Soft Machine – The Dew at Dawn / (Slightly) Slightly All the Time

Soft Machine – The Dew at Dawn / (Slightly) Slightly All the Time

Available 2nd February 2024 on limited edition 7″ vinyl + all digital platforms

Fabled jazz-rock group Soft Machine present this heartfelt tribute to one of the greats of British jazz – trumpeter Harry Beckett – covering his stunning “The Dew at Dawn” on this limited edition 7” vinyl, with a cover of a classic Softs tune on the B side.

This is the second 7” in My Only Desire Records’ Brit Jazz 45s series, which sees some of their favourite contemporary jazz acts each making brand new studio recordings of two classic compositions from the golden era of ‘60s and ‘70s British jazz.

Now led by guitar master John Etheridge, an original Soft Machine member since the mid-‘70s and Canterbury scene veteran saxophonist Theo Travis, the band has undergone some recent lineup changes with bassist Fred Thelonious Baker (a former Harry Beckett bandmate) joining for 2023’s ‘Other Doors’ album. This is also the first recording with drummer Asaf Sirkis, who has replaced the late British jazz legend John Marshall.

Etheridge and Travis’ unique arrangement has upped the tempo of the “The Dew at Dawn” (originally released on Ogun Records in 1975) pushing the Caribbean-infused groove to the fore. Beckett’s joyful theme – first played on Etheridge’s guitar and then picked up by Travis’ mesmeric soprano saxophone – evokes the sun rising over the misty Hackney marshes and the hope of a better future. The track is underpinned by Baker’s nimble bass guitar and Sirkis’ scattering drums, with Etheridge’s superb soloing honed over a stellar five-decade career.

“Slightly All the Time” from Soft Machine’s seminal 1970 opus ‘Third’, gets a clever reworking for this 7”, with the sprawling epicness of Mike Ratledge’s original composition, trimmed down to its essential parts, and Travis’ outrageously good flute playing ramping up the ‘70s Brit jazz vibes.

* Limited one-off pressing of 600 copies worldwide.
* 7” vinyl housed in a reverse-board picture sleeve.
* Mastered by and lacquer cut by Caspar Sutton-Jones @ Gearbox Records.

Theo Travis: soprano saxophone, flute
John Etheridge: guitar
Fred Thelonious Baker: bass guitar
Asaf Sirkis: drums 

The Dew at Dawn composed by Harry Beckett.
Slightly All the Time composed by Mike Ratledge.
Produced by Theo Travis and John Etheridge.
Recorded by James Johnston at Cowshed Studio, London on 19 July 2023.
Mixed by James Johnston at Cowshed Studio, London on 14 August 2023.

Press Quotes:

“A gorgeous tribute to trumpeter Harry Beckett on side A…It’s an absolute delight and Caspar Sutton-Jones’ cut at Gearbox Records is predictably impeccable. The flipside offers a new take on a Soft Machine classic, ‘(Slightly) Slightly All The Time’ receiving a concise and punchier makeover in the hands of the current line-up. A near-silent GZ pressing is presented in a reverse-board picture sleeve. It’s an edition of six hundred, so don’t hang around.” – Clash Magazine

“They revisit past glories in a new take of Slightly All the Time…Etheridge’s guitar replacing composer Mike Ratledge’s electric piano, while beautiful flowing flute from Travis illuminates affairs midway through. It’s still prog rock, somehow, however jazzy it may be. And it’s still beguiling.” – Record Collector

“Both tunes work well…’Slightly’ retains the 1970s vibe thanks to Travis’ superb flute playing. A great idea well executed.” – Jazzwise

“This jaunty, earworm-rich number is a poignant tribute to Harry Beckett, who died in 2010 and who contributed so much to the British jazz scene. Theo Travis’s liquid-toned soprano outlines the melody followed by John Etheridge’s ever-tasteful guitar and a lithe, serpentine solo from bassist Fred Baker…Interestingly, this is the first non-original cover by the Softs but it’s a good one.” – Jazz Journal

“Another absorbing record from My Only Desire that both promotes the new and the vintage music that is such a vital force in UK jazz.” – Jazz Views

“The A-side of this new 7” single is a likeable thing, a lightly skanking take on the late British jazz trumpeter Harry Beckett’s “The Dew at Dawn”…worth seeking out for those that enjoy quirky jazz tidbits.” – The Arts Desk