HUGH HOPPER electric bass
JOHN ETHERIDGE electric guitar
THEO TRAVIS tenor & soprano sax, flute
JOHN MARSHALL drums, percussion

Konstante in der Geschichte einer der einflussreichsten europäischen Bands der 60er und 70er Jahre war der personelle Wechsel. Kaum zwei aufeinanderfolgende Alben der britischen Legende Soft Machine, die um 1970 den Sprung vom Canterbury Art Rock und den Kunstprojekt-Ansprüchen ihrer Anfangstage hin zur Rockjazz Fusion vollzogen, die in der identischen Besetzung aufgenommen worden wären. Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean, Keith Tippett, Alan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, all dies sind Namen, die mit der nach einem Roman von William S. Burroughs benannten Band verbunden waren und mit Soft Machine, aber auch außerhalb dieser Band Musikgeschichte schrieben. Die schlicht durchnumerierten Alben wie die ab 1970 im jährlichen Abstand erschienenen “Third”, “Fourth” oder “Fifth” gelten auch heute noch als Meilensteine, die nichts von ihrer Gültigkeit verloren haben. Von 1966 bis in die frühen 80er Jahre dauerte die Geschichte dieser unvergessenen Band, die Ende der 90er Jahre eine Fortsetzung in mehreren Kapiteln fand. Im Herbst 2004 formierte sich Soft Machine (Legacy) in der Besetzung der langjährigen Soft-Machine-Mitglieder Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall und John Etheridge. Nach dem Tod des Saxophonisten Elton Dean im vergangenen Jahr nahm der junge Theo Travis dessen Position ein.
Soft Machine (Legacy) ist jedoch alles andere als eine rückwärtsgewandte Retro-Band, kein Rock-Dinosaurier als müder Abklatsch einer ehemals aufregenden Band. Vielmehr vereint die Legacy vier außergewöhnliche Musiker- und Komponisten-Persönlichkeiten, die sich ihre Experimentierfreude bewahrten und im Bewusstsein ihrer gemeinsamen Vergangenheit eine zeitgemäße Musik erschaffen, die längst nicht nur den Fans von Soft Machine gefallen dürfte, sondern alle, die sich von funkigen Jazzrock-Grooves, druckvollen Rock-Rhythmen und einer spontanen, jazzigen Interaktion und aufregenden Soli begeistern lassen.
Im Gepäck hat die Soft Machine (Legacy) ein nagelneues Studioalbum “Steam”.


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It’s 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’s from a fresh vantage point.

If Soft Machine’s 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), 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’s "Third", 1971’s "Fourth" and 1972's "Fifth". Guitarist John Etheridge joined Soft Machine in 1975 replacing Allan Holdsworth, and was featured on 1976’s "Softs" and 1978’s "Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris". Drummer John Marshall joined Soft Machine halfway through the sessions for 1972’s "Fifth". Remaining with the band until it folded in the early 1980s, he’s 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’s "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’s oblique and sometimes riff-based writing, Etheridge’s high velocity rock edge and Marshall’s 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’s "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’s 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 a new album, "Steam", 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.