Elton Dean - Just Us

The late Elton Dean was the most free-jazz oriented principal Soft Machine figure ever. While he was pushing his parent band into the according direction in the early seventies, he recorded his first solo album in 1971 that is something of a lost classic. It has some affinity to the avant garde jazz orientation of the fifth Soft Machine album and thus, it's easier to judge it on its own merit for those who refuse to take post-Wyatt Soft Machine music seriously. With the dread of the bastardization of Soft Machine's moniker out of the picture, we can appreciate this Elton Dean jazz group album for what it is: an early seventies British avant-garde jazz album, and very good at that. It does, though, feature many Softs alumni or formally connected people: besides Dean himself on alto, saxello and electric piano, there are Marc Charig (cornet), Nick Evans (trombone, on bonus tracks), Roy Babbington (acoustic bass), Phil Howard (drums), Neville Whitehead (el. bass, he played on Robert Wyatt's almost similar solo album End of an Ear) and Mike Ratledge guesting on electric piano and organ.

The similarities between this album and Soft Machine's Fifth are apparent, most notable example being the 15min album opener "Ooglenovastrome" that, after 5 minutes of free playing, picks up a groove reminiscent of "Drop" from Fifth. Hearing more Phil Howard drumming than is available on few recordings from his stint with the Machine (1st side of Fifth plus a Peel Session from November '71) is a real treat as well. However, Just Us is more about free-spirited improvisation as opposed to the cold, almost Weather Report-ian clinical minimalist ambiance on Fifth. This album also provides a studio version of "Neo-Caliban Grides", a setlist mainstay for Soft Machine during the Fourth era. The Cuneiform reissue also offers 2 live bonus tracks from 1972, "Banking on Bishopsgate" and "Fun Cup".

Just Us is a recommended item to the music collection for anyone interested in either improvised free-jazz music, solo works by Soft Machine alumni, particularly that of Elton Dean, hearing more drumming by under-rated Phil Howard or for all of the above reasons.