Theo Travis’ Double Talk L-R: Pete Whittaker, Theo Travis, Make Outram, Nic France

Saxophonist/ flautist/composer THEO TRAVIS launches the first album released in his own name for eight years tomorrow 2nd July at the Vortex.

The band – with the exception of drummer Roy Dodds replaced by Nic France – remains the same as in that last album: Hammond organist Pete Whittaker and guitarist Mike Outram. The official release date is July 6th and there is a limited edition vinyl, on Tonefloat, described here.

Theo is a regular member of Soft Machine Legacy, has also made four albums with Robert Fripp under the name Travis and Fripp with Robert Fripp, and works extensively with Steven Wilson. who has mixed and mastered the new album.

Theo Travis has explained the background to the release in this statement:

It is an instrumental, bluesy, progressive jazz album. It reflects many of my influences and inspirations and I think it is both personal and of broad appeal – at least if you are into melody and powerful bluesy electric jazz with a strong 1970s influence. After a recent gig by the band, a member of the audience said to me ‘This was the first time I’ve ever heard you play in your own band. Having heard you live before with Gong, Soft Machine, The Tangent, Steven Wilson, I knew it was going to be excellent – and it was’ which was a very pleasing response to the music. The line-up includes Nic France on drums, Mike Outram on guitar and Pete Whittaker on Hammond organ – all fabulous players. It is very much a live band and the album was recorded in the studio but all playing together live and watching each other intently. I think that immediacy and excitement comes across.”

“I’ve written most of the music and much of it reflects my love of music from the late 1960s and early 1970s when the boundaries between Jazz, Rock and Experimental music were more fluid, though I think the music we have recorded still sounds contemporary. You might be able to hear the influences of King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as late Talk Talk, and ECM artists such as Terje Rypdal and my friend Palle Mikkelborg. We also recorded an instrumental version of a track I co-wrote with keyboard player and composer Andy Tillison – the title track from the Tangent’s third album A Place In The Queue. There’s also a cover of Robert Wyatt’s tune Maryan and a track I wrote with Dave Sturt of the recent Gong line-up called Everything I Feared. The track Smokin’at Klooks is a tribute to Klooks Kleek the North London Jazz and Blues club open in the late 1960s, which was in a pub near where I used to live. Just a room in a pub that hosted such future greats as Eric Clapton, Jagger and Richards, Peter Green, Hendrix, Dick Heckstall Smith, Alexis Corner and a host of others – a real melting pot and springboard for so many great musicians and so much great music.”