Since Allan Holdsworth made his appearance on the debut album of UK (the super group consisting Eddie Jobson, Bill Bruford, John Wetton and Holdsworth), lovers of progressive rock now know this excellent guitar player. Of course, this musician, who died in 2017, made more albums before and after this groundbreaking album. Most people know his solo albums and his work with Bruford and Soft Machine. But you also might know KČ's first album, Book Of The Dead. Or the only studio album he made with Soft Works. An album with the title Abracadabra which was released in 2003. This out of print release has now been rereleased by Moonjune Records in 2025. We got a review copy and I will tell what this album is all about. Shortly before the end of the last millennium, British jazz-rock legends Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall, and Keith Tippett came together to perform a concert in Germany. They performed under the name Soft Ware. Related to Soft Machine, the band which most musicians were members of. Tippett left shortly thereafter and was replaced by none other than Allan Holdsworth. Soon after, the all-star quartet, now under the name Soft Works, set about recording an album. Abracadabra was recorded in June 2002 and released in 2003. What's remarkable about this line up of musicians is that almost no one played with Soft Machine at the same time, but many have collaborated since then. Maybe for lovers of progressive rock this album is something of a disappointment. There is certainly virtuosic jazz and some restrained rock on the eight instrumental compositions. But this kind of music might sound too chaotic and too improvised to keep most lovers of our beloved genre focused. However, I still think a review on our website is justified. Because there are a still lot of lovers of progressive rock that also enjoy this kind of music. Even if the influences of this genre are minimal. Allan Holdsworth (guitar, Synthaxe), Elton Dean (alto saxophone, saxello, Fender Rhodes), Hugh Hopper (bass) and John Marshall (drums) made this album one big jam session with lots of improvisations. For most people it sounds very unexciting. The four musicians go routinely through the eight numbers. Producing familiar, at times rather unspectacular jazz-rock patterns. The music does pick up speed now and then and becomes slightly free. However it quickly returns to their moderately plodding, jazzy-conservative patterns. Solos from saxophone and electric guitar dominate the proceedings. Dean's solos are not that attractive and it has to come from Holdsworth to keep it enjoyable most of the time. Unfortunately, Holdsworth leaves a too small mark on this album. He confines himself mainly to his instantly recognizable, floating chord progressions, stepping forward only occasionally to pull a solo out of his sleeves. These solos are as usual top-notch. Just listen to his long solo on Elsewhere and you know what I am talking about. I would have liked to hear this kind of solos more often on this album. And if there are solos from him, they're just a bit too short to counterbalance Elton Dean's emphatic presence. It's his playing on the alto saxophone that takes up most of the solo space. As for the guys who laid down the foundation of the music, the Marshall-Hopper rhythm tandem keeps everything nicely cohesive. And Hopper not only delivers a solid performance as an anchor, but also as a soloist, as evidenced by his fine fuzz bass on K Licks. Incidentally, this piece is an improvisation on the track Calyx from the first album by Hatfield & The North. The last two compositions on the album are the two bonus tracks and were recorded live in Tokyo, Japan, on August 10, 2003. Inevitably they offer a rawer sound, but they remain in the sonic vein of the album. Offering an inventive jazz-rock sound, and above all, open to more adventurous sounds. Even more improvisations. Even if this album contains jazz/rock kind of musical styles and little progressive rock, it is easy to say that the only album released under the Soft Works moniker, Abracadabra is thus something of a unique piece. Because it was the only time those four musicians recorded something together. Something which will not happen again because all of them unfortunately have passed away. So in retrospect this is most certainly a historical release. Maybe you can compare it with the only album made by Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe in 1989. Music wise totally different, but they also came together only one time to record something which is regarded nowadays as a very special release. Therefore, I can certainly enjoy what Holdsworth, Dean, Hopper and Marshall achieved together 23 years ago. Even if it has little to do with what I normally listen to. *** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
