Pat Smythe Quartet: New Dawn-Live 1973

Previously unreleased live recording of the Pat Smythe Quartet, featuring an up and coming Allan Holdsworth. All I can say is for fans of his playing, this is a must have. 8 tracks recorded at two different shows in France, Holdsworth is on fire, and the quartet keeps right up with him, great playing all around. Here is a quote from Allan on his friend Pat Smythe: "My late friend Pat Smythe was a very inspirational character, a wonderful piano player, and a very musical, mellow guy. He played the nicest chords, and his technique was very delicate. He had this old Bluthner piano and got a great sound. His original tunes were always so pretty.� Holdsworth obviously enjoyed his time with the Quartet, and it shows in his playing.

Pat Smythe who is featured on piano/electric piano is the perfect foil for Holdsworth, what an amazing player; you get a lot of back and forth between the two. Opening with a Holdsworth composition "Golden Lakes", each member gets a chance to shine. The beautiful piano playing at the start of "Rank's Vibe" gives off an old jazz club vibe, and you don’t hear much if anything from Holdsworth early on. When Allan steps up, he's using a clean tone, which is used throughout this recording, and I could listen to that guitar/piano combination all day. "Village Green" has Smythe soloing and playing tons of chords, while bassist Daryl Runswick plays a wonderful walking basslines with John Marshall driving them forward on drums. Allan steps in and unleashes his amazing technique; you can just picture the band smiling at each knowing they nailed it. "Casa Forte" is another showcase for Smythe's fantastic electric piano. The title track "New Dawn" is more laid back, but Holdsworth's playing here is equal parts fiery and gorgeous. Smythe allows each member plenty of time to solo, a great quality in a band leader. It appears that Holdsworth continued to play with Smythe from time to time, and this is a piece of Holdsworth history that fans must own.

Track List:
1. Golden Lakes
2. Rank’s Vibe
3. Village Greene
4. Casa Forte
5. Floppy Hat
6. Waiting For The Walrus
7. New Dawn
8. British Rail

Added: April 29th 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
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Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
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Language: english

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