Recorded on a chilly night on October 5, 2014 in Gapyeong-Gun, South Korea, Allan Holdsworth, Jimmy Haslip, and Gary Husband played at the Jarasum Jazz Festival in front of an appreciative crowd, and the full concert was captured here on both CD and DVD in what was a spectacular performance. Taking material from throughout the career of the 'guitar maestro', this trio, who only played together for this short time (the tour ran from mid-September through to the last gig at Jarasum), knocked it out of the park on such classics as the Lifetime staples "Fred" and "Red Alert", plus many of Allan's solo gems, like "Devil Take the Hindmost", "Letters of Marque", "The Un-Merry-Go-Round", "Water on the Brain", and a red hot "Texas", among others. As always, the fluid, otherworldly technique of Holdsworth is on display throughout, here ignoring the Synth-axe in favor of his headless Carvin electric guitar, but the real revelation is just how great the synergy is between the guitarist, his regular colleague Husband, and Yellowjacket bass legend Haslip, both of whom form a terrific rhythm team and get plenty of moments to solo and shine. Sound quality on the CD is stellar, and the DVD is a real treat, the show filmed in high-definition and the presentation is near blu-ray quality. A real treat is the interview with Haslip, who talks in-depth of his interactions with Holdsworth over the years, with some great stories of seeing The New Tony Williams Lifetime with Allan on guitar back in the '70s, and then surprisingly getting to work with him many years later.
Kudos to Manifesto Records for another stunning archival live set from the vaults from the late great Allan Holdsworth. If you are a fan, this will be a must purchase.
Track Listing
CD & DVD
1) Texas
2) Fred
3) Water on the Brain-Pt. II
4) Devil Take the Hindmost
5) Gas Lamp Blues
6) Above and Below
7) Leave Them On
8) Letters fo Marque
9) Red Alert
10) The Un-Marry-Go-Round Part 5
Interview with Jimmy Haslip (DVD)