There has been a series of posthumous releases of the fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth the past year since his death, and all I can say after listening/watching this cd/dvd of him in a trio setting from 1997 with (the late) bassist Dave Carpenter and drummer Chad Wackerman is “just keep ‘em coming, and no one gets hurt”. This gig in Leverkusen simply demonstrates the genius and creative mind and fingers of this guitarist/composer.
To put this album in perspective, it comes during his two releases of the same year IOU Band Live, and Heavy Machinery, yet only features two songs, “Material Real” and “Letters Of Marque” from the pair. The subsequent 2000 The Sixteen Men of Tain has all three members together and with this concert feature four tunes (“The Sixteen Men of Tain”, “Above and Below”, “0274” and “Texas”) to be eventually included.
Relative newcomer Carpenter delivers a bopping solo on the wild ride of “Water on The Brain Pt II” with Wackerman giving an avalanche of support, and he digs deep with the leader as they veer around Wackerman’s sticks on the dark “Zone”. Holdsworth himself does some lovely pickings on “House of Mirrors” gives some rich soundscapes on the lovely “Material Real” and the misty “Above and Below” with some floating tones on the spacious “Looking Glass”. There are some great jabs and punches as the three joust about on “Proto-Cosmos” and the rocking “ Texas” with Wackerman riding the whip on “Letters of Marque”.
The dvd includes an informative interview with Wackerman along with a visual of the complete gig. The fusion fuse was definitely lit this night. More to come?