Soft Heap - Al Dente (1978)

From the remnants of Soft Machine, electric bass guitarist Hugh Hopper and saxophonist Elton Dean formed the quartet Soft Heap to further advance their progressive jazz-fusion oriented ideas. As keyboardist Mike Ratledge, multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins, and electric guitarist Allan Holdsworth took Soft Machine into a different, louder arena, Hopper and Dean were more intrigued with the intuitive creative improvised side of the music away from their initially strict Canterbury orientation. This sounds like they were more prone to the styles of the Return to Forever/Weather Report/National Health strain, spurred on with a healthy dose of Dick Heckstall-Smith's or John Surman's influence. With the brilliant electric pianist Alan Gowen and stellar rock drumming of Pip Pyle, Soft Heap set in motion a stance where Dean and Hopper could create an identity on their own. It is Gowen's presence that is particularly arresting, as his sound permeates, penetrates, and cuts through every aspect of their collective sound, except that of Dean. Whether on alto sax or his unique saxello, the extraordinary Dean is the straw that stirs these lengthy jams, live at the Phoenix Club in London, England. Recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder at the slowest 3 3/4" per second speed, the production is remarkably resilient, preserved, and well balanced, making for an enjoyable listening experience. Gowen is credited as having written three of these extensive discourses. His amazing introduction sets up the endless fab jam "Sleeping House," varying from idea streams to calmed free floating stepped up into bop, all with Dean's terse saxello driving the band. The jagged edged "Remain So" is another hard swinging vehicle for Dean's Eric Dolphy-like alto, but it is Pyle's Latin rock feel piling on stark kinetic energy. The 17-minute "C.R.R.C." starts in ballad style, but you can't keep them introspective for long, as rock volume and clockwork rhythms invade the serenity. Dean's "Fara" also starts relatively tranquil, as it is clear the alto saxophonist has clearly listened to ultra-melodic standards such as "I Remember Clifford" and "We'll Be Together Again." Pyle increases the tempo a half step under Gowen's shimmering keyboards, setting off a maniacally stratospheric woodwind solo. A composition first heard on Happy Daze by Elton Dean's Ninesense, "Seven for Lee" in 7/8 time is pure modal excitement, buoyed via an ostinato line only Hopper can deliver, while the lone original penned by the bassist, "Circle Line," is a throaty, throbbing line, more spacy than earthy, accented by Gowen's free synthesizer, Dean's poignant saxello, and eventually set ablaze by Pyle's bashing. Far from undercooked, this opportunity to hear a spin-off of what was a pioneering fusion ensemble proved this foursome still had plenty left in terms of their own original music. Gowen passed away three years after these recordings, so this album is very important to his legacy, a fine representation of his excellent musicianship.

by Michael G. Nastos, AMG