None Too Soon

None Too Soon is the ninth studio album by guitarist Allan Holdsworth, released on 24 September 1996 by Polydor Records (Japan), JMS–Cream Records (Europe) and Restless Records (United States);[1] a remastered edition was reissued on 17 April 2012 through MoonJune Records.[2]

None Too Soon
Studio album by
Allan Holdsworth
Released24 September 1996 (1996-09-24)
RecordedOctober 1994
StudioThe Brewery, North County, San Diego
GenreJazz fusion, jazz, bebop
Length51:01
LabelPolydor
ProducerAllan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth chronology
Hard Hat Area
(1993)		 None Too Soon
(1996)		 Heavy Machinery
(1996)

In a slight departure from Holdsworth's usual solo work, the album is composed mainly of jazz standard interpretations, as well as two original pieces written by pianist and longtime collaborator Gordon Beck.[3][4] Both musicians had previously worked together on the albums Sunbird (1979), The Things You See (1980) and With a Heart in My Song (1988).

Overview

In a 1996 interview, Holdsworth explained the reasoning for not including any original material written by himself: "Gordon Beck once suggested that I should do an album with more well known tunes so people can hear what I sound like over these tunes. ... The other good reason for this choice is that I haven't written enough original material to fill an album." On the selection of songs, Holdsworth stated: "We absolutely didn't want to play all the classic standards everybody is playing already ... I definitely didn't want to do any of my own tunes this time."[4] On the type of jazz being played: "It's not a trad album. It's a bebop album, but with a wrench or two in there."[3] According to Holdsworth, Beck's use of a digital piano (as opposed to a regular one) was something to which the latter was not accustomed.[3]

The album was recorded in October 1994,[3] but was not released worldwide until almost two years later due to problems between Holdsworth and Polydor:[4] "I had a lot of problems with the record company. I was signed to a certain company for a world deal. ... Then they informed me that they weren't going to release it anywhere else in the world just because one guy didn't like the music!"[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About JazzNeutral[5]
All About Jazz (2)Neutral[6]
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork0.3/10[7]

None Too Soon has received mixed reviews. Chris M. Slawecki at All About Jazz likened Holdsworth's playing and interpretations to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pat Metheny and John Scofield, whilst praising Beck's work on the title track as "well-considered and articulate in design and execution".[5] John Kelman, also at All About Jazz, remarked that the album had "a kind of restrained power that makes this not exactly a fusion record, but not exactly a straight-ahead one either".[6]

Michael G. Nastos at AllMusic praised Holdsworth's unique style, but suggested a need for him to show restraint during his usual passages and try different sounds.[1] Jason Josephes at Pitchfork panned the album, calling it "excretable wankery that includes the single worst cover of "Norwegian Wood" that could possibly be produced."[7]

Track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Countdown"John Coltrane3:11
2."Nuages"Django Reinhardt5:41
3."How Deep Is the Ocean"Irving Berlin5:29
4."Isotope"Joe Henderson5:41
5."None Too Soon Pt I/Interlude/None Too Soon Pt II"Gordon Beck7:44
6."Norwegian Wood"John Lennon, Paul McCartney5:55
7."Very Early"Bill Evans7:42
8."San Marcos"Beck3:24
9."Inner Urge"Henderson6:14
Total length:51:01

Personnel
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gollark: I should try compiling my fun and excellent malloc implementation with C++.
gollark: A dastardly trap.
gollark: So smart pointers are like Rust, but in C++ and not as well supported?
gollark: <@!341618941317349376> Do you?

References
  1. Nastos, Michael G. "None Too Soon - Allan Holdsworth". AllMusic. RhythmOne. 9 September 2014.
  2. "None Too Soon by Allan Holdsworth" Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine. Moonjune Records. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  3. Douse, Cliff (December 1996). "Legato Land". Guitar Techniques. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. Hallebeek, Richard (11 May 1996). "Allan Holdsworth (1996)" Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. richardhallebeek.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. Slawecki, Chris M. (19 December 2012). "Allan Holdsworth: None Too Soon (2012)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  6. Kelman, John (23 March 2012). "Allan Holdsworth: Hard Hat Area and None Too Soon". All About Jazz. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  7. Josephes, Jason. "Allan Holdsworth: None Too Soon: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
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