Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth/Hyogo,Japan 2004

In the early 21st century, Alan Holdsworth came to Japan almost every year. Here is a famous recording that represents the 2004 tour. This year, following Ernest Tibbs who joined the band last year, the drummer was changed to Joe Taylor. 2003 was also a great performance that was said to be the “best ever,” but it was a big topic that even surpassed 2003. This work is a superb audience recording of the “April 30 Chicken George performance” from the 2004 tour. First, let’s check the tour schedule at that time. ・April 27: Kanazawa, Kanazawa AZ ・April 28: Nagoya, Bottom Line ・April 29: Kyoto, Live Spot Rag ・April 30: Kobe, Chicken George [This work] ・May 2-4: Tokyo, Roppongi Pit Inn (3 performances) A ​​total of 7 performances. The last performance of the tour was the now-defunct holy ground “Roppongi Pit Inn” 3DAYS, but this work is the concert that came before that. The quality of this work is extremely wonderful, the best audience. In fact, this recording was released by the Sirene label, and even at that time, it was highly praised by specialist magazines, with comments such as “super dynamic range and clarity that will surprise anyone,” “transparency that allows you to hear every last detail of the drums,” and “one of the best recordings of the JAPAN tours ever.” In this work, the famous recording has been re-released on CD from the original master provided by the recordist. It has been reissued with the best sound. In fact, the sound that flows from this work embodies the ideal of jazz fusion. According to the recordist, it was recorded in the front row, but the front row is a very divided place. If it goes well, you can pick up the closeness of the PA sound coming directly, but if it goes badly, the sound of the venue may wrap around and become blurry and fuzzy. Of course, this work is a success, but you can enjoy the taste of the front row to an extreme extent. There is almost no echo in the hall, and the microphone is not blurred at all. Furthermore, the cheers of the audience can be heard from far back, so the “beauty of the front row” is perfectly aligned. The performance depicted by such a sound is the key. As mentioned in the commentary of “TOKYO 2003 FINAL NIGHT” released at the same time this week, the 2003 performance in Japan was highly praised as “the best in recent years”. However, this year’s performance was highly praised as “far surpassing” even that masterpiece. The entire performance is a stable and complete performance that gives the best of the trio. Perhaps inspired by the stable rhythm of such members, Alan Holdsworth, who is the key player, also performed an improvisation with tremendous concentration. He delivers one great solo after another, combining originality and a beginning, development, twist, and conclusion. The phrases overflowing with inspiration are filled with power beyond their years, and the passion and brilliance of a burning flame are scattered. At the time, the Kobe performance was highly praised as a “masterpiece” on the tour. This is a masterpiece of a live album that depicts it with superb sound. The mature trio’s dense and unbroken sound sympathy, the ensemble is vivid to the end. Live at Chicken George, Kobe, Japan 30th April 2004 ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (1st Set) (47:22) 1. Intro. 2. Leave’em On 3. Band Introduction 4. Bo Beep 5. Water On The Brain 6. Above And Below 7. Gas Lamp Blues 8. Zone Disc 2 (2nd Set) (50:49) 1. Opening 2. Looking Glass 3. Drum Tuning 4. Lanyard Loop 5. Alphrazallan 6. Texas 7. Letters of Marque 8. Joe Taylor Drum Solo 9. Letters of Marque 10. Proto Cosmos 11. Outro. Allan Holdsworth – Guitar Ernest Tibbs – Bass Joe Taylor – Drums