Soft Machine: The Dew At Dawn/(Slightly) Slightly All The Time

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Asaf Srkis (d)
John Etheridge (g)
Fred Thelonious Baker (el b)
Theo Travis (ss, f)

Label:

My Only Desire

April/2024

Media Format:

7” single, DL

Catalogue Number:

MOD007

RecordDate:

Rec. 19 July 2023

The second in My Only Desire's Brit Jazz 45s series – in which contemporary outfits record covers of British jazz classics on two sides of a 7-inch single – sees this latest incarnation of Soft Machine cover the great trumpeter Harry Beckett's magnificent 'The Dew At Dawn'; on the flipside there's a new recording of a Softs epic from 1970's jazz-rock classic Third.

Both tunes work well – 'Dew' is taken at a faster, more urgent pace than the 1975 original, and emphasises its Caribbean lilt. Fittingly, it features Backett's old bandmate Baker on bass. 'Slightly' is a highly compressed version of the 18-minute original but retains the 1970s vibe thanks to Travis' superb flute playing. A great idea well executed.

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