Record Reviews

SOFT MOUNTAIN ~ SOFT MOUNTAIN HUX 084 (Barcode: 682970000848) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene Recorded: 2003 Released: 2007 Ex-Soft MachineFind albums by this artist members Hugh HopperFind albums by this artist, Elton DeanFind albums by this artist and John MarshallFind albums by this artist continued during the 2000s to keep the SM flame alive by leading two SM-related groups: Soft Machine LegacyFind albums by this artist (with guitarist John EtheridgeFind albums by this artist) and Soft WorksFind albums by this artist (with guitarist Allan HoldsworthFind albums by this artist). During the 2003 Soft Works Japanese tour Hopper and Dean contacted two Japanese Master musicians: keyboards player Hoppy KamiyamaFind albums by this artist (Gong FamilyFind albums by this artist) and drummer Yoshida TatsuyaFind albums by this artist (Acid Mothers TempleFind albums by this artist) to create an ad hoc quartet called Soft MountainFind albums by this artist. The quartet engaged in a one-day recording session, playing completely improvised music, the result of which is presented on this album. The brilliant music is a mixture of SM related free Jazz-Rock and more Jazz oriented free blowing improvisations. The performances are highly spirited and the virtuosity of the participants is plainly evident. Every SM fan should have a field day with this wonderful addition to the extensive legacy of the group’s music.

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SOFT WORKS ~ ABRACADABRA IN OSAKA MOONJUNE 112 (Barcode: 692287911225) ~ UK ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2003 Released: 2021 This is an archival album documenting a live concert by the short-lived British quartet Soft WorksFind albums by this artist, comprising of ex-Soft MachineFind albums by this artist members: saxophonist Elton DeanFind albums by this artist (who also plays Fender Rhodes here), guitarist Allan HoldsworthFind albums by this artist, bassist Hugh HopperFind albums by this artist and drummer John MarshallFind albums by this artist. The music was captured during the group’s tour in Japan in 2003. The 2CD album presents eleven tracks, some of which were originally composed for the group’s only studio album “AbracadabraFind albums with this title”, and others which belong to the classic Soft Machine repertoire. With tracks running on average over the ten-minutes mark, the music is everything the listener familiar with Soft Machine stuff might expect, i.e. long instrumental jams, featuring extensive improvisations by Dean and Holdsworth, superbly supported by the rhythm section. As a result, the music constantly swings like a pendulum between Jazz (Dean) and Fusion (Holdsworth), with the rhythm section swinging on its own right. Probably the most impressive are the solo parts played by Holdsworth, who obviously feels unconstrained by any time limit obligations and psychological pressures, and simply pours his heart out, producing some of the best guitar oriented Fusion moments ever. I always thought that Holdsworth was one of the tragic figures on the guitar arena in many respects. He was simply too talented for his own good, never actually managing to create the music he really wanted to, from the earliest days of his career and to the very end of his life. His studio recordings are all very far from what he really had to say and as a member of group efforts he simply never found a team that could march his stratospheric imagination, which always soared to the stars. This album probably captures some of his best playing ever, like what I remember when he used to play in dinky pubs around London, completely relaxed sitting a couple of feet away from his audience. Although there is a lot of open space in this music, with pretty wild improvisation around, the music stays well organized for the duration, and eschews the Free Jazz idiom, which might have disrupted the connection with the audience. Complex and challenging – yes, but never chaotic, would be the best description of these proceedings. Overall this is a wonderful document of this particular chapter in the long Soft Machine family tree history, which is of course fascinating and absolutely worthy of exploring. Thanks to Leonardo PavkovicFind albums by this artist, the one-man musical army who made it all possible at the time as a tour organizer and now as the owner of the MoonJuneFind albums on this label label, which released this music on record. Pavkovic tells the story behind the music in the album’s booklet, but the story of his collected activities can fill a huge volume, hopefully to be properly written. Proud to be your Friend, Amigo!

Updated: 25/04/2021Posted: 25/04/2021

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