JARASUM JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014, the sixth and latest release in the continuing series of classic live recordings by Allan Holdsworth, is due May 6 from Manifesto Records.
The double-disc CD/DVD set features the guitar great live at the 11th Annual Jarasum International Jazz Festival in Gapyeong-Gun, South Korea on October 5, 2014. The package offers audio and visual versions of the 10-song set, recorded and filmed in high-definition. The already high-quality audio and video have been digitally remastered from the original tapes.
For the performance, Holdsworth was backed by acclaimed drummer and long-time collaborator Gary Husband and noted five-string bassist Jimmy Haslip, known for his work with the Yellowjackets. The bass player also wrote liner notes for the set, based on his personal memories of performing with Holdsworth and Husband, and is also featured in an interview included on the DVD as a bonus.
The Jarasum International Jazz Festival gig came on the last date of a short tour that had the trio hitting Boston, New York, Chicago and Tokyo, Japan before South Korea. “There was a lot of travel on this run of dates and aside from fighting jet lag, it was a cold October night, which made the performance that much more interesting,” explains Haslip, who adds he was unaware the show was going to be filmed. “Despite all that, it was always so inspiring to play music with Allan and Gary that really none of these issues would ever matter. We were in the moment and we were always seeking to take the music to the extreme at all times.”
This live album kicks off with the Holdsworth set stable “Texas,” originally included on his 2000 studio album The Sixteen Men of Tain, and concludes with the rarely performed “The Un-Merry-Go-Round Part 5.” The album alsofeatures “Fred” and “Red Alert,” two songs originally recorded by The New Tony Williams Lifetime, while “Letters of Marque” allowed the band to stretch out, with Haslip and Husband each performing solos.
JARASUM JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014 follows the previous five releases in the Holdsworth live series, LEVERKUSEN 2010, LEVERKUSEN ’97, LIVE IN JAPAN 1984, WARSAW SUMMER JAZZ DAYS ’98, and FRANKFURT ’86, which were embraced by Holdsworth’s hardcore fanbase.
While Holdsworth is best known in the jazz fusion world, his influence spread far beyond that genre. It was Eddie Van Halen who brought the British-born Holdsworth to the attention of Warner Bros. Records, while Frank Zappa once called him “one of the most interesting guys on guitar on the planet.” Holdsworth died on April 15, 2017 at the age of 70, but not before leaving behind an amazing body of recorded works.
Other Allan Holdsworth albums available through Manifesto include IOU, Road Games, Metal Fatigue, Atavachron, Sand, Secrets, Wardenclyffe Tower, Hard Hat Area, None Too Soon, The Sixteen Men of Tain, Flat Tire and Then!, as well as Eidolon: The Allan Holdsworth Collection.
CD TRACK LISTING
1.Texas
2. Fred
3. Water On The Brain — Pt. II
4. Devil Take The Hindmost
5. Gas Lamp Blues
6. Above And Below
7. Leave Them On
8. Letters Of Marque
9. Red Alert
10. The Un-Merry-Go-Round Part 5
DVD
1.Texas
2. Fred
3. Water On The Brain — Pt. II
4. Devil Take The Hindmost
5. Gas Lamp Blues
6. Above And Below
7. Leave Them On
8. Letters Of Marque
9. Red Alert
10. The Un-Merry-Go-Round Part 5
DVD Bonus Footage:
Interview With Jimmy Haslip
