JAZZ REVIEWS : Holdsworth Fans Get Dose of What Made Him Famous

It’s not so amazing that Musician magazine recently saw fit toput Allan Holdsworth’s name among the first half-dozen on its recent list of “100 Greatest Guitarists.” What’s amazing is that after giving Holdsworth his due, they bothered to even mention some 95 others.

Holdsworth has inspired a generation of electric guitarists with the speed and fluidity of his playing. He’s the Chuck Yeager of his instrument, the man who first flew faster and higher than anyone thought possible, and opened whole frontiers to those who followed in his contrails.

The faithful gathered to pay tribute Friday at the Rhythm Cafe and to see what new tricks Holdsworth might have up his sleeve. Playing to a sea of Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen look-alikes, he gave them what they wanted: long, encircling runs played at lightning speed; strong chordal constructions, and beat, plenty of muscular beat.

As he did for most of last year’s “Wardenclyffe Tower” recording, Holdsworth worked with a trimmed-down unit that served to spotlight his guitar. The current band is a just-so fit of Steve Hunt’s keyboard color, the drive and punch supplied by bassist Skuli Sverrisson (the only member not heard on the album), and Chad Wackerman’s powerhouse drums.

But Holdsworth ignored material from “Wardenclyffe Tower.” Instead, we got a program of earlier efforts, with a handful of tunes yet to be released on record. And if there was one thing Friday’s show lacked, it was the change of pace that more considered, tempo-variable pieces from “Tower,” such as “Sphere of Innocence” or the title tune, would have added.

Don’t think anyone was complaining, though.

Holdsworth came out hitting the chordal anthem of “Looking Glass” with a touch that, while certainly solid, seemed downright delicate compared to his single-note phrases. Not that’s there’s anything harsh about his delivery; the ease with which he uncoils long, rippling lines, even at envelope-pushing speeds, gives them a soft, inviting character.

“Ruhkukahr,” one of the new tunes, did provide subtlety shifting moods and not so subtle rhythmic changes for the soloists. Though you’ll probably never walk down the street whistling a Holdsworth number--the unexpected embellishments and often quirky lines are something other than memorable--this one was more melodic than most. “Low Levels, High Stakes” also offered some dynamic variation and a chance for bassist Sverrisson to show off his lyrical skills in an improvisation notable for the absence of thumb-pounding appeals to funk.

Before the band broke into Wackerman’s “Tell Me,” the drummer worked up a long, unaccompanied solo impressive for its strength and his use of a half-dozen tom-toms. Still, Wackerman was at his best when driving the band. His to-the-beat accents, and the surprising way he responds to Holdsworth’s statements, go a long way in keeping the material from too heavy a reliance on backbeat.

Holdsworth shot-tracer fire and echoing chords over a futuristic backdrop created by Hunt’s keyboards before the rhythm section joined in on “Zone,” an encore that culminated in a furious exchange between Holdsworth and Wackerman. Holdsworth kicked off the second encore, “Shallow Sea,” unaccompanied, with a series of almost tender chords--an appropriate parting reminder that his style isn’t all flame and fireworks.

One small quibble: Many of the tunes just seemed to run out, without any real resolution. Maybe the idea of writing a close just doesn’t appeal to Holdsworth, but some kind of knot to tie things up makes a lot more sense than just leaving things dangling. Even if it’s only “cha-cha-cha.”