British guitarist Allan Holdsworth (born Aug 6, 1946 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England) occupies a legendary status among players of his instrument. Most of his work has been in the realm of electric jazz fusion and progressive rock, though he has also dabbled in more straight-ahead rock and jazz. Aside from many solo albums, he has performed with Bill Bruford (both in his band and in UK), Soft Machine, Gong, Tony Williams, Jean-Luc Ponty, and many others.
He is known for his unusual technique, which is filled with unusual chord voicings and legato melodies of great harmonic sophistication. Many guitarists, including Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai have lauded him as a master. He has also been a pioneer in the use of guitar synthesizers.
(ne le 6 aout 1946 a Bradford en Angleterre)
Allan Holdsworth est un guitariste legendaire de jazz fusion. Son style consiste en un jeu tres lie, base sur beaucoup de legato. Les structures de ses morceaux sont souvent complexes, basees sur une utilisation d'accords fortement enrichis.
Sa carriere debute dans les annees 70 au sein de divers groupe du genre, comme Gong, Soft Machine, et des collaboration avec Jean-Luc Ponty. Plus tard il entrera dans le groupe de rock progressif UK.
C'est en 1976 que sort son premier album solo, Velvet Darkness. Ses oeuvres les plus connues sont I.O.U, road games, metal fatigue, hard hat area et the sixteen men of tain.
Bien que peu connu du grand public, Allan est souvent cite par ses pairs:
Steve Vai : "Les deux meilleurs guitaristes au monde sont Jeff Beck et Allan Holdsworth"
Yngwie Malmsteen : "Je dois retirer mon chapeau devant lui"
Frank Zappa : "Il est le guitariste le plus impressionnant de l'univers"
Edward Van Halen : "Pour moi, c'est le meilleur"
