Soft Works – Abracadabra (Moonjune, 2025 reissue)
When Abracadabra first appeared in 2003, it arrived quietly but confidently, an elusive work from Soft Works, the short-lived yet richly talented quartet spun off from the legendary Soft Machine. Now, more than two decades later, this 2025 Abracadabra reissue from MoonJune Records remasters the original studio sessions with added clarity, enriching the album’s virtuosic interplay. With two bonus tracks recorded live in Tokyo, the reissue invites new and seasoned listeners alike to rediscover a band that blurred the lines between jazz-rock, free improvisation, and atmospheric fusion.
Recorded in London in June 2002, Abracadabra features four giants of the Canterbury scene: Elton Dean on saxophone, saxello and Fender Rhodes, Allan Holdsworth on guitar and Synthaxe, Hugh Hopper on bass, and John Marshall on drums. While all members contribute masterfully, it’s Dean who emerges as the principal, dominant voice. His alto sax and saxello are front and center across the album. From the opener “Seven Formerly” to the expansive title track, Dean’s phrasing channels the exploratory spirit of post-Coltrane jazz, often weaving extensive serpentine lines through the dense rhythmic undergrowth.
Yet despite Dean’s commanding presence, Holdsworth’s subtlety speaks volumes. Rather than dominate, the late guitarist dials in elegant ambient and atmospheric voicings that shimmer beneath the surface, until, at key moments, he lets loose. On “Elsewhere,” he crafts a dazzling solo. “Willie’s Knee,” arguably the album’s high point, presents the ensemble at its most balanced: Marshall’s intricate drumming, Hopper’s elastic bass, and Holdsworth’s soaring guitar converge beneath Dean’s dominating improvisations.
Tracks like “First Trane” pay homage to their jazz heritage while carving out new territory, slower in tempo, darker in tone, and rich in detail. Even a funkier cut like “K Licks” carries an experimental edge, although fans of the earlier Soft Machine version may find this saxophone-led take less compelling.
The reissue’s two live bonus tracks, “Has Riff” and “Facelift,” recorded in Tokyo on August 10, 2003, add weight and grit to the studio polish. Here, the group stretches out further, letting improvisations unfurl with more urgency. Dean leads again, but Holdsworth responds with solos that cut sharper and climb higher than on the studio tracks.
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