Allan Holdsworth and Alan Pasqua - Live at Yoshi's

Introduction
Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua, Chad Wackerman, and Jimmy Haslip might not be names that are known to many music lovers around the world, but when it comes to the jazz genre, they are considered some of the greatest exponents of their craft.

Each has contributed to the work of more mainstream bands (Holdsworth with Level 42, Pasqua with Bob Dylan, Wackerman with Frank Zappa, and Haslip with the Michael Bolton-fronted band Blackjack)), but this live set shows each men in their preferred musical mindset.

"Live at Yoshi's" was recorded on 29th September 2006, from Yoshi's Jazz and Sushi Club in Oakland, California.

Video
Video is presented in 16:9 anamorphic NTSC (Region 0) and is good for a DVD of this genre. It is claimed that the DVD was recorded with high definition equipment, but there's really nothing here that looks any better than the average, new, DVD concert.

There are some digital artefacts noticeable throughout, and these will be emphasised on larger screens. I viewed this disc on two different televisions, a 32" CRT and a 42" plasma TV, and the plasma output was noticeably blocky. That said, the transfer is just fine for regular viewing - it is just that the promise of a higher quality picture from the original HD source is not the case here.





Audio
There are two audio tracks available here, a PCM stereo mix, and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. With my surround setup, I had expected that the Dolby mix would be my preferred option, but in the end, after several minutes of to-ing and fro-ing, I settled on the PCM mix.

The Dolby mix is certainly the more spacious of the two, as you'd expect. Jimmy Haslip's bass is thundering, laying a foundation for the other three band members, who each take an equal back seat in this mix. It's not that you can't hear Allan Holdsworth's guitar, for example, it's just that there's a lot of air here, with nothing but bass pushed forward to the front.

The PCM mix lacks the aforementioned spaciousness, but while it retains quite the groove via the subwoofer, the other instruments are much further forward, giving a more aggressive tone to the band, and generally capturing the intensity that you'd expect from a high-level concert.





Overall
The world of jazz is one which isn't always appreciated by non-fans, but in watching "Live at Yoshi's", it was difficult not to be taken aback by the wonderful musicianship on display. I knew of the technical virtuosity of Allan Holds worth (he is, after all, the only man on the planet about whom Eddie Van Halen said 'I don't know how he does it'), but Haslip, Pacqua, and Wackerman are masters of their instruments.

With "Live at Yoshi's", what we have is somewhat akin to a Carlos Santana improvisation set, but while Holdsworth's reputation may make him the star of the show, he's not the main focus of the music. Each player has their opportunity to shine, and takes it.

Wackerman's drums in particular impressed me. With this type of almost "free-form" music, the drummer has to be able to keep the timing of the song in check, while improvising in his own right. It's a remarkable talent, and I haven't seen anyone do it better.

For all my talk of Holdsworth not being the centre of the attention, it would be wrong of me not to comment further on his remarkable playing. His guitar work can be beautifully melodic, for example in the harmonic intro to "Fred", but it can also be blistering, as in the closing moments of "Looking Glass". And, I'm not sure I've ever seen a guitar player make it all look so easy.

Aside from the aforementioned, my favourite tracks here were those with more discernable patterns, such as "Blues For Tony" and "Red Alert". That's likely my "rock riff" ears listening, and enthusiasts for this type of jazz will probably find themselves enjoying tracks other than the ones I've picked out.

No matter what you're musical background however, you can't fail but be impressed by the musicianship on offer here, and some of the song-writing is interesting, too. If you have any interest in jazz whatsoever, this is worth a peek at.