Jazz Articles about John Etheridge

About John Etheridge

Album Review

Soft Machine has seen many incarnations over the years. The initial iteration of the group, from roughly 1966-1980, and 13 albums, saw no two albums with the same personnel. The band was also arguably one of the first fusion bands. Soft Machine's overall approach was more experimental, incorporating elements of free jazz and minimalism in a unique blend, regardless of who was in the shifting pool. In 1984, Soft Machine finally disbanded and was reunified as Soft Machine Legacy with ...

Album Review

Threeway with special guest John Etheridge: Harken!

by Neil Duggan
June 22, 2024

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Threeway. This chamber jazz trio without drums consists of bassist Ben Crosland, pianist Steve Lodder and Steve Waterman on trumpet and flugelhorn. They have released three previous albums on the Jazz Cat label: Conversations (2005), Songs of the Year (2009) and Looking Forward, Looking Back (2013). For this recording, they have recruited guitarist John Etheridge. Between them, the four musicians have extensive experience, having played with artists as diverse as Carla Bley, Mal Waldron, ...

Album Review

Soft Machine: Other Doors

Read "Other Doors" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
November 30, 2023

Soft Machine's Other Doors is a compelling exploration into the progressive jazz-rock fusion realm, highlighting the band's evolution and continued dedication to innovative musical expression and capturing the essence of Soft Machine's improvisational brilliance. The record unfolds like a sonic journey, inviting listeners into a world of intricate compositions and virtuosic performances. What sets Other Doors apart is its raw energy and the band's ability to blend various musical elements seamlessly. Tracks such as “Kings and Queens" and the Kevin ...

Album Review

Soft Machine: Live At The Baked Potato

Read "Live At The Baked Potato" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
October 31, 2020

European progressive jazz-rock ensemble Soft Machine seems to have run through more lives than even the luckiest tomcat. They've been first-rate musicians at every incarnation, and it's heartening to hear John Etheridge (guitar), John Marshall (drums), Roy Babbington (bass) and relative newcomer Theo Travis (piano, flute, saxophone) sound so vibrant as well as accomplished on Live at the Baked Potato. Baked Potato is a souvenir, recorded at Los Angeles' legendary musical hotspot, from the ensemble's 2019 tour of ...

Album Review

Soft Machine: Live At The Baked Potato

Read "Live At The Baked Potato" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
July 4, 2020

Live At The Baked Potato was recorded in Los Angeles in 2019 as part of Soft Machine's 50th Anniversary Tour. (Fact check: 2019 was the band's 53rd and this lineup's fourth anniversary). The latest album is a lot of fun even though it bears little resemblance to the music of the revolutionary 1966 -1969 lineups featuring Mike Ratledge on keyboards and flute, Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals, Kevin Ayers on guitar, bass guitar and vocals, Daevid Allen on guitar ...

Interview

John Etheridge: More Than a Legacy

by Bruce Lindsay
May 7, 2013

The home page of guitarist John Etheridge's website reveals that he's involved in seven current projects: nothing too unusual in the life of a contemporary jazz musician. Closer inspection quickly shows that the term “jazz musician" fails miserably to encompass the full range of Etheridge's work. There's his career as a solo performer; his duo with the classical guitarist John Williams; his duo with violinist Chris Garrick; Garrick and Etheridge's quartet Sweet Chorus, inspired by Stephane Grappelli; his trio with ...

Album Review

Soft Machine: British Tour ‘75

by AAJ Italy Staff
November 28, 2006

I Soft Machine, che troviamo ben documentati da questo bel concerto tenutosi all’Università di Nottingham l’undici ottobre del 1975, erano all'epoca ormai diventati una band inserita pienamente nel filone inglese del jazz-rock, avendo perso per strada buona parte di quelle deliziose anomalie che avevano caratterizzato la parte iniziale della loro carriera, spesa fra Canterbury e i localini fumosi del nuovo jazz londinese. Qui in primo piano troviamo spesso la chitarra aggressiva di John Etheridge e questo marca con decisione questa ...