Very true. A very unusual person. I knew two people who played with him (both also deceased), although I never met him myself. One of them said he was the greatest natural musician he'd ever played with - but that he was almost TOO good. He had too many options, although this clip is very good. A great player indeed.
I was a chord-and-strum kind of guy, so the last quarter of the piece was something I could at least attempt on a good day. The machine gun arpeggios early on were beyond anything I could ever do on my best day ever. I’m just barely qualified to listen!
Played some of his songs (a couple of live recordings) in the car this morning and the drive was a real joy. Will continue to explore his work as a listener.
Holdsworth, Jeff Beck, Al Dimeola, Jaco Pastorius, and Paco DeLucia, Peter Manau, Jean-Luc Ponty were major influences on me during the 1980's. Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Carlos Devadip Santana. Many more to name but Holdsworth is HOF.