Rarity alone does not a recording special make, but having four former members of Soft Machine from different eras come together for a one-off live event makes Abracadabra an intriguing prospect.

What's exciting about this Soft Works is that it's no attempt to reincarnate Soft Machine per se, although the material largely kicks off from Softs originals.

But none of these esteemed musicians are artists who like to repeat themselves. Allan Holdsworth in particular pushes, dreams and occasionally rocks in voices far removed from his Soft Machine days. At times, his passages operate in a world apparently discrete from the rest of the band, but such is the mutual respect between the individual members that even his more abstract elongations are returned to the group fold. That's usually thanks to Marshall shepherding him home or Hopper's ability to sit tight as the Eddystone lighthouse, holding it all together.

The smile that weaves throughout is of course Dean, who brings a much-needed humanity to the technical prowess on display. A storyteller of the saxophone, whether on the long mysterious opening of ‘Severn Formerly', or slower and soulfully on ‘Baker's Treat', Dean's voice never fails to draw us close. Soft Works could well be the finest version of the Softs that never really was.