THIS IS FUSION 101…Allan Holdsworth: Jarasum International Jazz Festival 2014

For the past few years there has been a cache of posthumously released concert albums from various tours of guitar legend Allan Holdsworth. This latest one, recorded at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival back in  2014, is by far the swingingest of the set. It makes sense, as it’s a simple trio format with Yellowjacket alum Jimmy Haslip on electric bass and John McLaughlin drummer Gary Husband. The fusion fuse is lit here, as Holdsworth sears around Husband’s hammering high hat and Haslips slinking bass on”Fred” the three swing darkly on the  thick and palbable “Texas”. Husband gives a rocking into to the wild and loose “Gas Lamp Blues” and rides a deft cymbal on “Leave Them On”, digging in deep with Haslip for “Letters of Marque”. Holdsworth goes solo on a spacey “Above and Below” and creates metallic thunder for “Red Alert”. The team rides the dynamic roller coaster for “The Un-Merry-Go-Round” and they punch like heavyweights around Haslip’s  Weather Reportish bass l ine on “Devil Take The Hindmost”. Palpable heat.

www.manifesto.com

Leave a Reply