Soft Machine

Soft Machine
Этот ансамбль, рекордсмен по текучести состава, как и многие его английские авангардные современники, ведет свое происхождение от группы Wilde Flowers, составленной из учеников школы Саймона Лангстона в Кентербери. В начале 60-х годов в ней играли, кроме прочих, клавишник Майк Рэтлидж, басист Хью Хоппер, певец и ударник Роберт Уайетт (урожденный Эллидж) и клавишник Дэвид Синклэр.

Приятели собирались в доме у матери Уайетта, сценариста радиопередач, и играли в основном джаз, пока в 1962 году Роберт не вышел из компании и не поступил в Кентерберийский колледж искусств, где, впрочем, он учился очень недолго и вскоре без денег, автостопом, отправился путешествовать по Европе. В Париже он встретился с 21-летним австралийским битником Дэвидом Олленом, который обладал впечатляющими талантами авангардного композитора и гитариста. Позже к тандему присоединился басист Хью Хоппер, который немедленно увлекся экспериментированием в духе "звуковой петли", внедренной в музыку тогда еще неизвестным широкой публике Терри Райли.

Когда к ним присоединился приехавший из Франции Оллен, группа стала отдавать предпочтение смеси рока и свободных импровизаций. Wilde Flowers записали только несколько демосов в конце 1965 года в студии своего приятеля. Там были в основном версии классических ритм-энд-блюзовых песен от Джеймса Бpауна до Нины Саймон, простенькие джазовые вещицы типа Watermelon Man Херби Хэнкока. Но в их репертуаре можно было услышать и некоторые песни от Beatles и Чака Беppи.

Разделавшись со своими занятиями в Оксфордском университете, в Кентербери вернулся клавишник Майк Рэтлидж - его приезд явился чем-то вроде катализатора. Хью Хоппеp решил завязать с активными выступлениями в Wilde Flowers. (Позже он стал pоуди Soft Machine и взялся снова за бас-гитаpу к моменту работы над их вторым альбомом, когда из состава ушел Кевин Эйpс). A Рэтлидж, Уайетт (ударные), Эйрс (бас, вокал) и Оллен перебрали массу названий, пока не остановились на Soft Machine из романа Уильяма Берджеса.

Приехав в Лондон весной 1967 года, выступили в клубе UFO с доступной лишь "посвященной" публике смесью рока, фри-джаза и эффектов авангардистской электронной музыки. Первые демонстрационные записи они выполняли на сессиях, организованных Джорджио Гомельски. Документом этих времен является диск (6), который, обладая и сильными и слабыми местами, сейчас может представлять интерес только для завзятых коллекционеров и поклонников Роберта Уайетта. Чуть позже эксцентричный Ким Фаули с западно-американского побережья оказался продюсером их первого сингла Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin'/Love Makes Sweet Music, причем в записывающей сессии на ритм-гитаре играл Джими Хендрикс, чей дебютный сингл Hey Joe записывался тогда же, в той же студии.

Сингл в середине 1967 года прошел почти незамеченным, и группа отправилась во Францию. В Сен-Тропезе они приняли участие в хэппенинге "тотального участия" Алана Зайона по пьесе Пикассо Desire Attrappe Par La Queue. Этот эксперимент был разогнан местной жандармерией, что помешало быстрому росту популярности группы во Франции.

К несчастью, во время возвращения в Англию въезд Оллену из-за отсутствия у него визы был запрещен. Он отправился в Париж, где основал группу Gong.

Сокращенный до трио, коллектив провел 1968 год в гастрольной поездке по США, сопровождая Джими Хендрикса. В конце года с продюсером Томом Уилсоном из Нью-Йорка они записали дебютный альбом, на котором уже обозначено движение к нормальной поп-музыке. Как нигде больше отчетлива линия басовых Эйрса, впечатляют органные соло Рэтлиджа. Однако самих музыкантов результат, особенно продукция, не удовлетворил, и Softs свернули свою деятельность.

Эйрс отправился на Майорку писать песни, Рэтлидж вернулся в Лондон, а Уайетт, задержавшись в Нью-Йорке, отправился работать в Лос-Анджелес.

В следующем году фирма Probe надумала-таки выпустить дебютный альбом и уговорила Уайетта для дальнейшей работы собрать ансамбль вновь. Рэтлидж согласился, Эйрс, заявив, что их музыка стремится к излишнему переусложнению, стал строить собственные планы, и Уайетт для записи диска [2] мобилизовал Хью Хоппера. На альбоме есть и обычные поп-номера (Dedicated to You, As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still), есть и продолжительная импровизация Ester's Nose Job. Многими критиками альбом этот почитается лучшим в работе "футуристических Beatles", которые деформировали музыку в эхо-камере, фильтрах и модуляторе, и могли музицировать, чередуя агрессивные и элегические настроения, без пауз по два часа.

Вся музыка Softs была, по словам Уайетта, выражением взаимной дружеской приязни, где главным смыслом коллектива являлось именно совместное общение. Уже после того, как они сумели создать себе когорту стойких почитателей в Европе, а владельцы ночных клубов во Франции сражались за право заполучить ансамбль на свою сцену, английский менеджер держал их на голодном пайке. Американский импресарио во время турне 1968 года обращался с коллективом, как с ручным багажом. "Но мы никогда не печалились, является наша музыка коммерческой или нет. Мы никогда не пытались попасть в категорию делателей хитовых пластинок" (Хоппер).

Ансамбль прошел через довольно трудную серию английских гастрольных выступлений, а к концу 1969 года увеличил состав до семи человек с добавлением джазменов: саксофониста Элтона Дина, трубача Майка Черига и тромбониста Ника Ивенса (все из группы Кита Типпетта), а также Лина Добсона (ситар, флейта, сакс). Этот состав поклонники группы до сих пор считают наилучшим. К сожалению, он не оставил после себя никаких записей. Репутация ансамбля консолидировалась, он стал первым роковым коллективом, выступившим в джазовом клубе Ронни Скотта, являлся участником джазовых марафонов Ньюпортского фестиваля и Берлинского Jazztage. Их приглашали участвовать в своих концертах такие джазовые звезды, как Майлз Дэвис. Softs даже выступили со своими затянутыми номерами, причудливым ритмом и шокирующими аккордами на фестивале электронной музыки в западногерманском городе Донауэшингене.

Во время работы над двойником [3] из-за финансовых соображений ушли Ивенс, Черинг и Добсон. Альбому это не помешало стать одним из лучших у группы - четыре стороны, четыре продолжительных композиции с длинными импровизациями продемонстрировали широкий спектр влияний от Терри Райли до Эрика Сати. Альбом (4), менее драматичный и холодный, чем его предшественник, обозначивший смещение к джазу, оказался последним, записанным с Уайеттом, который ушел из-за трений в отношениях с Рэтлиджем.

Для записи диска [5] место ударника занял Фил Хоуард, но и он вскоре разругался с Рэтлиджем и сессии заканчивал бывший член группы Nucleus и Jack Bruce Band Джон Маршалл. Лонгплей этот оказался еще одним шедевром группы, содержащим впечатляющую работу Элтона Дина, особенно на композиции All White.

В 1972 году Дина (в сольной карьере и с другими группами выпускавшего более джазовые альбомы) сменил еще один воспитанник Nucleus Карл Дженкинс. Этот состав выпустил двойник (7), с невпечатляющим концертным диском и студийным, на котором выделялась, пожалуй, только композиция Chloe & the Pirates. Стало очевидно, что Рэтлидж в своих импровизациях начал терять чувство меры и застревать в повторах. После этого альбома своим путем пошел и Хоппер, записавший сольник в 1974 году, а затем присоединившийся к группе Isotope. Его место занял еще один джазмен Рой Баббингтон.

Неудивительно, что неровный альбом [8], закончивший основной период деятельности ансамбля, продемонстрировал еще более возросшие джазовые акценты и показал, что группа попала под контроль Дженкинса. Одновременно диск обнаружил недостаток чувства и разума, которые в значительной степени улетучились из музыки группы вместе с уходом Уайетта.

Начало меняться к худшему и отношение критики. "Вместо того, чтобы использовать свое мастерство для заработка денег, как это делает большинство поп-групп, Softs, в противоположность им, решили вернуться в артистически ничейную зону" (Observer). Они разделили судьбу многих авангардных коллективов той поры: для любителей рока Soft Machine звучал слишком по-джазовому, а поклонникам джаза отдавало роком.

В феврале 1974 года на год пришел гитарист Алан Холдсуорт, с участием которого был записан альбом (9). В музыке группы сменились некоторые акценты - Рэтлиджа почти не слышно, функции клавишника стал натягивать на себя Дженкинс, ослабляя при этом звучание духовых. Новый гитарист влил свежую кровь в звучание ансамбля, но ненадолго. На следующем альбоме (10) на этом инструменте играл уже Джон Этеридж. Ушел Рэтлидж, последняя связь с оригинальным составом Softs, и к ансамблю присоединился двоюродный брат Рика Уэйкмана, Алан. Результатом стал малоинтересный диск (11).

Записанный только через три года альбом (12) оказался, скорее, всего лишь сольным проектом Дженкинса, выполненным с участием оркестра, Джона Маршалла, Холдсуорта и Джека Брюса.

Со своими революционными структурами и гармониями, необычным джаз-вокалом и свободными импровизациями, Soft Machine оказали сильное влияние на европейскую роковую сцену. Однако их наиболее сильные и глубокие работы были выполнены лишь в ранней фазе их творчества, примерно в первых четырех альбомах.

Примечание к дискографии: альбом (6) выпускался и под другими названиями: Rock Generation, vols 7&8; Faces and Places, vol.7; Jet Propelled Photographs. Альбомы (13,14,16) записаны в составе: Уайетт, Рэтлидж, Хоппер, Дин и приглашенные гости. Композиции диска (21) записаны, главным образом, после создания лонгплея (4) и предназначены для исполнения в кинофильмах, на ТВ и радио. Сейчас их смогут слушать, пожалуй, только самые крутые фэны группы.

Дискография:

The Soft Machine

The Soft Machine (Probe 1968)
Volume Two (Probe 1969)
Third (CBS 1970) OO A/B:2
Fourth (CBS 1971)
Fifth (CBS 1972)
In The Beginnings (записан в 1967) (Big 1972)
Sixth (CBS 1973) OO
Seventh (CBS 1974)
Bundles (HRT 1975)
Softs (HRT 1976) A:1/2
Alive & Well (HRT 1978) A:1/2
The Land of Cockayne (HRT 1981)
Turns on Paradiso (бутлег с концерта 1969 г.) (1988)
Live at the Proms (записан в 1970 году) (Reckless 1989)
Jet Propelled Photographs (записан в 1968 г.) (Decal 1989) B:1/2
The Peel Sessions (SFT 1990) OO A/B:2
As If.... (1991)
Complete Peel Sessions (SFT 1991)
Live In Paris (SFM 1992)
BBC Live In Concert (зап. в 1971 году) (Win 1993)
Rubber Riff (VPR 1995) A/B:2/3
сборник:

Triple Echo (1977) OOO
The Untouchable (1990)
Записи Элтона Дина:

Elton Dean (CBS 1971)
Cruel but Fair (с Хью Хоппером) (Compendium 1976)
Oh! For the Edge (в группе Ninesence) (Ogun 1976)
Ninese nce (в группе Ninesence) (Ogun 1977)
They All Be On This Old Road (Ogun 1977)
Cheque Is In the Post (Ogun 1977)
Happy Days (Ogun 1978)
El Skid (VRG 1978)
Boundaries (Japo 1981)
Wolcomet - Live in Brazil 1986 (Impetus 1987) B:1/2
Альбомы Хью Хоппера:

1984 (CBS 1973)
Cruel But Fair (с Элтоном Дином) (Compendium 1976)
Hoppertunity Box (Compendium 1977)
Rogue Element (с Э.Дином и А.Гауэном) (Ogun 1979)
Monsieur Band (Atmosphere 1979)
Soft Heap (с Э.Дином в группе Soft Heap) (CHL 1979)
Two Rainbow Daily (с А.Гауэном) (Europe 1980)
Alive (VPR)
...and Odd Friends (VPR)
A Remark Hugh Made (ShimmyDisc 1995) A:2

Wyatt win 'would disgrace' prize

Mercury Music Prize nominee Robert Wyatt has said it will be "a disgrace" if he wins the prestigious award.

The ex-Soft Machine drummer is a 12-1 outsider for the prize, as his album Cuckooland competes with favourites The Streets and Franz Ferdinand.

"I think it would be a disgrace if anything came of it," the 59-year-old told The Daily Telegraph.

"I'm just in it to keep the contest broad." Mercury judges called his album "gloriously idiosyncratic".

'More deserving'

Wyatt made his name with 1960s pioneers Soft Machine before going solo as a songwriter, vocalist and drummer at the start of the 1970s.

He has played with a wide range of respected musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Paul Weller.

Wyatt was a surprise nomination for the £20,000 Mercury Music Prize with Cuckooland, his first album release for six years.

"Others who have been shortlisted - Amy Winehouse, Basement Jaxx, Belle and Sebastian - are far more deserving," he said.

Wyatt has used a wheelchair for the past 30 years after breaking his back when falling from a fourth-floor window.

"People say this must have been a tragedy, but it moved me into an excellent period of my life," he said.

"I married my wife and started to make my own music. It would have been more tragic being in a 1950s rock band."

This year's Mercury Music Prize will be awarded on 7 September.

Previous winners include Primal Scream, PJ Harvey, Roni Size, Gomez and last year's victor Dizzee Rascal.

SOFT MACHINE BBC In Concert 1971 (2005 UK CD album featuring a live session recording by the BBC at London's Paris Theatre on March 11th 1971, introduced by John Peel as "Soft Machine and Heavy Friends". This is a unique recording in that the band augmented, fragmented & performed with other great jazz musicians including Ronnie Scott on tenor sax, the 30-minute plus medley is by the regular Dean-Ratledge-Hopper-Wyatt quartet, picture sleeve with 12-page colour booklet containing exte sleevenotes and photos).
** released 29 August 2005 **

Artist: Soft Machine and Heavy Friends
Title: BBC In Concert 1971
A very unique show in the Soft Machine catalog, this was recorded for the BBC on March 11th, 1971 at the beginning of their final European tour that included Robert Wyatt. In addition to the quartet (Robert, Hugh Hopper, Mike Ratledge, Elton Dean), the show opens with Elton's band "Just Us" performing Blind Badger, then Soft Machine with second drummer Phil Howard perform Grides. Then it is just the Softs with guests Roy Babbington, Mark Charig, Paul Nieman, Ronnie Scott joining on various points. This was the first 'bootleg' I ever owned; it was broadcast on WMMR in Philadelphia (!!) and someone made me a reel-reel copy. I used to go into the library in High School to be able to listen to it on their Wollensack tape recorder with the nasty headsets that used to tear my long hear out when I would put them on or take them off. It's a great, spirited show and a bit different from anything else you've heard by them. Remastered in 2005 by Mike King, this includes the encore, which has never-before appeared on CD! Recommended!
http://www.waysidemusic.com/

SOFT MACHINE Soft Stage BBC In Concert 1972 (2005 UK CD album featuring 10 tracks recorded for the BBC at London's Paris Theatre on 20th July 1972 just months before the live & studio material for the album 'Six' was put together, picture booklet containing extensive liner notes & rare band photos).
** released 12 September 2005 **

1. Fanfare
2. All White
3. Slightly All The Time
4. MC
5. Drop
6. Stumble
7. One Across
8. As If
9. Riff
10. Gesolreut

SOFT MACHINE Legacy Live In Zaandam (2005 UK Limited Edition CD album featuring 6 splendid instrumental tracks recorded live in May 2005 and featuring the line-up of Elton Dean [Sax, Piano], John Etheridge [Guitar], Hugh Hopper [Bass] and John Marshall [Drums] - all of them having played with Soft Machine in the seventies, more details to follow...).
** released 19 September 2005 **

Live at Le Triton 2004
Soft Bounds | Musea Records

When the legendary Canterbury group Soft Machine—with a variety of recent archival live releases generating renewed interest—dissolved with a whimper in the late ‘70s, it had arguably gone through more stylistic shifts in its ten-year run than anyone except perhaps Miles Davis. Best remembered for the classic lineup that released Third and Fourth—keyboardist Mike Ratledge, saxophonist Elton Dean, bassist Hugh Hopper and drummer Robert Wyatt—the group's successful cross-pollination of jazz and rock was as much about individual differences, which created incredible musical tension and energy, as it was about shared goals.

Of the four—despite moving on and forging individual careers that honed their specific strengths and musical predilections—history has proven Hopper and Dean to be the two with the most in common. Sure, Hopper tends towards more structured, albeit idiosyncratic and abstruse, composition, while Dean has always leaned towards free improvisation. But somewhere in the middle the two meet, as evidenced by the many times they’ve collaborated in ensuing years. Whether members of groups by other Canterburians, including guitarist Phil Miller’s In Cahoots and drummer Pip Pyle’s Equip Out, or collaborating on a variety of loosely Soft Machine-related projects like Soft Head, Soft Heap, and Soft Works, the juncture between Dean and Hopper seems to be where compositional form provides the framework, but freer improvisation the spark to greater unpredictability.

This ability to intuitively veer between structure and unencumbered interaction is what makes one of their latest projects, Soft Bounds, work so well. Teaming with French pianist Sophia Domancich—who worked with both in Equip Out and released a live album of improvised duets, Avant, with Dean earlier this year—and drummer Simon Goubert, one of the more surprising aspects of Soft Bounds is that it represents the first Soft Machine-related project to tackle material from the original Softs repertoire. Live at Le Triton 2004 features a lengthy look at Hopper’s “Kings and Queens” (originally on Fourth) in addition to one track each by the other members, but the group's known to cover other Softs material during the course of an evening.

There are unequivocal ties to classic Soft Machine, most notably the tightrope between form and freedom. But with the exception of Hopper’s electric bass and Domancich’s Rhodes on the second half of Goubert’s surprisingly Coltrane-esque modal workout “Le Retour d’Emmanuel Philibert,” this is an altogether more acoustic affair where the power comes from the players’ inherent dynamics rather than sheer electric volume. Domancich’s “La Part des Anges”—the longest of the four pieces that comprise the hour-long set—manages to dissolve into maelstrom-like periods of chaos, only to magically find its way back to form.

What's most striking about Live at Le Triton 2004 is its clear reverence for jazz tradition, and not of the fusion variety. Instead, Soft Bounds finds the confluence of post bop, free jazz, European impressionism, and even a certain lyricism, making it one of the best Soft Machine spinoffs to date.

Track Listing:
La Part des Anges;
Gimlet Abides on the Wagon;
Le Retour d'Emmanuel Philibert;
Kings and Queens.

Personnel:
Hugh Hopper: bass guitar;
Elton Dean: alto saxophone, saxello;
Simon Goubert: drums;
Sophia Domancich: piano, fender rhodes.

Live in Zaandam
Soft Machine Legacy | Moonjune Records

With a recent surge of interest in the 1970s jazz/rock ensemble Soft Machine encouraged by a wealth of archival recordings, some may view use of the word “Soft” by past members to be opportunistic—but that would be unfair.

2003 witnessed Soft Works, with ex-Softs bassist Hugh Hopper, saxophonist Elton Dean, drummer John Marshall, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth creating a more fusion-centric band. More recently, Soft Bounds—again with Hopper and Dean—has mined a more acoustic and free space with non-Softs pianist Sophia Domancich and drummer Simon Goubert. Polysoft’s Tribute to Soft Machine teamed Hopper and Dean with the French group Polysons, revisiting classic Soft Machine material and coming the closest any group has to true homage.

Other efforts share the common denominator of Hopper and Dean. And despite these various offshoots capturing aspects of the greater whole that was Soft Machine, with the exception of Polysoft they’ve avoided direct reference, performing little, if any, material from Soft Machine’s own discography. Hopper and Dean have moved on, and so these offshoot projects have reflected their growth and interest in a clearer jazz aesthetic than Soft Machine’s high-decibel approach.

Soft Works generated the most buzz, because it was the first time a group of all-Soft Machine alumni had come together for a project. The resulting album, Abracadabra, while good, was also something of a disappointment, largely because Holdsworth’s characteristic perfectionism sucked some of the life out of it.

And so, with Hopper, Dean, and Marshall wanting to continue on and Holdsworth bowing out, guitarist John Etheridge—who coincidentally replaced Holdsworth in Soft Machine—was recruited. The first of two planned recordings (a studio release is due next year), Live in Zaandam finds the newly-minted Soft Machine Legacy approaching music with a more intrepid and open spirit. Etheridge may not have as big a reputation as Holdsworth, but in his own way he’s a more versatile guitarist, having worked in a variety of contexts over the years including a Stephane Grapelli tribute, a project devoted to Frank Zappa's music, and duo collaborations with ex-Police guitarist Andy Summers.

Like Soft Works, Soft Machine Legacy is a more overtly fusion-oriented project than the other offshoots. This time the group also mixes classic Soft Machine material with more recent compositions from each member. Etheridge’s “Ash,” from his 2003 album of the same name, is a strong vehicle for Dean’s lyrical yet free approach and Etheridge’s fleet-fingered runs, while his “Big Creese” rocks more than any prior Soft-related project. The group revisits Dean’s ballad “Baker’s Street,” a twist on Soft Works’ version, “Baker’s Treat.” Hopper’s “1212” shifts rhythmic gears more than once but revolves around a diminished chord vamp where interplay is key, something that's equally vital to the group's extended and more open take on “Kings and Queens,” originally from Soft Machine’s Fourth.

Structure plays an important part in this music, but more as a general framework. Less restrained and more adventurous than Soft Works, Live in Zaandam is the first from a new collective that will hopefully have greater longevity as well.

Track Listing:
Ash;
1212;
Baker's Street;
Kings & Queens;
Two Down;
Big Creese.

Personnel:
Elton Dean: alto saxophone, saxello,
Fender Rhodes piano;
John Etheridge: electric guitar;
Hugh Hopper: bass guitar;
John Marshall: drums

Я только сегодня обнаружил.
На 82-м годе Bill Laswell's Material исполняют великую композицию Memories, написанную Hugh Hopper'ом.
Все фигня, но поет ее на этом диске - Whitney Houston!
Уитни Хьюстон исполняет композицию по сути Soft Machine!
Нет, эту вещь, конечно, переиграла вся Soft Machine'овская тусовка (Wild Flowers, Soft Machine, Wyatt, Daevid Allen...) и даже Pascal Comelade на игрушечных инструментах... но Whitney Houston... :-) Чего только не бывает...

ROBERT WYATT Theatre Royal Drury Lane - In Concert (2005 'Official Release' CD album featuring a collection of Live Recordings recorded on 8th September 1974 [just a year after his accident] where he performed the entire, classic 'Rock Bottom' album, an extraordinary, show-stopping version of ‘I’m A Believer’ with guest appearances by Mike Oldfield, Nick Mason, Dave Stewart, Ivor Cutler and more plus the memorable performances from Julie Tippetts & Mongezi Feza, more details to follow...). ** released 10 October 2005 **

Hopper Tunity Box
Hugh Hopper | Culture Press

Track Listing:
Hopper Tunity Box;
Miniluv;
Gnat Prong;
The Lonely Sea and the Sky;
Crumble;
Lonely Woman;
Mobile Mobile;
Spanish Knee;
Oyster Perpetual.

Personnel:
Hugh Hopper: bass, guitar, recorder, soprano saxophone, percussion;
Elton Dean: alto sax, saxello on 4,6,8;
Mark Charig: cornet, tenor horn on 4,6,8;
Frank Roberts: electric piano on 4,5,8;
Dave Stewart: organ, pianet, oscillators on 1,3,7;
Mike Travis: drums on 1-5,8;
Richard Brunton: guitar on 2,5;
Gary Windo: bass clarinet, saxophones on 1,2,5,6;
Nigel Morris: drums on 7.

British Tour '75
Soft Machine | Major League Productions

Recent years have seen a wealth of archival live releases by British jazz-rock legend Soft Machine. But the lion’s share of this material has revolved around the period 1970-72, which saw the classic lineup of keyboardist Mike Ratledge, saxophonist Elton Dean, bassist Hugh Hopper, and drummer Robert Wyatt morph from a freewheeling high-volume exploratory quartet into a more straightforward riff-based fusion band; ex-Nucleus reedman/keyboardist Karl Jenkins would assume leadership, along with another Nucleus alumnus, drummer John Marshall. The artistic success of the original Soft Machine was paradoxically the result of the very musical differences that would see it ultimately splinter.

But even releases at the tail end of the classic Soft Machine period, notably Hux’s recent Softstage: BBC In Concert 1972, relied on a repertoire that was favourably weighted towards compositions by Ratledge and Hopper and, consequently, a more gradual evolution. Subsequent commercial releases, specifically 1973’s Six and 1974’s Seven, saw the Softs move towards a musical vision that was almost entirely Jenkins’, so by the time Bundles came out in 1975, virtually all vestiges of the original group were gone. Ratledge remained for a brief time, but his distinctive solo voice was increasingly suppressed in favour of a more guitar-centric sound featuring the emerging Allan Holdsworth, an evolution well-documented on Hux’s two-CD set BBC Radio 1971-1974.

But even the lineup of Bundles wouldn’t last, as the mercurial Holdsworth suddenly decided to pull up roots and head for North America shortly after the album’s release. With tours booked and little time to search for a replacement, the remaining Softs were lucky to find guitarist John Etheridge—suggested, in fact, by the departing Holdsworth. This lineup—Jenkins, Marshall, Etheridge, Ratledge, and bassist Roy Babbington—is documented on British Tour ‘75, a welcome release. While there was little to link this version of Soft Machine to earlier incarnations, it was still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

This recording features material from Bundles, as well as some sneak peeks into compositions that would ultimately end up on 1976’s Softs. It’s notable just how strong a fit Etheridge was. Holdsworth would go on to fashion his unique harmonic language in a career marked by insularity, while Etheridge would be a more itinerant player; but at this point their approaches were surprisingly alike. Emitting breathtakingly rapid-fire flurries of notes broken up by the occasional well-placed breather, Etheridge shares the solo space with Ratledge—a pleasant surprise, given his relative invisibility on Bundles. And in contrast to Jenkins’ more rigid structural role on the studio releases, the group gets to open up more loosely, especially on the fifteen-minute closing jam, “Sign of Five.”

Fans of the classic Soft Machine lineup have been less than kind to the latter, Jenkins-centric Softs. But on British Tour ‘75, largely distanced from its earlier incarnations, Soft Machine was still a kick-ass unit that deserves to be assessed on its own merits.

Track Listing: Bundles; Land of the Bag Snake; Out of Season; The Man Who Waved at Trains; JVH; The Floating World; Ban-Ban Caliban; Sideburn; Hazard Profile Part 1; Hazard Profile Part 2; Hazard Profile Part 3; Hazard Profile Part 4; Hazard Profile Part 5; Song of Aeolus; Sign of Five.

Personnel: Karl Jenkins: electric piano, soprano saxophone, piano; John Etheridge: guitars; Roy Babbington: bass guitar; John Marshall: drums, percussion; Mike Ratledge: organ, synthesizer, electric piano.

Hugh Hopper сегодня - группа NDIO.
NDIO Frank van der Kooij founded NDIO in 2001 and it is the umbrella name for various musical projects that take shape under his direction. NDIO has its roots in the long-standing cooperation between Hugh Hopper and Van der Kooij in the Hugh Hopper Band (1985-2001). With NDIO Frank works with a regular line-up. Starting from different musical principles and characteristics with each project he invites suitable guest musicians to complement NDIO's core members. Characteristic of the music is the blending of various styles like ambient, jazz, folk and classical music. The use of these different style elements results in an accessible, energetic, colourful and floating atmosphere. At the try-outs of the "Festival Opmaat 2003" the audience was very enthusiastic about NDIO's fresh sound in combination with Frank's raw and eneergetic solos. A reviewer in the festival regional newspaper "De Stem" writes about Frank: "With his fast improvisations he easily stands his ground in the duels with trombonist Robert Jarvis and keyboard player Paul Maassen". Frank van der Kooij took part in the "VoizNoizIII" project with Michel Banabila and Eric Vloeimans which won the Edison Prize for Jazz in 2003.

Hugh Hopper

Последний реализ NDIO

Airback
Ndio | Cuneiform Records

The cosmopolitan state of improvised music today is really nothing new. Artists have been playing mix-and-match in jazz for decades, while musicians originating in other genres have continued to approach it from a host of different angles. British bassist Hugh Hopper may have started out in 1960s psychedelia with Wilde Flowers, but by the time the early 1970s had arrived, his association with the legendary genre-busting Soft Machine found the group morphing from post-Dadaist pop to edgy free improvisation—albeit with an intrepid rock-edged approach and volume that echoed similar goings-on across the Atlantic.

Still, a certain distinction differentiated Soft Machine and other Canterbury bands: a certain pop-like sensibility, as well as clearer influence by classical form, often of a more contemporary nature. Hopper left Soft Machine in 1972, and following a series of solo projects, he fell silent in the early 1980s. When he returned, his longest-lasting and arguably most personal project was the “Franglo-Dutch” band, which remained together for fifteen years, releasing a number of fine jazz-rock discs, including Meccano Pelorus and Alive. Despite a variety of personnel changes, Dutch woodwind player Frank van der Kooij was a constant in this group. His own free-thinking blend of styles, still ultimately revolving around an extemporaneous aesthetic, seemed a perfect fit for Hopper’s own broad-minded approach to creating unique aural contexts where looping and sampling integrated with rock-based but jazz-inflected environs for improvisational exploration.

Hopper’s band ultimately dissolved at the beginning of the decade, but his association with van der Kooijs continued, and so when van der Kooijs was putting together his own project to explore a more personal atmospheric approach, Hopper was an ideal recruit. Enlisting two other Franglo-Dutch alumni—trombonist Robert Jarvis and drummer Pieter Bast—along with guitarist Niels Brouwer and keyboardist Paul Maassen, NDIO is something that could only have emerged from Hopper’s continued aegis. Yet the band and its debut record, Airback, differentiates itself from Frango-Dutch projects by its more finely-detailed structural constructs, richer atmospherics, and even greater resistance to stylistic pigeonholing.

Take van der Kooij’s “Last Night of the Prawns.” Opening with a weighty, melodramatic theme that is pure Van der Graaf Generator, it breaks down into a brief free section until Bast’s light kit work introduces the lengthy syncopated theme, segueing into a more rock-based two-chord vamp for Jarvis’ solo and extroverted interplay with van der Kooijs. And all this in a brief five minutes. “Mr. Barn” is initially a chamber-like tone poem until its middle section, where Brouwer’s guitar synth and Hopper’s bass pattern deliver a darker complexion, with Bast’s brushes and Maassen’s jazz-centric piano ultimately lightening the mood.

Tight ensemble work, a product of van der Kooij’s broad outreach, blends seamlessly with improvised passages and a rhythmic approach that rests somewhere between rock and jazz, but never precisely resembles either. Airback will appeal to fans of the Canterbury scene—and, for that matter, anyone looking for progressive music that avoids the trappings of bombast and instead aims for texture and focused openendedness.

Track Listing: Big Bombay; Last Night of the Prawns; Mr. Barn; Landscapes; Soap; Mind Interception; Stromboli; Bone; Wise Men.

Personnel:
Frank van der Kooij: tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet;
Hugh Hopper: bass, samples (1, 7);
Pieter Bast (drums);
Niels Brouwer: guitar, nylon string acoustic guitar, guitar synth (3, 8), samples (6,8);
Paul Maassen: piano, Hammond organ;
Robert Jarvis: trombone;
Michael Banabila: samples (2, 6).

Airback
Ndio | Cuneiform Records

The music is a fluid and “airy” fusion of jazz with elements of rock, folk, ambient, classical music and sampling. While most of the compositions are by van der Kooij, one is by Jarvis and two are by Hopper, including “Big Bombay,” a tune previously heard on Uses Wrist Grab by Bone. The Netherlands has recently been recognized as a seedbed for some of the best and most adventurous jazz in recent years. Airback shows that young Dutch jazz musicians are also producing some of the world’s best jazz/rock fusion as well – yet another musical development in which Hopper has played an integral role and the band's music, even though led by Frank, strongly bears Hugh's musical imprint." ......ZNR adds: This is hands-down our favorite release so far this year! Imagine Gilgamesh recording an album for ECM in 1975 and you get in the ballpark! The saxophone playing is amongst the best we have ever heard. Hopper's distinctive bass work provides a stable bottom end but still manages to weave in & out. Jarvis' trombone playing is another highlight pulling the sound ever so slightly towards Carla Bley's "Escalator Over the Hill" at times - a good trombone player is SO cool!! The guitarist, while not flashy, recalls players like Bill Frisell or Phil Miller as he uses space & time to really add to the arrangements. Drummer Pieter Bast really sounds like a cross between Pip Pyle and Michael DiPasqua or Jon Christensen (both light, airy players on many an excellent ECM release!) knowing just when to pull back and shimmer and when to let loose. Well, I could go on for paragraphs and not really say exactly the right thing to make someone want to try this. Suffice to say that if you like really, really good fusion that leans towards the jazz side of things with excllent writing as well as superb playing then NDIO is for you! By the way, the name means "Never Dance In Orange" !!

Referentie: ZNR records, USA 2005.

2005-09-26

Вот такие печальные новости...

Wed 08 Feb'06
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ELTON DEAN 1945-2006
Sad to report that Elton Dean passed away last night in a London hospital. Love and supportive thoughts to his nearest and dearest.
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ELTON DEAN, my long time friend, current member of THE SOFT MACHINE LEGACY and SOFT BOUNDS, one of the greatest sax player ever, an undisputed legend of the British jazz scene and member of the seminal experimental jazz-rock innovators Soft Machine during their golden period, died early this morning in London at the age of 61.
Leonardo Pavkovic
MoonJune Records & Management
New York
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Чего, чего????? Дин приказал долго жить???

Надо же, у меня на кофте написано, а я и не знала!!!!