Allan Holdsworth in 2007 (from Wikipedia . com)
From Danny Masters Gorklo on Fb, 4/16/17: I’m so very sad that perhaps the greatest electric guitarist I’ve ever heard in my life has passed away. Many people don’t know who Allan Holdsworth was , but if you’re interested in who many of us consider the pinnacle of musicianship on our instrument, check him out. Ironically I’ve just been listening to Allan Holdsworth DVD many mornings for the last three weeks. Truly a music treasure RIP
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Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British guitarist and composer. He released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played a variety of musical styles spanning a period of more than four decades, but is best known for his work in jazz fusion.
Holdsworth was known for his advanced knowledge of music, through which he incorporated a vast array of complex chord progressions and intricate solos; the latter comprising myriad scale forms often derived from those such as the diminished, augmented, whole tone, chromatic and altered scales, among others, resulting in an unpredictable and “outside” sound. His unique legato soloing technique stemmed from his original desire to play the saxophone. Having been unable to afford one, he strove to use the guitar to create similarly smooth lines of notes. He also become associated with playing an early form of guitar synthesizer called the SynthAxe, a company he endorsed in the 1980s.
Holdsworth has been cited as an influence by such renowned rock, metal and jazz guitarists as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Greg Howe, Shawn Lane, Richie Kotzen, John Petrucci, Alex Lifeson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Romeo, and Tom Morello. Frank Zappa once lauded him as “one of the most interesting guys on guitar on the planet”, while Robben Ford has said: “I think Allan Holdsworth is the John Coltrane of the guitar. I don’t think anyone can do as much with the guitar as Allan Holdsworth can.”
Associated acts: ‘Igginbottom, Nucleus, Tempest, Soft Machine, The New Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Jean-Luc Ponty, John Stevens, Bill Bruford, U.K., Gordon Beck, Gary Husband, Jack Bruce, Chad Wackerman, Level 42, Planet X, HoBoLeMa
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Holdsworth lived in California from the early 1980s. Cycling was one of his favorite pastimes. He was also a keen aficionado of beer, with a particular fondness for Northern English cask ale. He experimented with brewing his own beer in the 1990s and invented a specialized beer pump named “The Fizzbuster”, which, in his own words, creates “a beautiful creamy head”.
Holdsworth became a grandfather in December 2010 when his daughter Louise gave birth to a baby girl named Rori.
Holdsworth died on April 15, 2017 at his home in Vista, California, at the age of 70. No official cause of death was disclosed.
Read Mr. Holdsworth’s extensive biography here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Holdsworth
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths… April 2017
19: Pat Fitzpatrick, 60, Irish keyboardist (Aslan), cancer.
17: Willy Cruz (nl), 70, Filipino songwriter and music producer, stroke.
15: Allan Holdsworth, 70, British guitarist and composer (Bruford, U.K., Soft Machine), heart attack; Sylvia Moy, 78, American songwriter (“Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”, “I Was Made to Love Her”, “My Cherie Amour”) and record producer.
14: Martín Elías, 26, Colombian vallenato singer, traffic collision; Manfred Jung, 76, German opera singer; Bruce Langhorne, 78, American folk musician (Bob Dylan) and film scorer (The Hired Hand), inspiration for “Mr. Tambourine Man”, complications from a stroke.
13: José Miguel Class, 78, Puerto Rican singer.
12: Kathleen Cassello, 58, American operatic soprano; Tom Coyne, 62, American Grammy award-winning music engineer (21, 1989, 25), multiple myeloma; Peggy Hayama, 83, Japanese singer, pneumonia; Barry Smith, 71, American drummer (Lee Michaels, Sweathog, Soulhat); Mika Vainio, 53, Finnish electronic and experimental musician (Pan Sonic).