Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth/Tokyo,Japan 2003

The 2003 Japan tour is still talked about today. Here is a superb live album that tells the truth. At the time, the tour was an annual event, but this year bassist Ernest Tibbs joined the band, and for some reason Chad Wackerman performed like a demon. This is an audience recording that records the whole story with extremely high-quality and real sound. This work includes the “May 5, 2003: Roppongi Pit Inn” performance. It was a concert at the same venue exactly one year after the official live album “ALL NIGHT WRONG”. Let’s check the tour schedule at that time.・April 25th: Fukuchiyama FARM, Kyoto ・April 26th: Chicken George, Kobe ・April 27th: Live Spot Rag, Kyoto ・April 28th: ​​Kanazawa, Kanazawa AZ ・April 29th: Bottom Line, Nagoya ・May 1st-5th: Roppongi Pit Inn, Tokyo (5 performances) ←★Here★ All 10 performances. At “Roppongi Pit Inn”, there were 5 consecutive days of performances, and this work is the last day of the performance. The sound of this work is truly exquisite, superb, and ultra-high quality. In fact, it was a recording that appeared on the Masterport label at the time, and at that time, it was praised by specialist magazines as “the highest peak of ultra-real audience recording,” “a luxurious and rich dynamic range packed with plenty of air,” and “high quality sound at the limit.” In this work, the original DAT master provided by the recordist was re-recorded on CD, but it is hard to believe that it is a DAT recording. Even by today’s digital standards, it is a transcendent sound that is hard to find. The sound depicts a great performance that was much talked about at the time. First of all, Alan is in great shape. He gave a stable performance at every show, and it was clear that he was really enjoying playing. His flashy playing without a break and his frequent use of arm movements, which seems to be a second attempt at the rock side, contrasts with the sleepy phrasing in Soft Works. In the opening songs “Leave ‘Em On” and “Texas,” he suddenly starts flying at full throttle, and in “Zone,” which has a free part in between, the romantic and rising phrases are thrilling. In “Alphrasallan,” the long and free solo is wonderful, and it is interesting to hear him play a bluesy entertainment phrase at the end in response to the audience. The hard, wide and tight guitar sound that spins such a performance is also wonderful. The effects are almost only two UD-STOMPs. Two volume pedals are used to split the backing and solo parts between the two DG combo amps, and fine adjustments are made by directly moving the knobs on the amps. Alan himself likes the simple and light touring system, and the quality of the Bill Dillapp guitar is apparent. It produces a full, well-defined, mid-range sound. The rhythm section that supports Alan also performs well. New member Ernest Tibbs focuses on the root, but keeps it rough and crawls along the ground, and his half-shuffle beat is heavier and more comfortable than that of his predecessor Jimmy Johnson. Even more striking is Chad Wackerman. In any case, he has scaled up dramatically throughout the entire album, and his sudden transformation makes you wonder, “Have he not been able to show even half of his potential in his previous Japan tours?” The first half of “Water On The Brain” has a strong, dynamic beat, and he also shows off his great drumming in a new arrangement that combines “The Things You See” and “Material Reals”. Of course, the drum solo in the familiar “Letters Of Marque” is also extremely powerful. The rhythm section, which has been refined to the highest level ever, explodes. And “Letters Of Marque” is the ultimate masterpiece. Chad’s drum solo is also extremely powerful, and he plays without showing any signs of fatigue, while performing endless new techniques. Alan responds to Chad with a number of vivid and energetic phrases, as if to say, “How about this!” The colorful phrases, which you wouldn’t think are made with such simple equipment, are packed with ideas and inspiration. Anyway, the rhythm section has scaled up significantly, and Alan’s playing has regained his youth. The regulars who come to Japan every year for the performance could not hide their excitement at the excellent performance, and they all praised it as “the best in the last few years”. This is a masterpiece of a live album that depicts the whole story with the ultimate sound. After 14 years, it is back. Live at Roppongi Pit-Inn, Tokyo, Japan 5th May 2003 ULTIMATE SOUND (from Original Masters) Disc 1 (42:24) 1. Leave’Em On 2. Texas 3. Water On The Brain 4. Above And Below 5. Bo Beep 6. Zone Disc 2 (50:30) 1. The Things You See/Material Reals 2. Gas Lamp Blues 3. Lanyard Loop 4. Alphrasallan 5. Letters Of Marque 6. Proto Cosmos Allan Holdsworth – Guitars Ernest Tibbs – Bass Chad Wackerman – Drums