Roy Babbington Cosmopolite 2018 (212014)

Roy Babbington (born 8 July 1940 in

Kempston Kempston is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census. Kempston is part of Bedford, Bedford's built-up area and is situated directly sout ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, England) is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

. He became well known for being a member of the

Canterbury scene The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound) was a musical scene centred on the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Associated with progressive rock, the term describes a loosely-defined, improvisational styl ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Soft Machine Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge (keyboards, 1966–1976), Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals, 1966–1971), Kevin Ayers (bass, guitar, vocals, 1966–1968) and Daevid Allen (guitar, 1966–196 ...

Biography

Babbington started his musical career in 1958, playing

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

in local jazz bands. At the age of 17 he took up the post of double bass, doubling on electric guitar (on such numbers as Cliff Richard's "Move It" on Monday's Rock 'n' Roll evening) with The Leslie Thorp Orchestra at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom, where he honed his sight reading skills. After moving to London in 1969, he joined the band Delivery, one of the side roots of the

with

Phil Miller Philip Paul Miller (22 January 1949 – 18 October 2017) was an English progressive rock/jazz guitarist and a central part of the Canterbury scene. He was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. Self-taught on guitar, Miller formed his first band, Del ...

Pip Pyle Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 – 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive rock Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfield an ...

and

Lol Coxhill George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone. Biography Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...

. Also, he began to work as a session musician with jazz/

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

musicians like Michael Gibbs and The

Keith Tippett Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "..spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporary ...

Group (including

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in, among oth ...

), appearing on their album ''Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening'' (1970) as well as in Tippett's big band project

Centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...

(1971) and on Dean's album ''Just Us''. When Delivery disbanded in 1971 after an album with

Carol Grimes Carol Ann Grimes (born 7 April 1944) is a British singer and songwriter. In 1969, she joined the band Delivery and recorded one album before departing for a solo career. Her debut solo album, ''Warm Blood'' (1974), was recorded with members of ...

titled ''

Fools Meeting ''Fools Meeting'' is an album by Carol Grimes with the British blues/progressive rock band Delivery, founded in the late 1968. The band was one of the wellsprings of the progressive rock Canterbury scene. ''Fools Meeting'' was their only album ...

'', Babbington joined

Nucleus Nucleus ( : nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucle ...

. He contributed to albums by

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major in ...

Mike d'Abo Michael David d'Abo (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of Manfred Mann from 1966 to their dissolution in 1969, and as the composer of the songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and " Build Me Up But ...

Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his st ...

, folk singers

Harvey Andrews Harvey John Andrews (born 7 May 1943 in Stechford, Birmingham) is an English singer-songwriter and poet. Andrews has produced 16 albums singing his own songs, many of which have also been recorded by other artists. Career From 1964, Andrews su ...

and Schunge, and was a part-time member of the bands Solid Gold Cadillac (jazz pianist's

Mike Westbrook Michael John David Westbrook (born 21 March 1936) is an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces. He is married to the vocalist, librettist and painter Kate Westbrook. Early work Mike Westbrook was born in Hig ...

rock band) and Keith Tippett's Ovary Lodge.

With Soft Machine

Having already contributed additional double bass parts to electric bassist

Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting in ...

's work on the Soft Machine albums '' Fourth'' (1971) and '' Fifth'' (1972), he finally replaced Hopper fully in the band with the release of their album ''

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

''. He used a six-string

Fender VI The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass guitar made by Fender. Design concept and history The Fender VI was released in 1961 and followed the concept of the Danelectro six-string bass released in 195 ...

throughout his tenure with the band. In addition to ''Seven'', he can be heard on ''BBC Radio 1971-1974'', '' Bundles'', '' Softs'' and the library music project ''Rubber Riff'' (not actually a Soft Machine recording but featuring its members). Babbington's funk- and rock-oriented electric bass playing went along well with

Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song " Adiemus" and the ''Adiemus'' album series; '' Palladio''; ''The Armed Man''; and his ''Requiem''. J ...

' and

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

concept of Soft Machine at the time.

After 1976

After leaving Soft Machine, Babbington remained active on the UK jazz scene, playing with Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, Joe Gallivan's Intercontinental Express and various bands led by pianist Stan Tracey. In 1979, he appeared on the album ''

Welcome to the Cruise ''Welcome to the Cruise'' is the debut album by British singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke, released in 1979. The album peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold in 1981 by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of ...

'' by

Judie Tzuke Judie Tzuke ( ; born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1979 hit " Stay with Me till Dawn", which reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Life and career Early life Tzuke's family relocated ...

. In the 1980s and 1990s, he returned to his roots, double bass and pure jazz, and became affectionately know "the jazz handbrake". He also worked with

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

and the

BBC Big Band The BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band, previously run under the auspices of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC). The band broadcasts exclusively on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long ...

. In 2008, he played with Soft Machine Legacy and replaced Hugh Hopper as their electric bassist in 2009. Soft Machine Legacy changed their name back to just ''Soft Machine'' in 2015. On 7 December 2021 Soft Machine issued a press release announcing that Babbington was retiring from the band, to be replaced by

Fred Thelonious Baker Fred Thelonious Baker (born 4 June 1960) is an English guitarist and jazz bass guitarist from Tibshelf, Derbyshire. He is known for playing in Phil Miller's Canterbury scene band In Cahoots. Baker played the guitar until his mid-teens, at which ...

on bass.

Discography

As sideman

With

* ''In the Darkness & Soldier'' (Cube, 1972) * ''Writer of Songs'' (Cube, 1972) * ''Friends of Mine'' (Cube, 1973) With

Ian Carr Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator. Carr performed and recorded with the Rendell-Carr quintet and jazz-fusion band Nucleus, and was an associate professor at the Guildhall ...

* ''Belladonna'' (Vertigo, 1972) * ''Labyrinth'' (Vertigo, 1973) * ''Exit 1971'' (678 Records, 2020) With

* ''All This Useless Beauty'' (Warner Bros., 1996) * ''Live'' (Rhino, 1996) * ''Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety'' (Rhino, 2004) * ''The Juliet Letters'' (Rhino, 2006) With

* '' Fourth'' (CBS, 1971) * '' Fifth'' (CBS, 1972) * ''

'' (CBS, 1973) * '' Bundles'' (Harvest, 1975) * '' Softs'' (Harvest, 1976) * ''Floating World Live'' (Moonjune, 2006) * ''Live Adventures'' (Moonjune, 2010) * ''Switzerland 1974'' (Cuneiform, 2015) * '' Hidden Details'' (Moonjune, 2018) * '' Burden of Proof'' (Moonjune, 2013) * ''Live at the Baked Potato'' (Dyad, 2020) With

Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album ''Jazz Suite Inspir ...

* ''South East Assignment'' (Steam, 1980) * ''The Crompton Suite'' (Steam, 1981) * ''Stan Tracey Now'' (Steam, 1983) * ''The Poets' Suite'' (Steam, 1984) * ''Live at Ronnie Scotts'' (Steam, 1986) * ''Stan Tracey Plays Duke Ellington'' (Mole Jazz, 1986) * ''Genesis'' (Steam, 1987) * ''We Still Love You Madly'' (Mole Jazz, 1989) With others *

, ''The Mose Chronicles'' (Blue Note, 2001) *

, ''Special Edition'' (Actionbyte, 1990) *

Harry Beckett Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin. Biography Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...

, ''We Got It Made'' (Ogun, 1977) *

Madeline Bell Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s with pop group Blue Mink, having arrived from America in the gospel show ''Black Nativity'' in 1962, with the v ...

, ''Try a Little Tenderness'' (Big Time, 2002) * Dave Cartwright, ''Back to the Garden'' (Transatlantic, 1973) *

, ''Septober Energy'' (RCA, 1971) * Cherry Vanilla, ''Venus D'Vinyl'' (RCA Victor, 1979) *

Graham Collier James Graham Collier (21 February 1937 – 9 September 2011) was an English jazz bassist, bandleader and composer. Life and career Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England, on leaving school Collier joined the British Army as a musician, ...

, ''

The Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...

'' (Mosaic, 1978) *

Mike Cooper Mike Cooper may refer to: * Mike Cooper (musician) (born 1942), English blues and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter * Mike Cooper (politician) (born 1951), former politician in Ontario, Canada See also * Michael Cooper (disambiguation) * Mike Ho ...

, ''Trout Steel'' (Dawn, 1970) *

, ''D'Abo'' (Uni, 1970) *

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

, ''Prelude to a Kiss'' (Sepia, 1981) *

, ''Elton Dean'' (CBS, 1971) *

Geoff Eales Geoff Eales (born 13 March 1951) is a Welsh jazz pianist, improviser and composer. Music education Eales was born in Aberbargoed, Wales. When he was eight years old, he learned 12-bar blues from his father, a pianist in a local dance band. In sch ...

, ''Mountains of Fire'' (Black Box Music, 1998) * Geoff Eales, ''Facing the Muse'' (Mainstem, 2002) *

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He became ...

, ''Off the Shelf'' (Castle Music, 2006) *

George Fenton George Richard Ian Howe (born 19 October 1949), known professionally as George Fenton, is an English composer. Best known for his work writing film scores and music for television, he has received five Academy Award nominations, several Ivor No ...

Trevor Preston Trevor Preston was a British screenwriter. He wrote the series '' Out'' and created the series '' Ace of Wands''. He also wrote a 1976 TV movie adaptation of ''James and the Giant Peach''. Writing credits 1960s work 1966 * ''Four People'' (seri ...

, ''Fox the Album'' (EMI, 1980) * Michael Gibbs, ''Just Ahead'' (Polydor, 1972) *

, ''Fools Meeting'' (B&C, 1970) *

John Harle John Harle (born 20 September 1956) is an English saxophonist, composer, educator and record producer. He is an Ivor Novello Award winner and has been the recipient of two Royal Television Society awards. Biography Harle was born in Newcastl ...

, Elvis Costello, ''Terror and Magnificence'' (Argo, 1996) *

Trevor Herion Trevor Herion, born John Trevor Herion, (c. April 1959 – 1 October 1988) was an Irish singer and songwriter, born in Cork who formed part of the punk and new wave scenes in the 1970s and 1980s. He later became a solo artist, but was not commerc ...

, ''Beauty Life'' (Interdisc, 1983) *

Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and film composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic. He is also a film composer, having worked on numerous films and ...

, ''Cool World'' (Varese Sarabande, 1992) * Dave Jordan, ''Away from Home'' (Bradley, 1975) * Jonathan Kelly, ''Wait Till They Change the Backdrop'' (RCA Victor, 1973) *

, ''Bootleg Him!'' (Warner Bros., 1972) *

Vic Lewis Victor Lewis MBE (29 July 1919 – 9 February 2009) was a British jazz guitarist and bandleader. He also enjoyed success as an artists' agent and manager. Biography He was born in London, England. Lewis began playing the guitar at the age ...

, ''Vic Lewis Big Bands'' (Concept, 1988) *

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...

, ''Prisoners On the Line'' (Philips, 1978) * Jackie McAuley, ''Jackie McAuley'' (Dawn, 1971) *

Sal Nistico Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

, ''Live in London'' (Steam, 1985) *

, ''Live in Bremen'' (Cuneiform, 2003) *

Anna Oxa Anna Hoxha (; born 28 April 1961), known professionally as Anna Oxa (), is an Italian singer, actress, and television presenter. Oxa has received mainstream popularity and recognition within Italy due to her numerous participations in the Sanremo ...

, ''Anna Oxa'' (RCA, 1979) *

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Wash ...

, ''Playin' in the Yard'' (Steam, 1987) *

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

, ''East to West'' (Miles Music, 1992) * Solid Gold Cadillac, ''Solid Gold Cadillac'' (RCA Victor, 1972) *

, ''Backwood Progression'' (Harvest, 1970) * Barbara Thompson, ''Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba'' (MCA, 1978) * Barbara Thompson, ''Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia'' (MCA, 1978) *

, ''Dedicated to You but You Weren't Listening'' (Vertigo, 1971) * Keith Tippett, ''Blueprint'' (RCA Victor, 1972) *

, ''Welcome to the Cruise'' (Rocket, 1979) *

Marlene VerPlanck Marlene Paula VerPlanck ''(née'' Pampinella; November 11, 1933 – January 14, 2018) was an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centered on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret. Life and career VerPlanck was born and ...

, ''You Gotta Have Heart'' (Varese Sarabande, 1997) *

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

, ''Evita'' (Polydor, 1978) * Don Weller, ''Commit No Nuisance'' (Affinity, 1979) *

Gary Windo Gary Windo (7 November 1941, in Brighton, England – 25 July 1992, in New York City) was an English jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Windo came from a musical family in England. By age six he took up drums and accordion, then guitar at twelve and ...

, ''Anglo American'' (Cuneiform, 2004) *

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

, ''Flotsam Jetsam'' (Rough Trade, 1994) * The Yetties, ''Up Market'' (Decca, 1977) *

Chris Youlden Christopher Thomas Youlden (born 1 January 1943, Dagenham, England) is an English blues singer. He worked with the British blues band Savoy Brown from 1967 until 1970. He has since released several solo albums. His albums with Savoy Brown are "G ...

, ''A British Blues Legend'' (London, 1979) * Chris Youlden, ''Nowhere Road'' (London, 1973)

Filmography

* 1996: Elvis Costello Live - A Case For Song (BBC) * 2005: Mose Allison - Ever Since I Stole The Blues (BBC) * 2015: '' Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales'' (DVD)

References

External links

Calyx: The Canterbury Website

Discography at yahoo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbington, Roy 1940 births Living people English double-bassists Male double-bassists English bass guitarists English male guitarists Male bass guitarists Soft Machine members Canterbury scene People from Kempston Nucleus (band) members Delivery (band) members 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century British male musicians Solid Gold Cadillac members