Tag: Soft Machine

Soft Machine Returns!

On By kruekuttIn jazz rock, progressive rockLeave a comment

News from Theo Travis, sax-man to prog giants like Steven Wilson, Robert Fripp and David Gilmour:

In September 2018, Soft Machine release their new studio album ‘Hidden Details’. This is the first Soft Machine album (as opposed to Soft Machine Legacy album) in 37 years – since ‘In the Land of Cockayne’. It features John Etheridge (guitar) Roy Babbington (bass) and John Marshall (drums) alongside Theo on Tenor and Soprano saxes, flute and alto flute and Fender Rhodes electric piano.

Theo has written four tunes for the album and there are arrangements of two classic Soft Machine tracks – Out Bloody Rageous (from Third) and The Man who Waved at Trains (from Bundles) . There are also various group improvisations. The music is broad ranging from psychedelia to jazz rock to free form improv’ to simple pop-ish tunes to hypnotic mood pieces …

With the release of the album the band featuring John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Roy Babbington and John Marshall will go on a Soft Machine 50 Years World Tour celebrating 50 years since the first Soft Machine album.

The various vinyl & CD editions of ‘Hidden Details’ are spelled out in Theo’s post; Sid Smith (author of the definitive King Crimson biography) has mentioned that he’s written the liner notes on his Facebook page.   Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if a download version of the album will show up at Soft Machine’s Bandcamp site.

North American tour dates (the band’s first since 1974, when founding organist Mike Ratledge, guitarist Allan Holdsworth and Adiemus guru Karl Jenkins were in the group) will include:

  • Saturday 06 October: Orion Studios, Baltimore MD
  • Sunday 07 October: Theater of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • Tuesday 09 October: Roxy & Duke’s Rockabilly Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
  • Wednesday 10 October: Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY
  • Friday-Sunday 12-14 October: Iridium, New York, NY (3 shows)
  • Tuesday 16 October: Mod Club Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • Wednesday 17 October: The Tralf, Buffalo, NY
  • Thursday 18 October: Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, Cleveland, OH
  • Sunday 21 October: Progtoberfest, Reggie’s Rock Club, Chicago, IL
  • Monday 22 October: Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
  • Tuesday 23 October: The Turf, St. Paul, MN

Since I’m hoping to see the band at Progtoberfest, I’ve been listening to the Softs’ original recordings recently, and am primed to dive into the Soft Machine Legacy albums of the 21st century.  Watch this space for some serious Retroarchy coming soon …

— Rick Krueger

 

1969: A Blast from the Past

On By kruekuttIn folk rock, hard rock, Pink Floyd, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, punk rockLeave a comment

“Well it’s 1969 OK all across the USA
It’s another year for me and you
                                      Another year with nothing to do”  — 1969, The Stooges

I was 7 going on 8 in 1969.  But my brother was ten years older — and Detroit was a prime location to explore rock as it turned psychedelic, then progressive, still with plenty of punk attitude.  Our cousin from Lansing was about the same age as my brother — so they did a fair amount of concertgoing together.

The other day, out of the blue I got a letter from our cousin, reproduced below with my random thoughts interspersed:

Dear Cousin Rick,

I’m sending along a copy of the program from the festival I attended in the south of England summer of 1969.  I thought you might it interesting.

plumpton festival program(Hmmm … The 9th National Jazz and Blues Festival.  Waitaminute: Pink Floyd?  King Crimson?  Peter Hammill performing solo before the first Van Der Graaf Generator album? Yes?  The Who?  Keith Emerson with The Nice?  Not to mention Soft Machine and Pentangle?  And he was there? Doggone straight I find it interesting.  Please continue, cousin!)

I’d seen both The Who and The Nice at the Grande Ballroom in the spring before.  The Who played the entire Tommy opera both times.  The Nice as I remember had some kind of revolving organ at the Grande.  At the Plumpton fest they closed the show on Sunday backed by a large orchestra.  At the final song the stage opened and a regiment of bagpipers marched off the stage and into the crowd.  Those were heady times.

isle of wight 1969There’s also a copy of the Isle of Wight festival flier which I missed as it was the weekend which we were heading home.  Such fond memories.

(Bob Dylan & The Band?  The Moody Blues?  More from King Crimson, The Who and Pentangle?  Stop torturing me, cousin!!!  Actually, no — please continue as I wrestle with envy and wish Doctor Who’s TARDIS was real.)

The day we arrived in London the Rolling Stones played in Hyde Park celebrating the life of Brian Jones who had just passed.  Couldn’t quite get there but almost.  (Another King Crimson show!!)

I’d like to hear more about your music blogging/reviews.    P.S.  We didn’t arrive at the fest until Saturday so we missed all the Friday acts.  Booo!

Fortunately, the sounds of the Plumpton Festival aren’t completely lost in the mists of time; I plan to direct my cousin to Soft Machine’s and Pink Floyd’s sets online, and send him a copy of King Crimson’s set.

detroit rr revival 1969And talking with my brother later, I heard the story of how he and my cousin somehow got permission to go to the 1969 Detroit Rock’n’Roll Revival (with the MC5, Chuck Berry, Dr. John, The “Psychedelic” Stooges and many more acts) the night before my sister’s wedding.  Maybe I should rethink missing Yes’ 50th Anniversary Tour when it hits Grand Rapids.  Not to mention Wayne Kramer’s MC50 Kick Out the Jams 50th Anniversary Tour and Soft Machine’s world tour coming to Progtoberfest IV …

— Rick Krueger

Allan Holdsworth (1946-2017): Endless Melody

On By kruekuttIn jazz rock, progressive rock2 Comments

It took me a while to get my hands on a copy of the late Allan Holdsworth’s new compilation, Eidolon.  It was well worth the wait.

What strikes me on the second listen to Eidolon is the seemingly endless flow of melody Holdsworth tapped.  Despite his stunning contributions to the first U.K. album, it’s clear in retrospect that the man wasn’t comfortable in a highly structured musical environment.  Like his hero John Coltrane, Holdsworth was much happier stating the tune at the start, in bebop head style, then seeing where he could travel with it.

Taking on the basic materials of scales and arpeggios from oblique directions, chaining them together into lightning fast, super-dense sheets of sound, slowing or stopping dead on a sustained note or an unexpected harmonic twist at just the right moment, all somehow connected to the chord changes he floated above — this is what Holdsworth brought to the Tony Williams Lifetime and Soft Machine, what he developed further in Bill Bruford’s band (before and after U.K.), and what he spent the rest of his life exploring.  From the evidence here, he never ran out of new territory to pioneer; minds were duly blown, and hearts were duly moved.

Despite the admiration and support of more famous shredders like Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani, Allan Holdsworth never broke through to wide acclaim. But Eidolon leads me to believe that the gift of music — especially of melody — always brought him joy. Kudos to Manifesto Records for their re-release of all of Holdsworth’s albums (compiled as The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever) and this excellent compilation — which you can check out below.

Rick Krueger