This is the
John Marshall/
Hugh Hopper/
John Etheridge/
Elton Dean version of
Soft Machine Legacy, in an elegantly filmed performance from the New Morning club in Paris. The ten songs recorded on December 12, 2005 plus 22 minutes of interview footage are all the more vital because of the passing of saxophonist
Dean soon after this performance. Superbly directed by Patrick Savey, the 90-minute
Paris Concert is played to a packed house in this very intimate setting. Opening with the moody and sax-heavy "Ash," the ten-minute title track from
John Etheridge's 2001 solo disc, the band grooves to their jazz licks with the guitar bordering on psychedelia. The hour-and-a-half instrumental journey dips deeper into fusion with "Seven for Lee," "1212," and other titles, recorded with crystal-clear audio allowing for every nuance to be captured by the surprisingly warm Dolby Digital 5.1. Director Savey doesn't overuse his four cameras, utilizing close-ups and long fade-ins as well as appropriate cuts back to the four members on-stage. The performances are all excellent, making the lingering camera a study of the art happening in this small venue. The moody lighting also adds to this atmospheric presentation, dedicated to
Dean, whose sax and keyboard playing here (with his keys adding immensely to "Kings and Queens") is thankfully preserved for the ages. The interview segment has the musicians speaking while interspersed with footage from the rehearsal. Very nice for
Soft Machine fans. The approximately 116 minutes contain no other frills or extras, just music and interviews with bassist
Hopper, drummer
Marshall, guitarist
Etheridge, and the sadly missed
Dean. A noteworthy and somewhat revealing package. ~ Joe Viglione