Guitarist H Allan rocks “Stiletto Heels”
He
struts with confidence on his debut release that reimagines the Richard
Elliot sax classic as a searing guitar jam. The single goes for radio
adds on Monday.
CHICAGO (21 August 2017): Like most guitar players who came of age in the 80s, H Allan was an Eddie Van Halen
disciple and he loved to shred. The wannabe rocker never would have
imagined that one day he would release a cover version of a tune by
smooth jazz sax star Richard Elliot as his debut single, but that’s what will happen on Monday when his version of “Stiletto Heels” goes for radio adds.
Allan’s first job out of college was with the LA Sax Company,
the maker of color-coated saxes used by an array of artists in all
genres of music, including Elliot. His duties required that he attend
shows whenever the musicians played Chicago thus Allan attended all of
Elliot’s local gigs in the early 90s. A dynamic, high-energy performer,
Elliot plays sax aggressively with power, passion and pyrotechnics much
like the way Van Halen plays guitar, which quickly impressed Allan and
won his respect and admiration. One song in Elliot’s set, the funky
“Stiletto Heels” from the 1991 album “On The Town,” never fails
to whip audiences into a boisterous frenzy. The tune and the way Elliot
attacks it - well, simply put, it’s got balls - the kind that would make
a lasting impression on Allan, who had the privilege of working with
the saxman for nearly a decade.
A
few years ago, long after he moved on from the LA Sax Company, Allan’s
own dream of being a recording artist was rekindled. He recorded a few
original demos and decided to convert “Stiletto Heels” from a powerhouse
sax joint into a raucous guitar-led number.
“I
was always blown away by Richard’s playing skills, musicality and
ability to connect with his audience. I thought it would be cool to hear
a guitar version of this saxophone classic (“Stiletto Heels”),” said
Allan, who was named H at birth when his parents couldn’t agree on what
name beginning with the letter h to give him.
He
began recording demos on which he played all the lead sax, rhythm
guitar and keyboard parts on guitar. Allan decided to send the tracks to
Elliot’s longtime keyboardist Ron Reinhardt who was so impressed that he offered to record the keyboard parts for the reboot. Then, after seeing a Facebook post from Elliot’s drummer, Eric Valentine Jr.,
offering his services as a session player, he landed a drum track from a
second core member of Elliot’s band. Another prominent role on the
“Stiletto Heels” rhythm track is the elastic basslines for which he
recruited fellow Chicago native Mike “Funktastic” Zabrin to handle.
Piece
by piece, it was coming together, but Allan struggled to find his
unique guitar voice. He tried out a number of guitars and different
approaches – some pure rock with lots of distortion that were true to
his roots and some purposely smooth jazz. Eventually he settled on a
vintage 1980s Gibson ES-175 guitar with Benedetto pickups and flat wound strings that has the type of clean electric jazz guitar sound that “Wes Montgomery himself would be proud of,” Allan said about the missing link.
A longtime Frank Zappa acolyte, Allan tapped Zappa band member Robert Martin to mix and master the single. When Elliot heard Allan’s reimagined rendition, he said, “I freaking love it!”
Allan’s
hopes for “Stiletto Heels” are clear. “The goal of this project is to
get the single onto the charts and try to open some doors to playing
shows as a solo artist as well as gigging with other artists.” He’s
begun plotting his next recording project, but is keeping the details
close to the vest for now.
For more information, please visit www.HAllan.info. Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375 / rick@greatscottpr.com
