Hello dear friends!
today I’m beyond excited to share something that has been a dream of mine for years – my full cover of Allan Holdsworth’s “Tokyo Dream” from his iconic EP Road Games (1983).
Holdsworth is the guitarist’s guitarist. Frank Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Shawn Lane and Paul Gilbert – all of them described seeing him play as a life-changing moment.
He was adopted as a child, and his foster father – a jazz pianist – taught him guitar through the piano. That’s why his foundations on the instrument were completely different from everyone else’s. He originally wanted to play saxophone, but his family couldn’t afford one, so he was “stuck” with the guitar – an instrument he never truly loved. His lifelong mission was to escape the “guitaristic” sound and make the guitar breathe like a saxophone.
His music lived between worlds: jazz with the power of rock, built on modern classical harmony. His improvisation rejected conventional patterns, creating not just a new harmonic language but a style that felt almost alien – like a guitarist from outer space.
Yet behind the genius was a life of struggle. Holdsworth suffered greatly and paid a heavy price for his uncompromising devotion to art, while remaining a humble, quiet, and truly extraordinary human being.
This video is my personal tribute: a one-shot, live take – no edits. I even tried to improvise in his spirit, though of course no one can truly replicate him.
Still, this is a deeply personal step for me and a heartfelt homage to one of the greatest geniuses ever to walk this earth.
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Allan Holdsworth
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