The Soft Machine Legacy: Live In Zaandam

On the opening "Ash, Etheridge's understated electric guitar voicings provide an ethereal backdrop for Elton Dean's softly executed sax lines, embedded within a gently flowing theme. Then the soloists proceed to turn up the heat via some cat and mouse digressions as the band ventures off into a sequence of mini-motifs. The artists do carry forth sounds of the fabled Canterbury progressive rock era via bassist Hugh Hopper's early Soft Machine classic "Kings & Queens.

The majority of these pieces were composed solely for this occasion, which brings to mind the fact that this rendition of the ensemble's ongoing legacy never recorded as a unit until now. And with Dean's yearning melody lines, the band members generally doesn't aim to overpower, although they wisely pick their spots to do so. For example, the musicians slam matters into tenth gear on the fast-paced burner "Two Down, where legendary drummer John Marshall generates a pumping funk-rock groove. The highlights are bountiful throughout; this recent effort spawns a new epoch for the band's exodus into the future. Essential...

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