Artist Profile:

It all too common to hear of reunion bands that are nothing more than tired retreads of past glories. Soft Machine (Legacy) is something completely different: a band that references the spirit of its roots in seminal British jazz/rock group Soft Machine while avoiding literal homage. The members of Soft Machine (Legacy) demonstrate that the best artists are those who look forward - and if they do occasionally glance back, it from a fresh vantage point.

If Soft Machine constantly changing personnel resulted in equally constant stylistic shifts - from the psychedelic post-Dadaist pop of its early days, to the abstruse writing and jagged free improvisation of its middle period and fusion-centric final days - it was because every member brought a different perspective to the band. The same philosophy applies today to Soft Machine (Legacy), although the broader diversity of environments everyone has seen since those early days creates an opportunity for even greater musical cross-pollination.

The original Soft Machine Legacy line-up, a continuation of the short-lived Soft Works (Allan Holdsworth, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall; June 2002-February 2004), came together in October of 2004, featuring bassist Hugh Hopper and saxophonist/pianist Elton Dean - members of what many consider to be the classic Soft Machine group responsible for 1970 "Third", 1971 "Fourth" and 1972's "Fifth". Guitarist John Etheridge joined Soft Machine in 1975 replacing Allan Holdsworth, and was featured on 1976 "Softs" and 1978 "Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris". Drummer John Marshall joined Soft Machine halfway through the sessions for 1972 "Fifth". Remaining with the band until it folded in the early 1980s, he the link that tied the original Soft Machine Legacy together - the only member to have played with Hopper, Dean and Etheridge. When Dean passed away unexpectedly in February of 2006, woodwind multi-instrumentalist Theo Travis was recruited, bringing a fresh perspective and youthful edge to this evolutionary and unequivocally contemporary group.

Travis has recorded space rock with psychedelic jam band Gong, ambient electronica with Cipher and contemporary jazz with a Canterbury slant on his own albums including 2004 "Earth to Ether", and was occasional member on some Phil Miller In Cahoots and Hatfield & The North live appearances. With Soft Machine (Legacy) he adds his own eclecticism to Hopper oblique and sometimes riff-based writing, Etheridge high velocity rock edge and Marshall powerful ability to both interact and groove, regardless of context. Together, the forward-thinking mindset, history and experience that unite Hopper, Etheridge, Marshall and Travis make Soft Machine (Legacy) a thoroughly modern group with limitless possibilities.

Two records for MoonJune - 2005 "Live in Zandaam" and the eponymous 2006 studio follow-up, both with Dean, and DVD "New Morning, Paris Concert" on German label In-Akustik, made it clear that this was no mere grab at nostalgia, while still only scratching the surface of the group potential.

While occasionally breathing new life into classic Soft Machine compositions, the emphasis is on new material that provides ample space for exploration and interaction. With Etheridge and Hopper already utilizing real-time sampling and looping, the addition of Travis and his remarkable system of ambitronics promises to further expand the sonic potential of Soft Machine (Legacy). Travis may not have played in Soft Machine but he grew up influenced by the group and is an equal part of the adventurous spirit that has been carried forward into Soft Machine Legacy.

With the new album that promises to be even harder-edged and open-ended than its previous efforts, Soft Machine (Legacy) is that rarest of groups - a collection of musicians with a shared history, linked together in a tradition of experimentation and unfettered improvisational abandon. No dinosaur band this, Soft Machine (Legacy) is a group who may occasionally glance to the past, but only with both feet moving inevitably towards the future.

Band website and tour info: www.myspace.com/softmachinelegacy

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Reviews:

“Soft Machine’s reputation as an innovative outfit grazing between the boundaries of jazz and rock often appeared to weigh heavily upon previous Soft Machine Legacy albums. The recruitment of Theo Travis following the death of Elton Dean last year, has added some much needed spice to the recipe as well as broadening the audio ingredients available. His use of loops on “Anything To Anywhere” restores both an electronic dimension and compositional complexity that also helped define the Soft Machine of old. Escaping the “heads plus jam” formula, it’s no coincidence that John Etheridge delivers his most incisive solo of the record on this very track. Group efforts such as the thunderous scrape of “The Big Man” and the Hatfieldesque twists and turns of “So English” benefit from Travis’ beefy workouts, adding an edge absent on previous Legacy outings. Both as writer and player, Hugh Hopper’s sepulchral menace is undiminished on “Footloose”. Whilst no one could ever question their right to trade on the name, only now perhaps is there a head of steamcapable of producing an album that can stand next to its illustrious forebears.” (SID SMITH - SID SMITH’S YELLOW POSTCARD (SM IS ROCK/JAZZ/POLITICS/ARTS/MOVIES WRITER AND CONTRIBUTOR TO MOJO MAGAZINE, BBC MAGAZINE)

"A great new recording by the British jazz quartet that arose from the ashes of the much revered Soft Machine, this marvelous disc features saxophonist Theo Travis as the replacement for the sadly departed Elton Dean, who distinctive sound was a hallmark of UK jazz for nearly 40 years. I strongly advise you to check out this band's work, as well as the other batch of releases from Moonjune Records, or eventually, um, an entire generation will perish! Yeah, that's what record reviews need to be like!” (DAVE DI MARTINO - YAHOO!MUSIC - WON'T GET FUELLED AGAIN!)

"Listeners might be justifiably wary of a band with the word "Legacy" in its title, perhaps surmising that the group in question might be rooted a bit too strongly in the past. And in the case of Soft Machine, the group at its very best -- during the late '60s and early '70s -- confounded listeners by breaking from its own past with each album release, arguably throwing out its own nascent legacy (not to mention bandmembers) on a continual basis. In that sense, one might conclude that this 21st century band featuring Softs alumni might best capture some of the earlier group's spark and spirit by ignoring the legacy question entirely. Of course, the issue is one of balance, building on a foundation of great music even if that music is decades old, while continuing to chart new directions that are exciting and unpredictable in the present moment -- and that's exactly what happens on Steam, Soft Machine Legacy's 2007 release on Moonjune Records. Bassist Hugh Hopper, drummer John Marshall, guitarist John Etheridge, and saxophonist/flutist Theo Travis (in the difficult position of stepping into the spot formerly occupied by sadly departed saxman Elton Dean) are mindful of Soft Machine's history, and the listener certainly hears echoes (literally) of the Softs in the looping effects, fuzz bass, rhythmic inventiveness, melodic accessibility, fiery soloing, and general spirit of adventurousness. But there is also something new here: a cohesiveness and single-minded sense of purpose that elevates not only the group's "tunes," but also its approach to collective improvisation. The more straight-ahead jazz-rock material is handled capably enough and Steam can be recommended on that basis alone, but what truly perks up the ears are the several improv tracks sandwiched between the jazz-rockers, introducing a new dimension yet somehow fitting seamlessly into the whole. Following the capable but somewhat predictable post-Canterbury jazz-rock exercises "Footloose" and "The Steamer," "The Big Man" hits the listener with Etheridge's chunky distorted guitar chords that tip toward post-grunge, as Travis uses his array of electronic effects to harmonically split the notes from his soprano sax and the band heads into a murky, fuzzy swamp of sounds before the instruments emerge into an improvisational interlude and the tune simply collapses and dissipates -- and it's fantastic! What began as entirely competent -- even passionate -- jazz-rock is suddenly exploded, starting from a new place and never quite touching down in the familiar. "The Big Man" is followed by a beautiful, lyrical version of "Chloe and the Pirates" from Soft Machine's Six, and while the band is undoubtedly looking to the past here, the track is lovely and dreamlike, and a perfect palette-cleanser after the preceding track's sonic outbursts. The bright "In the Back Room" has Marshall and Hopper locked in a funky backbeat behind a unison theme cranked out by Travis (on tenor) and Etheridge, and the tune is a fine vehicle for the guitarist to unleash some typically fleet-fingered soloing over the top, followed by some soulful wailing from Travis before an extended vamp featuring multiple saxes takes over and rides into the sunset. This is a fun and perhaps somewhat lightweight tune, but once again the band defies easy expectations with "The Last Day," a return to free-form territory. Travis' skittering looped flute, Hopper's thick fuzz bass, and Marshall's rolling drumwork set an expansive mood before the bandmembers coalesce in spectacular fashion around a mid-tempo groove and brief thematic statement that is simple but dramatic, ending so quickly that the listener is hungry for more. "Firefly" is a jaunty, crisply swinging vehicle for Travis' stellar flutework, with Marshall's brief drum solo leading into tight unison riffing from everyone; the unpredictable suitelike structure here presents new thematic developments and another opportunity for Etheridge to cut loose before the number again heads into a free-form conclusion. Travis' flute remains prominent in "So English," with a free-floating intro (indeed recollecting "The Floating World" from Bundles) filled with loops and sound effects and setting a spacy mood -- but messing things up nicely around the edges with a range of tones and textures that are a bit more impolite than Karl Jenkins might have liked. Riffs and licks sail about over a spacious drone, drawing the listener deeper into extraterrestrial dialogues as Travis' soprano takes over a lead role with Etheridge following his every move and Hopper's monster bass and Marshall's accents staking out subterranean regions -- the energy flows away and Travis is left alone to wrap up the adventure with a subtle and lovely coda. "Dave Acto" follows, and with Etheridge's power chords leading into a nearly heavy metal unison vamp with Hopper, pounding drums from Marshall, and Travis' entry on muscular tenor, it is clear that Soft Machine Legacy are a band that means business. "Dave Acto" is pure get-down heaviosity, but Soft Machine Legacy are saving a powerful punch -- of an entirely different sort -- for the finale: "Anything to Anywhere," penned by Travis (who by now has definitely earned his entry into a band with "Soft Machine" in the title), is a perfect summation, catchy and fun, light in spirit, and with the kind of circular, insistent yet unpredictable vamp that marked some of the best writing of the Softs' jazz-rock period. With a killer hook, a spectacular and dramatic solo from Etheridge, lovely soprano work and looping effects from Travis, and crisp navigation of the rhythmic line from Hopper and Marshall, "Anything to Anywhere" has it all, in a concise package that indeed sums up a monumental legacy while demonstrating continued relevance to the present day and, indeed, the future." (DAVID LYNCH - ALL MUSIC GUIDE, BILLBOARD MAGAZINE)

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