Firefly

Soft Machine Legacy: Theo Travis (tenor sax, flute), John Etheridge (electric guitar), Hugh Hopper (electric bass) and John Marshall (drums, percussion). From the album Steam (2007).

In 1976 Babbington left Soft Machine and dedicated himself to support American jazz musicians touring the United Kingdom and to play stage music at the National Theater. In 1977 he appeared on Symphony of Scorpions by jazz doble bassist and composer Graham Collier, which features the rendition of his work with the same name at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London in 1976. After that he was part of jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia, with which he recorded Paraphernalia (1978), and of Intercontinental Express and other groups led by jazz pianist and composer Stan tracey throughout the 1980s.

During that decade he also worked at the BBC Radio Orchestra and in the 1990s he played the double bass in the purest jazz style. In 2000 he appeared on the live albums The Mose Chonicles: Live in London, Vol. 1 and 2 by the blues and jazz American singer, pianist and composer Mose Allison. Following the death of Soft Machine Legacy’s electric bassist Hugh Hopper, Babbington replaced him and recorded with the group Live Adventures (2010) and Burden of Proof (2013).

The first thing you hear is Travis’ flute with special effects and then Marshal joins in to introduce a short theme consisting of a phrase repeated twice. Afterwards Travis makes a moderated flute solo, but using a multitude of resources bringing it to life, and then intensifies his speech and a second flute appears recorded in the studio establishing an expressive communication between them. Then it’s Marshall’s turn to improvise using all the elements of his instrument, especially the drums, which he beats successively unfolding a melodic line. Next the rest of the band accompanies him with different short riffs every so often while he continues developing his solo in full freedom. Later the group plays a tune performed by Travis with the tenor sax and then Etheridge makes a dynamic solo full of virtuosity. He is followed by the group playing another theme with melody again by Travis, but this time with the flute, which becomes a second solo until all the musicians end up in a collective improvisation, and finally Marshal and Travis are left alone saying the last word.