Jazz Articles about Theo Travis

Goldbug: The Seven Dreams

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 11, 2011

Il quartetto Goldbug, guidato dal chitarrista Tim Motzer, è una sorta di supergruppo che mette assieme il batterista del trio di Adrian Belew, il saxofonista dei Soft Machine Legacy e il bassista dei Base3 per esplorare territori misteriosi pieni di echi elettronici e organici che si intersecano vicendevolmente senza soluzione di continuità. Le sette composizioni sono in larga parte improvvisate e danno poi modo a Tim Motzer di compiere un prezioso lavoro di editing, con la collaborazione di Barry Meehan, ...

Travis & Fripp: Live at Coventry Cathedral

by John Kelman
March 26, 2010

Despite King Crimson being on permanent hiatus--at least officially, though momentum continues with its ongoing 40th Anniversary Series of newly remixed/remastered back catalog--its remaining co-founder, guitarist Robert Fripp, doesn't appear to be slowing down as he approaches 65. A hotly anticipated new recording teams the intrepid guitarist/soundscapist with guitarist Jakko M. Jakszyk and '70s Crimson alum/saxophonist/flautist Mel Collins; but with über-bassist Tony Levin and drummer Gavin Harrison also involved it's beginning to sound a lot like the next in Crimson's ...

Theo Travis: From Prog to Jazz and Back Again

by Bruce Lindsay
September 29, 2009

British musician Theo Travis has one of the most varied performing and recording histories to be found among contemporary jazz musicians. A talented saxophonist, flautist and composer, Travis has performed solo, in duos and quartets, in straight ahead jazz combos and in electronic, improvisational groups.

He has performed live soundtracks in cinemas, duos with guitarist Robert Fripp in English churches, jazz standards in clubs and progressive rock at major European festivals. Travis, in both his playing ...

Theo Travis: Slow Life

by John Kelman
September 29, 2009

Between solo albums like Earth to Ether (33 Jazz, 2004) and Double Talk (33 Jazz, 2007), and working with progressive/fusion bands including Porcupine Tree, Gong, The Tangent, and Soft Machine Legacy, Theo Travis has become one of England's hardest working woodwind multi-instrumentalists. A fine player with a broad vernacular--blending the jazz tradition with a deeper understanding of the distinctively English sound of many of these groups--Travis would be a double threat if all he did was play his instruments and ...

Theo Travis: Double Talk

by John Kelman
November 21, 2007

The British jazz scene is filled with treasures often hidden from North American audiences. Woodwind multi- instrumentalist Theo Travis--who replaced Elton Dean in Soft Machine Legacy following the legendary saxophonist's unexpected passing in 2006--has his fingers in so many pies, however, that it's surprising he's not better known on the west side of the Atlantic. Along with a string of solo recordings including Earth to Ether (33 Records, 2004) and ambient explorations with his collaborative group Cipher, Travis can be ...

Theo Travis: Eleven Bowls of Acidophilus Flute Salad

by Anthony Shaw
February 28, 2006

Anyone who has wondered about the inclusion of music by the reputed space-rock band Gong in jazz annals should consider the recent release by the group's current saxophonist and flautist, Theo Travis. In addition to the well-received Earth to Ether, Travis has been active around the UK and abroad with his own band Cipher, but his recent work is a collectors' selection, released on vinyl in Holland by Tonefloat, going under the title of Eleven Bowls of Acidophilus Flute Salad. ...

Theo Travis: View from the Edge & Earth to Ether

by John Kelman
December 9, 2004

Theo Travis is yet another British jazz artist well-known in his own country but sadly under-appreciated elsewhere, especially in North America. With nearly ten records to his name, and involvement with Canterbury-related group Gong, progressive rockers Porcupine Tree, and singer Anja Garbarek, daughter of Norwegian legend Jan, it's no surprise that Travis' own records reflect a rich diversity--an eclecticism that is brought together by Travis' confident tenor tone and lyrically ethereal flute. Truth be told, like many jazz musicians of ...