Free Blowing
Philip A.Cohen | Bay Harbor Islands, Florida United States | 01/29/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a reasonable sounding soundboard recording of the short-lived "Soft Machine" line-up which recorded the "Side One" material of "Fifth"(I.E. keyboardist Mike Ratledge, bassist Hugh Hopper, Saxophonist Elton Dean & drummer Phil Howard).
Howard, an Australian was a member of Dean's side project/group "Just Us", who recorded Dean's first solo album(other Soft machine members guested on that album and some of those selections found their way into Soft Machine's set)
Howard & Dean were of the "Free Blowing"(almost totally improvised) school of jazz. Dean had limited interest in adhering to composed structures and Howard had no interest whatsoever. Undoubtedly technically skillful, Howard's playing is often cacophanous and harsh. This "Free Blowing" put Dean & Howard at odds with Hugh Hopper and(especially) the classically trained Ratledge.
This group was not well received by audiences and club owners found them to be too avant-garde. After a club owner dropped them(from a support slot for Weather Report) after one gig, Howard was forced out(though he kept his gig with "Just Us") and Dean quit 3 months later. Their replacements,John Marshall & Karl Jenkins took the group in a more mainstream Jazz-Rock Fusion direction. Phil Howard moved to New York in the mid-1970's and he never played again. No one knows his whereabouts, or if he is still alive. Presumably, his recording royalties are held in escrow.
This disc is useful because it gives you an idea of how the "Side Two" material of "Fifth" would have sounded with Phil Howard on drums. As such, it is an essential document for Soft Machine fans."
Dark Swing
Steven Moore | Ann Arbor, MI USA | 01/24/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Dark Swing" is the title of Phil Howard's 2-minute drum solo on this live set and would have been a better title for the album, for the liner notes are all about his short-lived contribution to the ever-changing band. Thanks to his propulsive, explosive drumming, this is the Machine in overdrive: I've never heard them so driven, so intense, so nerve-wracked. (They must have dropped from exhaustion after each set.) Even the usually placid "Slightly All the Time" sounds like Keith Moon arranged it. I prefer the sensitivity and dynamics Robert Wyatt brought to the drum stool, but here's one more live concert to savor (or to endure, for neophytes) in soundboard-plus quality from a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tapes."
Here it is a whole Soft Machine CD with the mighty Phil Howa
Jason Pumphrey | Falls Church, Virginia United States | 03/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Phil Howard had very unique style,using the cymbals to create a wall of sound while he did some cool rhythms on the bass drums(he played a double bass kit) toms and snare(ala Keith Moon!),as well as some great brush work here and there, being a drummer myself enjoyed his playing he was as good as Robert Wyatt and John Marshall,two drummers I also love! He was only one one side of Soft Machine 5,while Marhsall was on side two,get the reissued import that has a take two of All White! I'm so glad to have this stellar CD in my collection,nice to have a whole Softs album with the underated Phil Howard,he could have been Keith Moon's replacement when he passed,his style would have fit perfectly,more so than Kenny Jones. If you like Soft Machine or just like incredible skinmanship get "Drop"! By the way the rest of the band(Hugh Hopper,Elton Dean and Mike Ratledge) are also in top form on this recording! A+ Very Recommended!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1