Soft Machine Legacy's new album

[Dave (in MA)]

That's odd.

[Trane]

even for me

[Dave (in MA)]

Somebody damned well better be recording this!

[rcarlberg]

Mark Fletcher. He already replaced Marshall on other occasions, beginning in 2005.

Fletch is a fine drummer too, a little more reserved than Marshall but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The "Soft Machine Legacy" name is mostly a marketing thing, hasn't really been a description of their playlist even in the beginning. It's like Star Trek TNG or Star Wars Prequel

[calyx]

The "Soft Machine Legacy" name is mostly a marketing thing, hasn't really been a description of their playlist even in the beginning.

This has been true ever since the first of those types of bands, Soft Heap/Head. Hugh and Elton were aware that adding "Soft" to their band's name would give it more appeal and drawing power, but never felt they owed it to the audience to play a majority, or even any old Soft Machine music - although "Kings and Queens" and "Facelift" always seemed to pop up in the setlists. It's true that SoftWorks/Soft Machine Legacy had/have little to do compositionally with 1970s-era Soft Machine, mostly due to the absence of Ratledge's writing, playing and sounds, but - especially when the line-up was ALL former members, which is no longer the case since Theo Travis has joined - with Elton's saxello and Hugh's fuzz bass in particular the signature in the sound was clearly there.

[Dave (in MA)]

Kings and Queens seems to be a staple, but they've also done Has Riff (As If), The Nodder, Chloe & the Pirates, Song Of Aeolus, Sideburn, Slightly All The Time and Gesolreut as I recall.

[calyx]

Kings and Queens seems to be a staple, but they've also done Has Riff (As If), The Nodder, Chloe & the Pirates, Song Of Aeolus, Sideburn, Slightly All The Time and Gesolreut as I recall.

I was considering the entire history of those "Soft-" bands. They didn't start playing any Ratledge material until the Polysoft project and since both Hopper and Dean had played in that project, it made sense for SoftWorks and SML to play some of it. I remember meeting Elton at a Herbie Hancock (I think) concert a few weeks before the first SoftWorks concert in Seattle and him telling them they might play "Slightly All The Time", but that never happened with that band.

Of course there was NO Jenkins material until Hugh "left"... He didn't want to play any of his music (he did do "Fanfare" as the intro to "All White" with Polysoft but that was it).

[interbellum]

It does seem like Marshall doesn't play abroad anymore. He was in Paris when they played in 2012, but both times I've seen them in France since, it was with replacement drummers (Mark Fletcher at RIO Fest and Asaf Sirkis in Bourgoin-Jallieu).

News about the replacement of Marshall:

Soft Machine is the band that will never die. It regenerates all the time, with new faces contain using the amazing legacy. Roy Babbington has retired a few years ago, John Marshall's retirement will be officially announced, and the amazing Fred Thelonious Baker on bass guitar and fabulous Asaf Sirkis on drums will be accompanying two post 2004 veterans of the band, the legendary guitar mega maestro John Etheridge and the wonderful Theo Travis on flute, sax and Fender Rhodes. The new album will be released later this year and will feature John Marshall as well Roxy Babbington guesting as the companion bass player on two tunes, the synergy between Uncle Rioy and Fred is truly great. There are some gigs this February and May in the UK and working on some European dates as well, and USA/Canada tour will be in October (multiple dates in New York are secured, in addition to Quebec City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Philadelphia, and much more to come), and will see how t o fit Japan and South America in the band's schedule between this and early next year.

Uk shows:
Feb 03 - LONDON (New Cross Inn)
Feb 08 - WIMBORNE (Tivoli Theatre Wimborne)
Feb 15 - MANCHESTER (Band on the Wall)
Feb 16 - KINROSS (Backstage Green Hotel)
Feb 17 - AMBLESIDE (Zeferelliss)
May 26 - LEEDS (Leeds City Varieties)

Check albums on BandCamp
softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com

[rcarlberg]

News about the replacement of Marshall:

Heh. Soft Machine is getting to be like a football franchise. Each year there's a draft, to bring the most promising players into a practice squad.

[interbellum]

Heh. Soft Machine is getting to be like a football franchise. Each year there's a draft, to bring the most promising players into a practice squad.

Yeah, I hope Sirkis will also gets the change to show his composing-skills. His last solowork contained fresh jazzrock.

[Harbottle]

Heh. Soft Machine is getting to be like a football franchise. Each year there's a draft, to bring the most promising players into a practice squad.

Just like the seventies, then! :-)

[arturs]

Leonardo sent around these USA dates a few days ago. Could the Oct 24 date at Reggie's be another Progtoberfest appearance?

Oct 06 - NEW YORK CITY, NY, USA (The Iridium)
Oct 07 - NEW YORK CITY, NY, USA (The Iridium)
Oct 14 - QUEBEC CITY, QC, Canada (Salle d’Youville)
Oct 14 - QUEBEC CITY, QC, Canada (Salle d’Youville)
Oct 24 - CHICAGO, IL, USA (Reggie's)
Oct 26 - INDIANAPOLIS, IN, USA (Irving Theater)

More UK, European and USA shows to be announced soon.

SOFT MACHINE 2023 is:
JOHN ETHERIDGE - guitar
THEO TRAVIS - flute, sax, Fender Rhodes piano
FREDDY BAKER - bass guitar
ASAF SIRKIS - drums