Soft Machine: Thirteen

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 Allan Holdsworth, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, and John Marshall - Drums in 2004. John Etheridge replaced Holdsworth, as he did in the 1970s and is the sole member associated with the 1970s incarnation; Asaf Sirkis assumed the drum chair after the passing of Marshall.

All members of the 2026 band have extensive backgrounds in other music (Etheridge played with the legendary Stephane Grappelli for years, for example). However, the current album, in addition to exceptional talent, is an outstanding collection of compositions from all members of the band.

The album starts with the fanfare-like "Lemon Poem Song" by Sirkis, with an outstanding guitar solo from Etheridge, whose guitar style takes unexpected rhythmic twists and turns, but is also incredibly clear and articulate while negotiating multiple rhythmic directions.  "Open Roads" is a more straight-ahead piece, with some assertive playing from saxophonist Theo Travis. Both "Open Roads" and "Seven Hours," the following piece, were written by Travis. Fred Thelonious Baker on fretless bass on "Seven Hours," shows an assertive player with a rich, deep tone. This is a slow build up piece but Baker's bass playing and tone is incredibly thick and solid-not unlike the sound of Sirone's bass in the early 1970s.

"Waltz for Robert" (for founding member Robert Wyatt) also by Sirkis, showcases Sirkis' light delicate cymbals and impressively assertive toms in a style not dissimilar to Wyatt's drumming prior to Marshall's ascendancy to the drum throne, and features some beautiful flute and Mellotron from Travis. "The Longest Night" is marked by a very stately theme and a really impressive ghostly organ solo by guest Pete Whittaker, similar to some of the late Khalid Yasin's/Larry Young's work.  The following two pieces, "Disappear" and "Green Books" exploit the kinds of Stravinsky-inspired small pieces that sometimes showed up on Soft Machine, Egg, and Hatfield and the North albums. "Time Station" and "Turmoil" reflect Soft Machine's almost pastoral approach but also its free improvisational blend of textures-they have developed an intuitive collective approach through the years and the presence of more or less stable personnel for quite a few years now shows great rewards. Baker and SIrkis, who are relatively new, add a Hopper-like fuzz bass and a drum style full of dynamic shifts, respectively. Both are gifted players. Etheridge remains a very underrecognized virtuoso guitarist, and Travis' versatility on several instruments as well as his saxophone playing is superb. At times, the thoughtful approach can be reminiscent if early Weather Report, but Soft Machine, even in its earliest days, was built around unique personalities and still is.

The band has managed to maintain its traditions while showing a willingness to explore new sounds. This is a hallmark of the best jazz, and this album is one of the very best Soft Machine releases. This album points the way for a far broader vision of jazz coming soon.  

The remainder of the album maintains a consistently high standard, especially "Pens to the Foal Mode" which represents the unique layered free improvisation favored by Soft Machine since its earliest days. Worthy of note is the concluding piece, "Daevid's Special Cuppa" is a loose farewell that features a recording of Daevid Allen's "glissando guitar" recorded years prior to Allen's death.  It is a nice tribute to a founding member-as is "Waltz for Robert" which shows that Soft Machine, while moving forward musically, still respects its massively important past. All the players are superb, the recording is extremely clear, the compositions magnificent. This is an exciting addition to the Soft Machine catalogue, and the addition of drummer Sirkis initiates a new, strong chapter in Soft Machine's long, interrupted history.

In conclusion, this a worthy and adventurous addition to the catalog of a group that deserves a great deal more attention than it has received. This is a forward-looking band of excellent musicians and composers.