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The Dutch Lesson
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The Dutch Lesson
Current price: $25.99
Barnes and Noble
The Dutch Lesson
Current price: $25.99
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Cuneiform
continues its excavation of
Soft Machine
's history with
The Dutch Lesson
, a 1973 small theater gig from Rotterdam. Previously, only one concert recording from 1973 existed (apart from dodgy bootlegs),
NDR Jazz Workshop
, which took place in Hamburg in May. Bassist
Roy Babbington
had joined the band to replace
Hugh Hopper
after
Six
. Though he appears on the Hamburg recording, it's clear that bandmates
John Marshall
(drums),
Karl Jenkins
(reeds, electric piano), and
Mike Ratledge
(piano, organ) hadn't solidified around him yet.
, recorded in October, followed their defining performances at several major European music festivals. The two-set show offers no early material; its contents include most of
and early versions of "Down the Road" and "Hazard Profile."
Most fans, critics, and journos didn't know about this show. It was audience-recorded from the front row by record store owner Bert Boogaard, holding a Uher portable tape machine in his lap. While it's true one wouldn't expect much from an audience recording then, it delivers excellent fidelity despite some oversaturation by the drum kit.
Typically, the intros to some tunes happen gradually. On opener "Stanley Stomps Gibbon Album," the intro is quite gradual; circular piano and keyboard themes subtly converse. When
Marshall
crashes in, he ups the tempo as
Babbington
delivers throbbing, distorted thunder transmuting the jam into jazz-rock. Across this date, the intuitive, conversant interplay between the bassist and
Ratledge
is incendiary. The 11-plus-minute read of "The Soft Weed Factor" begins with ghostly electric piano lines playing a fragmental blues shuffle. It increases in tension and groove, and the rhythm section joins him in the foreground, strolling and warping the progression before
Jenkins
erupts with soprano and oboe solos as the band ratchets the intensity. This rendition of "37 1/2" careens across modal and post-bop before becoming a true showcase for
' brilliant, extended soprano solo. "Ealing Comedy" is an imaginative captivatingly active bass solo on which
reveals his penchant for blues, boogie, and hard bop. "Down the Road" is a showcase for the soprano saxophonist as his bandmates erect a slippery, nocturnal, utterly kinetic, bluesy, vanguard jazz-funk response. Here, "Hazard Profile" is delivered as a rowdy, sprawling (14 minutes) psychedelic exercise in driving, hypnotic jazz-rock fusion. It morphs into serpentine group improv with stellar work from
's piano as
's sympathetic, syncopated groove buoys him. Closer "Gesolreut Jam" reprises the theme and vamp from their performance of "Gesolreut" during the first set. Dirty, funky, nd modal, this take winds through jazz, nocturnal funk, future blues, and hard rock, as
and
go head-to-head with
before deconstructing the progression rhythmically, harmonically, and dynamically; it's a labyrinthine sonic traverse across a wide musical expanse that ends with the band whispering the show to a sublime, sensual close. Despite the occasional "hot"-sounding drums,
is an essential addition to
's catalog, and due to its obscure origins, this unexpected release feels like a gift. ~ Thom Jurek
continues its excavation of
Soft Machine
's history with
The Dutch Lesson
, a 1973 small theater gig from Rotterdam. Previously, only one concert recording from 1973 existed (apart from dodgy bootlegs),
NDR Jazz Workshop
, which took place in Hamburg in May. Bassist
Roy Babbington
had joined the band to replace
Hugh Hopper
after
Six
. Though he appears on the Hamburg recording, it's clear that bandmates
John Marshall
(drums),
Karl Jenkins
(reeds, electric piano), and
Mike Ratledge
(piano, organ) hadn't solidified around him yet.
, recorded in October, followed their defining performances at several major European music festivals. The two-set show offers no early material; its contents include most of
and early versions of "Down the Road" and "Hazard Profile."
Most fans, critics, and journos didn't know about this show. It was audience-recorded from the front row by record store owner Bert Boogaard, holding a Uher portable tape machine in his lap. While it's true one wouldn't expect much from an audience recording then, it delivers excellent fidelity despite some oversaturation by the drum kit.
Typically, the intros to some tunes happen gradually. On opener "Stanley Stomps Gibbon Album," the intro is quite gradual; circular piano and keyboard themes subtly converse. When
Marshall
crashes in, he ups the tempo as
Babbington
delivers throbbing, distorted thunder transmuting the jam into jazz-rock. Across this date, the intuitive, conversant interplay between the bassist and
Ratledge
is incendiary. The 11-plus-minute read of "The Soft Weed Factor" begins with ghostly electric piano lines playing a fragmental blues shuffle. It increases in tension and groove, and the rhythm section joins him in the foreground, strolling and warping the progression before
Jenkins
erupts with soprano and oboe solos as the band ratchets the intensity. This rendition of "37 1/2" careens across modal and post-bop before becoming a true showcase for
' brilliant, extended soprano solo. "Ealing Comedy" is an imaginative captivatingly active bass solo on which
reveals his penchant for blues, boogie, and hard bop. "Down the Road" is a showcase for the soprano saxophonist as his bandmates erect a slippery, nocturnal, utterly kinetic, bluesy, vanguard jazz-funk response. Here, "Hazard Profile" is delivered as a rowdy, sprawling (14 minutes) psychedelic exercise in driving, hypnotic jazz-rock fusion. It morphs into serpentine group improv with stellar work from
's piano as
's sympathetic, syncopated groove buoys him. Closer "Gesolreut Jam" reprises the theme and vamp from their performance of "Gesolreut" during the first set. Dirty, funky, nd modal, this take winds through jazz, nocturnal funk, future blues, and hard rock, as
and
go head-to-head with
before deconstructing the progression rhythmically, harmonically, and dynamically; it's a labyrinthine sonic traverse across a wide musical expanse that ends with the band whispering the show to a sublime, sensual close. Despite the occasional "hot"-sounding drums,
is an essential addition to
's catalog, and due to its obscure origins, this unexpected release feels like a gift. ~ Thom Jurek
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