In October 2004, the members of Soft Works, with John Etheridge permanently replacing Holdsworth, took the name "Soft Machine Legacy" and performed two festival shows; one on 9 October in Turkey and the other on 15 October in the Czech Republic. Liam Genockey temporarily replaced John Marshall who had ligament problems. The new band's line-up was Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Hugh Hopper and Liam Genockey. Soft Machine Legacy released three albums: Live in Zaandam (2205), the studio album Soft Machine Legacy (2006), which was recorded in September 2005 and features fresh material, and Live at the New Morning (2006). After Elton Dean died in February 2006, the band continued with the British saxophonist and flautist Theo Travis, formerly of Gong and The Tangent.
In December 2006, the new Legacy line-up recorded the album Steam in Jon Hiseman's studio. Steam was released in August 2007 by Moonjune Records before a European tour. Hopper left the band in 2008 because he was suffering from leukaemia, so for live performances Fred Thelonious Baker deputising for Hopper. Following Hopper's death in 2009, the band announced they would continue with Roy Babbington again replacing Hopper on bass.
Soft Machine Legacy released their fifth album in October 2010; the 58-minute record Live Adventures was recorded live in October 2009 in Austria and Germany during a European tour. Founding Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers died in February 2013 at aged 68, and 77-year-old Daevid Allen died in March 2015 following a short battle with cancer. On 18 March 2013, the Legacy band released a new studio album titled Burden of Proof. Travis stated: "legally we could actually be called Soft Machine but for various reasons it was decided to be one step removed".
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_Machine)
Recorded in September of 2005 at East Cote Studios, London (UK) by Philip Bagenal.
A powerful, rock-edged collaboration from the four legendary members of the seminal pioneers of jazz-rock, Soft Machine. The lineup features: the late, great free-jazzer Elton Dean on saxophones and Fender Rhodes; innovative, rock-solid bassist Hugh Hopper; virtuosic, pioneering guitarist John Etheridge, and; the intuitive, forceful drummer John Marshall.Soft Machine Legacy's first studio album rocks as hard as any of the original group's efforts ever did, but there is still an ever-present magical chemistry at play with this band. Full of fire, energy, great chops and imagination, this "instant classic" self-titled studio debut proves itself to be well worth the wait.Following on the heels of 2005's Live In Zaandam (SML's debut effort, and initial release for MoonJune Records), this smoking session combines new writing and spirited improvs with a fresh take on some classic Softs material. Soft Machine Legacy demonstrates that "spirit, not a style" is truly Soft Machine's greatest legacy. This is a hard-hitting effort that will not only appeal to fans of the original band, but to anyone who likes their fusion wide open, their jams loose and totally spontaneous, and their jazz combined with potent grooves and fiery energy.
(softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/soft-machine-legacy)