Roy Babbington's basslines pulsate directly from the heart of the creative British jazz scene of the '70s. Bandleaders such as the fine pianist
Keith Tippett and trumpeter
Ian Carr made use of the bassist in stimulating music from this period, and for the fusion jazz crusades of this decade.
Babbington marched in no less a legion than
Soft Machine. He was a member of this important group from 1974 through 1976, having been a professional musician since the age of 18. His move to London in the late '60s and subsequent employment as a session musician is where his associations began to evolve from nameless dance bandleaders and tavern bands to the likes of
Tippett and
Carr.
Babbington was featured in rhythm sections backing American jazz artists on tour in England, and by the late '70s, had become involved in dramatic music through a series of productions at the National Theatre. He had later associations with
Harry Beckett,
Graham Collier, and
Barbara Thompson and in the '80s could be heard in the shadows of pianist
Stan Tracey's combos as well as on the air with the BBC Radio Orchestra. The former artist brought out
Babbington's best on albums such as Genesis, released on the Steam label in 1987.
Babbington maintains a steady presence on the London live jazz scene, in 2001 fitting comfortably into the trio groove of the inimitable
Mose Allison for a series of live recordings. The bassist's sessions for
Elvis Costello in the '90s brought much more renown, but
Babbington's involvement with unique singer/songwriters goes back decades, not only through collaborations with
Soft Machine's
Robert Wyatt but with the underrated
Chris Youlden in the '70s. Following the death of bassist
Hugh Hopper in 2009,
Babbington joined the
Soft Machine Legacy quartet (also featuring drummer
John Marshall, guitarist
John Etheridge, and saxophonist/flutist
Theo Travis), appearing on the group's Live Adventures in 2010 and
Burden of Proof in 2013. ~ Eugene Chadbourne