Propensity
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CD Details
Edition: Music CDAudio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-07-28
Music Label: Art of Life Records
Soundtracks:
- Jools Toon (10:39) - Danny With Allan Holdsworth Thompson, John Steven
- It Could Have Been Mono (15:48) - Danny With Allan Holdsworth Thompson, John Steven
Music reviews of Propensity
Music Review: "Propensity" is a revelation and a great listen, too. A must for Holdsworth fans!
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a valuable document of a particular period in Allan Holdsworth's career as well as John Steven's. It is a very short but very fruitful meeting of two major forces in the music with the addition of a fabulous sounding bass player, Danny Thompson, to whom I've never had much exposure, other than his work with Pentangle. This is free/Jazz-Rock blowing of a very high order and Holdsworth uses his exceptional melodic sense and technique to expand to more adventuresome tonal territory than he was apt to be in then. Early McLaughlin of Lifetime is clearly influential here but Allan has established his own zone.
The opening "Jools Toon" finds Allan on 12-string acoustic, playing some semi-McLaughlinesque articulated chords while Stevens plays rapid free time and Thompson ad libs. Then Holdsworth plays some rapidly executed abstract runs that only he could do. He further gives forth with some more interesting out chords and sounded clusters while Thompson's bass sounds very nice behind him--busy and flowingly blazing. Holdsworth executes some more amazing lines, chromatically out there and richly expanded harmonically. Now Thompson plays a Mingus flavored assertion that's bluesy, hard and expanded against Holdsworth's exotic chords while Stevens gets quiet with brushes. Then Stevens goes back to sticks with a swinging pulse, Thompson now walking. Holdsworth gives out with more cool chromatic lines that have a machine-gun articulation. It's an impressive performance.
For the second number Holdsworth switches to electric six-string. "It Could Have Been Mono" is a longer excursion and it covers a great deal of ground. A quasi-"Lonely Woman" feel by the rhythm section compliments Holdsworth's rapid expanded-tonality runs. Stevens flirts with a Rock beat as he weaves around the swing and freetime pulse, giving a nice underpinning for Allan's outer excursion. Now Allan plays out chords while Thompson plays a good bunch of strident bass. Then Allen launches into some more blazing runs that do not land firmly on any pitch center but imply one that Thompson hints at as well. Thompson then gets the spotlight in a forceful solo that's Mingus & Haden and more besides, like perhaps a little Scott Lafaro? A loose bombastic swing from Stevens sets off a new torrent of guitar runs, with some repeating phrases to build excitement and tension, then off to the wide ranging runs all over the place. Stevens definitely pushes Allan along with Thompson solidly doing the same. Sevens gets a solo drum spot with lots of snare and toms and dynamic tension. The group comes back in for a Blues inflected finale. Thompson solos strongly in this groove, then Stevens comes swinging in with heat and Holdsworth in turn takes up the blues tonality and he plays in and out of it nicely. A fine ending to a fine outing.
It's a pity there isn't much else out there like this from the mid-to-late '70s period but the 26 minute teaser Propensity is a revelation and a great listen, too. A must for Holdsworth fans and those who appreciate great guitar trios in an outer vein. It also shows Danny Thompson to be a bassist of good taste, skill, and power. Oh, and John Stevens fans will dig this one too, I am certain.
Grego Applegate Edwards - Cadence Magazine
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Description of Propensity
Art of Life Records is pleased to present a previously unreleased recording by three legendary British musicians. Bassist Danny Thompson (Pentangle, John Martyn, Tubby Hayes, Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson), guitarist Allan Holdsworth (Igginbottom, Nucleus, Tempest, Soft Machine, Gong, Bruford, U.K., Tony Williams New Lifetime) and drummer John Stevens (Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Tubby Hayes, Derek Bailey). Recorded at Island Studios, St. Peter's Square, in London, England on September 4th & 5th, 1978, "Propensity" includes two extended length group improvised tracks which prominently feature guitarist Allan Holdsworth on electric guitar ("It Could Have Been Mono") as well as 12-string acoustic guitar ("Jools Toon"). Other than the brief track, "Gone Sailing", from the album "Bundles" by Soft Machine recorded in 1975, this is the only known recording of Holdsworth soloing on a 12-string acoustic guitar. Holdsworth can be heard soloing throughout 90% of both tracks except during a few brief bass and drum solos. All tracks have been professionally mastered using 24-bit digital technology. Art of Life Records AL1038-2.Jazz CDs
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