Allan Holdsworth – None Too Soon (1996) Review | This Bird Has Flown
Kronomyth 13.0: Some new tunes.
Allan Holdsworth playing jazz standards sounds like a straightforward proposition until you hear him do it. None Too Soon is an album of mostly jazz covers (plus two new songs from Gordon Beck), the impetus for which appears to have been a version of “Michelle” recorded in 1993 with the same quartet for Come Together: Guitar Tribute To The Beatles. Although the mathematical fusion of his last album is still in evidence (“Countdown,” “How Deep Is The Ocean”), None Too Soon also showcases Holdsworth’s softer side (“Nuages,” “Very Early”) and allows him to indulge some of his tenor saxophone fantasies, via guitar and Synthaxe, on material from John Coltrane and Joe Henderson. Beck plays the role of collaborator, composer and co-arranger, and the album might just as easily have been credited to the pair. In fact, Beck selected many of the songs to cover, while Holdsworth approached them less as standards than as original works waiting to be interpreted. He has always followed his own muse, even when playing other people’s music, and familiarity with the material provides only a reference point. You’ve probably heard The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” and Coltrane’s “Countdown” before, but not like this. The transformation of Joe Henderson’s “Isotope” and “Inner Urge” may mean more to jazz aficionados familiar with the originals, but familiarity is hardly required to appreciate the playing. Gary Willis and Kirk Covington, both of Tribal Tech, provide excellent support and show the wisdom of bringing in a ready-made rhythm section. As the last collaboration between Beck and Holdsworth, None Too Soon makes for an appropriate farewell. Most of the compositions may belong to somebody else, but by the time Beck and Holdsworth are finished with them, there’s little doubt whose record you’re listening to.
The Product
1. Countdown (John Coltrane) 3:09
2. Nuages (Django Reinhardt) 5:40
3. How Deep Is The Ocean (Irving Berlin) 5:29
4. Isotope (Joe Henderson) 5:41
5. None Too Soon Pt. One/Interlude/None Too Soon Pt. Two (Gordon Beck) 7:42
6. Norwegian Wood (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 5:55
7. Very Early (Bill Evans) 7:40
8. San Marcos (Gordon Beck) 3:22
9. Inner Urge (Joe Henderson) 6:15
The Players
Allan Holdsworth (guitar & Synthaxe), Gordon Beck (digital piano, keyboards), Kirk Covington (drums), Gary Willis (bass guitar). Produced, recorded and mixed by Allan Holdsworth with engineering assistance from Gordon Davis. Re-issue executive producer: Leonardo Pavkovic.
The Pictures
Photos by Rick Gould, Glen Laferman, David Coralnick and Dave Flores.
The Plastic
Released on compact disc on September 24, 1996 in the UK (JMS/Cream), the US (Restless) and Japan (Polydor).
- Re-issued on compact disc in 2012 in the US (Moonjune, MJR043).
