Soft Machine! Soft Machine! Soft Machine!
The legend of Soft Machine lives on! Soft Machine are one the original jazz fusion bands birthed in the late 1960s along with Miles Davis and Frank Zappa. This new incarnation is superb. Here are the players:
John Etheridge, guitar: John joined Soft Machine in 1975 for Softs and then Alive and Well and has been the main soloist of the band ever since. Described by Pat Metheny as “one of the best guitarists,” he is hugely in demand and has also played with Caravan, Hawkwind, John Williams. and Billy Cobham.
Theo Travis, woodwind, keyboards: Theo joined Soft Machine (Legacy) in 2006, taking over from the late Elton Dean. He plays tenor and soprano saxes as well as flutes and the Fender Rhodes electric piano. He has also performed and toured with Gong, Robert Fripp, David Gilmour, and David Sylvian.
Asaf Sirkis, drums: Asaf joined Soft Machine in January 2023 as successor to the legendary John Marshall. He has a giant international reputation as one of the world’s most creative drummers. He has toured worldwide and recorded over 100 albums as a sideman, collaborator, and leader. Asaf has been playing with many renowned jazz and world music artists such as Dave Holland, Jacob Collier, Gwilym Simcock, Larry Coryell, Jeff Berlin, John Abercrombie, Robert Wyatt, Gary Husband, and Kenny Wheeler.
Fred Thelonious Baker, bass: Fred is one of Britain’s finest bass players. He replaced Roy Babbington in Soft Machine in January 2022 and was in fact chosen by Roy to be his successor. Fred is perhaps best known for playing in Phil Miller’s Canterbury scene band ‘In Cahoots’. He has also played with many musicians and groups on the Canterbury scene, including Pip Pyle, Elton Dean, and Hugh Hopper. Baker played in The John Etheridge/Ric Sanders Group in the early 1980s. He has also worked with his own group, the Fred Thelonious Baker Group, who recorded a self-titled album in 1984.
The band have five more dates on their February Other Doors U.K. Tour. They have shows in April slated for Ronnie Scott’s and a date at Paris – Le Triton. There is much more to come, with more tours in the U.K. and Europe and a North American tour likely in June and July. The band also hope to play Japan, Indonesia, and Brazil!
The group also released their first album as a unit in August of last year, titled Other Doors. More to come!
SOFT MACHINE
02/18 Old Woollen | Farsley GBR
02/19 Band on the Wall | Manchester GBR
02/20 Robin 2 | Wolverhampton GBR
02/22 Cardiff Acapela studio | Gwaelod-y-garth GBR
04/10 Ronnie Scott’s Club | London GBR
04/12 Paris – Le Triton | Les Lilas FRA
11/15 HRH Prog – Great Yarmouth | Great Yarmouth GBR
SOFT MACHINE
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