When it comes to the heady art of improv, guitar legend Allan Holdsworth is a master without peer and his own worst critic
By JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

Things you probably didn’t know about guitarist Allan Holdsworth yet never would have guessed:

He’s a rabid Star Trek fan and loves science fiction, but has been to a movie theater only twice since 1986.

Now 60, he sometimes feels uncomfortable performing to live audiences on what he considers “a young man’s instrument.”

And 90 percent of the time he leaves a gig feeling disappointed in his performance.

Other things you might not know:

Holdsworth is widely regarded by fans and musicians as an innovator between and within the worlds of progressive rock and jazz-fusion, a legendary player who continues to push the limits of technique and the electric guitar’s range of tonal and textural potential. His ability to improvise over complex chord changes reveals a deep emotional base and a strong, imaginative personality, as uniquely identifiable as any among contemporary guitar masters.

Beyond his skill at improvising mercurial solos and sculpting an ever-expanding range of sounds, Allan is devoted to developing cutting-edge guitar technology. This includes new “baritone” variations of the instrument, his own custom six-string designs (several recently manufactured by Carvin), invention of electronic components for the recording studio, and exploring guitar-based synthesizer controllers.

It wasn’t until the 1990s, however, that Holdsworth received due recognition for his achievements, given that he developed his career outside the industry’s mainstream and has produced his own recordings with exclusive creative control since the mid-‘80s. Despite the uncompromising nature of his genre-defying solo projects, he’s no stranger to all-star jazz festival gigs or large-venue rock audiences. Consequently, Musician Magazine placed Holdsworth near the top of its “100 greatest guitarists of all time.”

The sounds of Django Reinhardt, Jimmy Rainey, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, Eric Clapton, and John Coltrane were among this English musician’s early inspirations when he began to work professionally in his early twenties. Born in the city of Bradford, England in 1946, Holdsworth was tutored in aspects of musical theory and jazz appreciation by his father, an accomplished amateur musician. Allan paid his musician’s dues early on working the dance-club circuit, where he met fellow musicians who hailed from the south. One of England’s best jazz tenor saxophonists, Ray Warleigh, heard potential in Holdsworth’s playing and brought him along to play in jazz sets at the onset of the ‘70s, including sessions with Ray at Ronnie Scott’s in London.

Holdsworth’s career went international suddenly in the early 1970s, when he joined drummer Jon Hiseman’s short-lived but much acclaimed progressive rock band, Tempest. A decade later, Tempest vocalist Paul Williams would team with Holdsworth again to form Holdsworth’s I.O.U. band and issue an independent debut album, which prompted Allan to move his home from London to Southern California.

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