John Etheridge

John Etheridge is an English jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in 1948 and associated with Lambeth, United Kingdom. He is known for playing across jazz, jazz rock and fusion, and for a career that spans jazz, classical and contemporary music.

Early work and formation

Etheridge is primarily self-taught. He begins playing in the mid-1960s with his first notable band, Rush Release, alongside Robert Lipson, later the drummer of Gracious!. In 1967 he leaves London to study History of Art at Essex University. After returning to the London scene in the early 1970s, he works briefly with Warhorse, the Deep Purple offshoot, and then with Icarus during the final stages of recording The Marvel World of Icarus.

Wolf, Global Village Trucking Company and Soft Machine

In late 1972 Etheridge joins Darryl Way’s band Wolf, then led by the Curved Air violinist. Wolf records three albums. After the group breaks up, he plays briefly with the Global Village Trucking Company on a UK tour supporting Gong in early 1975. A recommendation from Allan Holdsworth then leads to his joining Soft Machine, which is then in a full fusion period after the release of Bundles. He plays with Soft Machine from 1975 to 1978, returns in 1984, and is again part of the group from 2004 onwards. With the band he records Softs and Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris.

Other collaborations and projects

In the late 1970s Etheridge forms 2nd Vision with Ric Sanders of Soft Machine and records with a range of musicians over the following decades. In 1982 he plays solo concerts in Australia and duo dates in the United States with bassist Brian Torff. The following year he tours England with his own trio, and in 1984 he works with former Isotope guitarist Gary Boyle.

Between 1988 and 1994 he tours widely in Germany with Dick Heckstall-Smith and records two albums as the Dick Heckstall-Smith / John Etheridge Band, Live in Erlangen and Obsession Fees. In 1988 he also records Bohemia with New York guitarist Vic Juris, tours with Biréli Lagrène, and plays in the Elton Dean/John Etheridge Quartet with Fred Baker and Mark Fletcher. From 1989 to 1993 he is a member of Danny Thompson’s group Whatever and appears on Elemental.

In 1992 Etheridge joins Nigel Kennedy’s live band and later appears on Kafka and The Kennedy Experience - The Music of Jimi Hendrix. In 1994 he records the duo album Invisible Threads with Andy Summers and tours internationally with him. The album uses only acoustic guitars and acoustic bass. That same year he releases his first solo album, Ash, featuring his regular group at the time and duets with Dudley Phillips. Later solo releases include Chasing Shadows, I Didn’t Know, Stitched Up, In House - Live In London, Alone - Live ! and Break Even.

Long-term groups and later work

Etheridge is involved in several long-running projects. He works in a guitar duo with John Williams, releasing Places Between - Live in Dublin. He plays in Sweet Chorus, a Grappelli tribute group, which releases Sweet Chorus - Tribute to Grappelli in 1998. In 1999 he forms Zappatistas, a Frank Zappa tribute band, which releases The Music of Frank Zappa - Absolutely Live in 2001 and tours widely, including an appearance at Zappanale in 2006.

He is also a member of Soft Machine Legacy with Hugh Hopper, John Marshall and Elton Dean, later replaced by Theo Travis after Dean’s death in early 2006. The group releases Soft Machine Legacy, Steam and Burden of Proof, and also issues live recordings including Live in Zaandam and Live At The New Morning. Etheridge tours and records with Hawkwind in 2014. In 2016 he records Out of the Sky with jazz singer Vimala Rowe, drawing on jazz, flamenco, Indian classical, traditional African and blues influences.

Recognition

Etheridge receives nominations for Musician of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in 2005, 2006 and 2011.

Record labels

His recordings are associated with Dyad Records and Audio Network.