ALL NIGHT WRONG

I'm rating this disc so highly because it's one of the few instances where you hear Allan's playing naked, no keyboards or horns and Allan reigns in the atmospherics. Beautifully recorded. You never hear the crowd noise until the end of each track, the collective holding of the audiences breath makes this a "near studio" experience. Wackerman and Johnson, drums and bass respectively, are in top form and occassionally share the spotlight, briefly. This is Allan's show, make no doubt about it. If you are interested in hearing Allan's guitar front and center, this is it. All the jaw dropping pyrotechnics, wild legato runs, bends, slurs and creative melodies are present and mind blowing.

In a period of less than 36 months there have been an exceptional flood of Allan Holdsworth related releases, "Spare Tire" (AH playing syntheaxe whilst navel gazing), the long awaited CD-issue "Road Games" (Holdsworth's near perfect, early 80's release), with Holdsworth as a member of (the great grandson of Soft Machine) Soft Works on "Abacadabra", a side of CD on Soft Machine's "BBC 1971-74", most recently the remastered New Tony Williams Lifetime "Believe It"(with bonus tracks) and another live album "Then!" (recorded same day/month and same location but about a decade earlier and with Husband, Hunt and Johnson doing a different set) .

But this fourth of the new releases "All Night Wrong", tops them all, and I recommend it without reservation. Recorded May 2002 in Japan, this is the Holdsworth recording I've been waiting for a very long time, to show he can still startle with brilliance and originality. Fortunately for us Holdsworth seems to have overcome his paranoia about live releases - how often have we seen the frustration, doubt and other expressions of disappointment of his own performance, evident at the end of an apparent perfect live set? Here the music hits you both cerebrally and in the solar plexus - the latter hasn't happened to me in a decade, while the former has been too much to the fore on many of his recent albums. Holdsworth is not holding back; is this because he has the comfort of old fusion friends providing the bass and drums, i.e. Jimmy Johnson and Chad Wackerman, respectively, instead of the recent experiments with straighter jazz sidesmen? Also several of the tunes are old favourites taken from his fruitful period of song writing, with some new twists of arrangement, e.g. "Water On The Brain". On each, Holdsworth showcases what he does superbly well, i.e. being the ultimate Holdsworthian guitarist - that special trade mark mix of legato and fast runs, solos which are musically tangential to the melody of a tune. Here he does not hold back. Neither do Johnson and Wackerman, who are given plenty of space to be most inventive. And add to the whole: the live recording is crystal clear. One can surmiss there are several benefits being back on a label with better distribution and advertising clout, than his chosen labels of the last 2 decades.

There have been a surprising number of pretenders to his throne appear in the last 10 years, Scott Henderson, Scott McGill, Alex MacHacek to name but a few - and until this record I may have been under the impression Holdsworth was more interested in introvert cerebral things (at least on record), rather than showing who's boss. On "All Night Wrong" he is boss and nobody comes near.

Ah, Allan Holdsworth! I always loved the things he did on GAZEUSE, FEELS GOOD TO ME and ONE OF A KIND, but when I first bought one of his solo albums (WARDENCLYFFE TOWER) I was bitterly disappointed. The music sounded plastic and clinical; it didn't seem to breathe; the virtual absence of acoustic sounds really got on my nerves. But I was convinced such a magnificent soloist must have made SOME great albums, so I checked out Prog Archives, decided to go for ALL NIGHT WRONG, and this turned out to be one of the best purchases I made last year.

There is not one uninspired piece on the entire album. Holdsworth must have collated all the best performances from his stay at one of Japan's foremost jazz venues, Roppongi's Pit Inn. His lead guitar sings and leaps, and best of all: it's all so full of delicacy, so full of emotion... I'm no jazz technician, but it seems to me that here, in symbiosis with Jimmy Johnson on bass and Chad Wackerman on drums, Holdsworth finally achieved the kind of mastery that's reached by the best classical chamber musicians, or by jazz greats like John Coltrane and Keith Jarrett. From mood to mood he flits, offering the listener lots of excitement, and plenty of poetry! Not to be missed.

"My highest performance is contained in the latest work. "

It is likely to appear to not only the appearance of posture in which the compromise is not permitted to the music at which he always aims the remark of Allan Holdsworth and the technology because of the music at which it aims always but the improvement of various knowledge.

The sound source of live is indeed few and will be able to be caught as valuable material in the work that he announced. The sound source that the listener can enjoy as live officially admitted is a little.

It is said that Allan Holdsworth is always thought that the guest should enjoy live to perform live at that time in the hall. They the always latest as well as work are performances and ideas. Or, it performs. should develop then and thereOr, a tension and a little trouble might be included. However, they are the enjoyments that only the person concerned all obtains and live of all music might be also similar.

Allan Holdsworth that was well informed enough of the real pleasure of live of that did not announce an enough, live album by the time this album was announced. There might have been a part that was called "Red Light syndrome" according to his remark. Feelings to his performance are made remarks withering if it knows that the recording is done for the recording of live once. The always latest as for any state performance and idea. And, he guesses that he understands the charm of live.

However, it is guessed that some sound sources of live and confirmations of the state of the recording, etc. were always done. And, this album became an official, for he live album though existence and the image of some Bootleg existed. And, the hall where this album had been recorded was a hall that he had always been choosing for live in Japan every year.

It is this live performance of Trio by Jimmy Johnson and Chad Wackerman that supports the music of Allan Holdsworth for a long time. Allan Holdsworth always paid respect and the respect as the highest partner with these two people. Those acts might appear remarkably in three new tunes at that time. And, the idea of the perfection of ensemble of the repertoire that Allan performed for a long time and the tune that keeps always evolving is the points that should make a special mention.

However, it is said that Allan included worry in the title for the title of the album. Allan voluntarily prepared machine parts for the recording of live in this Japan at that time in top condition. However, the staff in the hall has changed an original state disregarding the state that Allan prepared. It is said that Allan was really disappointed at this event. "All Night Long" became the title of the work by "All Night Wrong". However, the content and the performance of the work are continuous of transcendence and the technique with exactly high quality by these three people. The sound source of live of this is a very important sound source in the history of his music.

Improvisation of "Things You See" developed from an original tune might be a highlight of this album. The perfection and the explosion of ensemble that can be listened in this tune might be marvelous. The degree of the change in "Funnels" might be also exactly progressive compared with the original. It always changes according to the character and the situation of the musician who performs the tune performed for a long time and one space is created. Posture that they always challenge music becomes a new tune and is offered to the listener. "Lanyard Loop" and "Alphrazallan", etc. might have opened the new front for the music of Allan. The music always revolutionized will not stay.

Allan Holdsworth announced this live album during 2002. It can enjoy the past sound source collected to "Then" and the best album besides this album announced for the first time officially. ｡It ..this album.. exists the known fan well valuable. Music of the fact and man who announced a live album however official heAnd, the listener might taste feelings that become one of the guests who enjoy live in this hall.

Allan Holdsworth is a great guitarist, but his best works almost all are recorded when he participated as guitarist with such bands as Soft Machine, Gong or UK. Unhappily, there are not too many really great albums he recorded as solo artist. This is one of them.

I believe that in his greatest years Allan was extremely busy working with excellent Canterbury, jazz-rock and other prog rock bands. He really built his reputation there. So, even he has few great solo albums, big part of them is released during his experimentation with electronic devices or more contemporary jazz oriented.

After many years, Allan returned back with great jazz rock fusion album, and this work is live recording (what isn't very usual for him). First of all, music on this album is played just by classic jazz-rock fusion trio (guitar-bass-drums), no other sounds or devices were used or added. Then, even if it is not real big arena concert, it is live recording with small, but dedicated auditory.

At least, any guitarist's fan has a great possibility to hear him playing all the album, showing his best guitar technique and sound. Nothing destroys this pleasure on "All Night Wrong". Possibly, this music is more characteristic for seventies, but even now it sounds very attractive.

I believe, this album is one of guitarist's best solo works ever ( and for sure his best live work). Must have for any serious jazz-rock fusion fan. Many of those who enjoyed Holdsworth guitar sound on Soft Machine or Gong albums, will enjoy this album as well.