incredible melodies(ballads if you like),at first i didn't understand what he was trying to say but after coming back and hearing time and time again an amazing melody appeared and many times i would cry in joy of recognition that this human being had an amazing ability to write music that was so far off centre that it required full attention to comprehend.How did he do that?.Anyway he will be sadly missed ,a legend has died .Hopefully his music will live on forever.RIP Allan Holdsworth.
Excellent and well spoken.
He is the most incredible source of music,.thankz brett,nice shirt too..
The greatest of his generation, or any generation for that matter. A hundred years from now new musicians will be listening to his music in total awe and amazement. RIP Allan.
EXELENT ! THANK YOU ! BRETT...
Beautiful tribute Mr. Brett Garsed.
When one is humble. That itself takes you to great depths.
Thanks, Brett. What a heartfelt tribute from one monster player to another.
I, too, first learned about Holdsworth in guitar magazines in the 80s, but when Frank Zappa (who I considered the ultimate musical authority) started repeatedly praising his playing I thought I'd better check it out. I'm so glad I did. I can't say much more about my feelings for Holdsworth without seeming like I'm reciting outtakes from "This is Spinal Tap".
This is so great! Some tears were shed. Just to know how much Allan affected us all.
Thank you Brett for this Video. It once more demonstrates how important Allans legacy is for todays best guitar players. You can not praise Allans work high enough. He not only influenced musicians, he also intoduced new playing techniques, new sounds, chords, never heard before and he added something to the music itsself what from now on will be part of music as long as mankind exist.
Allan Holdsworth is the reason I even listen to jazz fusion. He showed me a brand of shredding I had never experienced before. From there I got into Shawn Lane, John McLaughlin, Brett Garsed, Frank Gambale, Chris Poland, Al Di Meola, and so on. In my eyes, Allan was the greatest electric guitarist in history. Rest in peace.
Nice tribute thread Brett - great Guitar playing as well. When Allan passed I said he went back to the Planet Holdsworth. The stuff he did with Tony Williams Lifetime was remarkable. Believe It is to my mind his greatest work. Peace & Twang
Well said.
Heartfelt and a beautiful tribute
FANTASTIC! THANK YOU! CHEERS
I just ordered his _"The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever! The Allan Holdsworth Album Collection (box set)"._ I already had his books -- which'll keep me busy for a few lifetimes. Brett, I really like your sound!
What a cracking video. Thank you Brett and GT.
Love to hear Brett talk about the depth of emotion in Allan's playing. So many people throughout the years perpetuated this notion that AH was some overly technical, mathematical musician and guitarist devoid of emotion. I tend to think it's because traditionally so many guitarists think of 'expressive emotion' on the guitar through a blues lens, and that emotion comes from leaning into the various bends typical of that style, where AH's music was founded on harmony entirely removed from that idiom, really from any style to that point. It was too strange and foreign for most, and I'm sure they rejected it from a place of discomfort and conservative dismissiveness; but for those with ears open enough to hear it, it was truly some of the deepest, most emotive music ever conjured from any instrument, let alone the expressive improvisational element. RIP to the greatest.
Brilliant! Lovely tribute, and thanks for sharing your insight and techniques.
Thank you so much for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed your this video. Amazing!
Hi Michael Di Nunzio, glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome tribute to one of the most amazing musicians ever to grace the planet. Thank you for posting this. I became a fan after hearing the UK album then the IOU days and all of his other solo stuff.
There will never be another like him. Rest in peace Allan we miss you so.
Wonderfully said. Thank you Mr. Garsed.
Thank you Brett.
Fantastic! Great tribute.
Great video. The one thing that nobody can deny is that Allan was untouchable at knowing the fundamentals to the core, then throwing it to the side and playing with his heart.