My Only Desire Records contacted us about taking part in their Brit Jazz 45s series on the label and suggested we cover Harry Beckett’s The Dew at Dawn for the A side. We’re big fans of Harry’s jazz work and he played with jazz-rock/prog acts like the Keef Hartley Band, Manfred Mann and Jack Bruce, so very much inhabited the same musical sphere as Soft Machine. So we were delighted to take part.
Fred’s an ex-bandmate of Harry’s and his love and appreciation for the great man really shines through on his superb bass playing. Anyway, we hope you enjoy our arrangement and tribute to a key figure in British jazz.
For the B side we decided to record a new arrangement of Mike Ratledge’s “Slightly All the Time” from Soft Machine’s seminal 1970 opus ‘Third’, which we had played live before but hadn’t recorded yet. Working within the time constraints of a 7” vinyl, was an interesting but fun challenge and we think people will love this concise reworking of a Softs classic.
* 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 Studios.
Theo Travis: soprano saxophone, flute
John Etheridge: guitar
Fred Thelonious Baker: bass guitar
Asaf Sirkis: drums