Allan Holdsworth - None Too Soon (Remastered) '1996

Tracks list

While electric guitarist Holdsworth retains his signature ultra-legato, speed
demon sound, he has added a couple of new wrinkles to this date. Hes attempting
to play some legitimate jazz standards, a couple of Joe Henderson tunes, and
other sidebar items. Hes also working with the synthaxe, a synthesizer
controller, on three cuts. The most revelatory moments of the date come from the
acoustic sounding digital piano of Gordon Beck, a true master whose be-bop chops
and inventive solo work cements the legitimate jazz aesthetic into the fiber of
this music. Electric bass guitarist Gary Willis (of Tribal Tech) and drummer
Kirk Covington work pretty well together, and swing, albeit in a more rock/R&B
orientation. Holdsworth has a predilection for stating melodies very briefly
before immediately going into a solo. This is most evident during John Coltranes
Countdown, where he tosses out the theme with nice chords, then rips into his
distinctive flowing single 16th and 32nd note lines. Holdsworth is not all flash
— he comps frequently and tastefully, as on the well-played Henderson
piece Isotope, getting out of Becks path as the pianist digs into an aggressive,
melody drenched solo. A 6/8 take of Norwegian Wood is quite interesting, with
Becks modal piano chords and Holdsworths guitar melody working in opposing keys,
adopting a sound closer to John Abercrombie. The leader skates around the melody
of How Deep Is the Ocean, with Beck proving himself a superior, cliche-free
improviser reharmonizing the changes. Synth dominates the trumped up, phony take
of Django Reinhardts Nuages, while a saving bass-led Very Early (Bill Evans
piece) in waltz tempo has Beck shining on his sped-up improv from a slower
introductory pace. Time and time again on this date he proves to be the true
star. The remaining tracks are Becks piano-driven, rather Pat Metheny-esque
contemporary Southwest landscape hard swinger San Marcos, and the
synthaxe-oriented, three-note vamp of the title cut, with a more patiently
constructed guitar solo at the beginning. Holdsworth is a speed freak, once and
always, who cannot be tamed — nor would his fans want him to. His
multilayered, frenetic style is what fascinates his audience, but he is showing
a need to calm down at times, and adopt different sounds aside from the single
crystalline entity for which he is known. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Allan Holdsworth, guitar, synthaxe
Gordon Beck, digital piano, keyboards
Gary Willis, bass

Digitally remastered

Tracklist:
1 01. Allan Holdsworth - Countdown (Remastered) (03:09)
1 02. Allan Holdsworth - Nuages (Remastered) (05:41)
1 03. Allan Holdsworth - How Deep Is the Ocean (Remastered) (05:29)
1 04. Allan Holdsworth - Isotop (Remastered) (05:42)
1 05. Allan Holdsworth - None Too Soon (Part 1)/Interlude/None Too Soon [Part
II] (Remastered) (07:43)
1 06. Allan Holdsworth - Norwegian Wood (Remastered) (05:55)
1 07. Allan Holdsworth - Very Early (Remastered) (07:41)
1 08. Allan Holdsworth - San Marcos (Remastered) (03:24)
1 09. Allan Holdsworth - Inner Urge (Remastered) (06:12)

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