Featuring members of
Soft Machine,
Gilgamesh, and
National Health,
Soft Heap was invariably an adventurous band that had girded themselves for live work, with this eponymous set their sole studio release. Recorded in late 1978, the set reflected the prominence of
Elton Dean's saxophone, its position immediately setting the group apart from their Canterbury scene colleagues. On
"Circle Line," Dean's horn is melancholy, on
"Petit 3's" it's luminescent, on
"Terra Nova" it's playful, while on
"Short Hand" it's nothing short of dizzying. But
Soft Heap was not a one-man band, with keyboardist
Alan Gowen particularly illuminating on the improvisational
"A.W.O.L." while giving
"Fara" its lovely, pensive quality. As the quieter keyboardist and more flamboyant saxophonist vie and intertwine, the rhythm team of
Hugh Hopper and
Pip Pyle center the pieces, with the former also providing a tugging, underlying melodic counterpoint. Together the quartet created jazz at its most intriguing and inspiring. ~ Dave Thompson
