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Soft Heap / Soft Head | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Soft Machine (Canterbury, England) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1978–1988 [1] |
| Labels | Ogun Records, Charly Records, Impetus Records, Reel Recordings |
Soft Heap (or Soft Head) was a Canterbury scene and jazz-rock supergroup founded in January 1978 and active throughout the Eighties. [2]
Main source: [2]
Jazz-rock band Soft Heap was formed in January 1978 by four musicians, two of them being ex-members of Soft Machine: indeed, Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean had worked together in Soft Machine, while Alan Gowen and Pip Pyle had worked together in the band National Health.
The first name "Soft" obviously references the past band Soft Machine while the second name "Heap" comes from the initial letters of the band's founders' first name: Hugh Hopper (bass), Elton Dean (saxophone), Alan Gowen (keyboards) and Pip Pyle (drums).
The band's direction was very jazzy and improvisational.
Soft Heap went on tour in Spring–Summer 1978, [1] but due to his commitments with the band National Health, Pyle couldn't be on this first tour, thus Dave Sheen replaced him and the band's name changed to Soft Head. [1]
The live album Rogue Element was recorded on that tour in May 1978 at Chez Jacky "A L'Ouest de la Grosne" Bresse-sur-Grosne, France and was released in 1978.
The original Soft Heap line-up reconvened in October 1978 (thus including Pip Pyle) to record their eponymous studio album Soft Heap which was released in 1979.
John Greaves (also from National Health) replaced Hugh Hopper on bass in 1979–80, and after Alan Gowen's death in 1981, Mark Hewins joined on guitar, the new 1981 line-up becoming: John Greaves, Elton Dean, Pip Pyle and Mark Hewins. [3] (The three other founding members Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean and Pip Pyle would all die in the 2000s).
As Mark Hewins explained: "John Greaves and I were given the opportunity to change the name of the group when we joined, but we all decided that, in respect of Alan Gowen's memory, we would keep the "Heap" moniker (Hugh, Elton, Alan, Pip)... [Otherwise,] it could have been... "Soft Jemp"!".
The new line-up toured intermittently throughout the 1980s, occasionally including guests such as Fred Frith and Phil Minton. [4]
Released only in 1996, A Veritable Centaur [5] is a live album largely taken from a 1982 French show, with one track from a 1983 BBC Radio 3 performance [6] while Al Dente is a 2008 archival release of the show at the Phoenix Club, London, on 22 November 1978.
No records were released during the 1980s although the band kept gigging, embarking on four tours during the decade with a total of 25 European concerts, culminating with a gig in a circus tent (built especially for the band) on 11 May 1988 [1] at the Festival "Jazz sous les pommiers" [1] in Coutances, France that was recorded and broadcast live by FR1 Radio (according to Mark Hewins).
Main source: [2]
| Year of release | Band | Album |
| 1978 | Soft Head | Rogue Element [nb 1] |
| 1979 | Soft Heap | Soft Heap [nb 2] |
| 1996 | Soft Heap | A Veritable Centaur(1982–1983) [nb 3] |
| 2008 | Soft Heap | Al Dente(1978) [nb 4] |
Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. As a central band of the Canterbury scene, the group became one of the first British psychedelic acts and later moved into progressive rock and jazz fusion. Their varying line-ups have included former members such as Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth, and currently consists of John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker, and Asaf Sirkis.
Hugh Colin Hopper was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands.
Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in Soft Machine, among others.
National Health were an English progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Founded in 1975, the band featured members of keyboardist Dave Stewart's band Hatfield and the North and Alan Gowen's band Gilgamesh, including guitarists Phil Miller and Phil Lee and bassist Mont Campbell as original members. The band was named after Stewart's National Health spectacles. Bill Bruford was the initial drummer, but was soon replaced by Pip Pyle. Campbell was replaced by Neil Murray and then John Greaves. Alan Gowen left the group before its first album, but returned for their final tours, replacing Dave Stewart, who resigned after their second album. Amanda Parsons sang with the group in its original lineup but also appeared on the first album only as a guest; the group never had another full-time vocalist, although Richard Sinclair appeared a few times as a guest vocalist, and Greaves sang on one track of the second album and occasionally in concerts. Guitarist Phil Miller was National Health's only constant member.
Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield and the North and National Health.
John Greaves is a British bass guitarist, pianist and composer who was a member of Henry Cow and has collaborated with Peter Blegvad. He was also a member of progressive rock band National Health and jazz-rock supergroup Soft Heap, and has recorded several solo albums, including Accident (1982), Parrot Fashions (1984), The Caretaker (2001) and Greaves Verlaine (2008).
Short Wave Live is the only album by Short Wave, a UK band related to the Canterbury Scene, consisting of Hugh Hopper (bass), Didier Malherbe (sax), Phil Miller (guitar) and Pip Pyle (drums).
Fourth is the fourth studio album by the rock band Soft Machine, released in 1971. The album is also titled Four or 4 in the USA.
Fifth, is the fifth studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1972. In the US the album was identified on cover and label by number (5).
Richard Stephen Sinclair is an English progressive rock bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.
Roy Babbington is an English rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock band Soft Machine.
Gilgamesh were a British jazz fusion band in the 1970s led by keyboardist Alan Gowen, part of the Canterbury scene.
Alan Gowen was an English fusion/progressive rock keyboardist, best known for his work in Gilgamesh and National Health.
In Cahoots was a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.
Mark Hewins is an English guitarist known for his connections to the Canterbury scene, a group of English progressive rock musicians during the 1960s.
Patrice Meyer is a French electric guitarist active in Jazz, Jazz rock, Progressive rock and Canterbury scene bands.
D.S. Al Coda is the third and final album by the progressive rock and jazz fusion group National Health. It is a tribute to former member Alan Gowen, who died of leukaemia in May 1981, and consists solely of compositions written by him. Most of these had not been recorded in the studio before, although "TNTFX" and "Arriving Twice" both appeared earlier on albums by Gowen's other band Gilgamesh.
Sophia Domancich is a French pianist and jazz composer.
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