Allan Holdsworth
The Sixteen Men of Tain

THE REVIEW

As a brave guitarist generally devoted to Heavy Metal in all its subgenres, especially Progressive, the study of Jazz was something that would eventually come, and with it the listening to the various pillars of the genre, whether Fusion, Free Jazz or otherwise, it matters little.

Discovered back in 2006 in the midst of adolescence and rediscovered in adulthood, indeed, as a gezz guitar student, Allan Holdsworth, for me, along with very few other true "monsters," represents the pinnacle of a certain kind of almost unattainable virtuosity for most.

Many cite him as the greatest of all time, and they are, in my opinion, damn right, for those who understand a little something more: a liquid and absolutely unpredictable phrasing, a practically unique sense of melody, a technique, especially in the legato, to say the least, unattainable.

"The Sixteen Men of Tain" is an album that I have literally worn out recently, racking my brains to nail down the impossible guitar parts within it, and which for me represents one of Holdsworth's most beautiful albums: unexpectedly melodic, rhythmically and melodically evocative, dreamy.

But I want to stop here.

I'll just say that it's one of the few "genre" albums that I recommend to anyone: a little masterpiece that, in my opinion, deserves more space in his boundless discography.