John Etheridge

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Born on January 12, 1948, Michael Glyn Etheridge (born 12 January 1948) is an English jazz fusion guitarist with a diverse repertoire of interests in jazz, classical, and contemporary music.

Early life

Etheridge started playing at 13 years old, with Hank Marvin of The Shadows and Django Reinhardt as his early influences. Despite the fact that his father was a jazz pianist, he was primarily self-taught. Rush Release, Robert Lipson's (the future drummer of Gracious!) formed his first influential band in the mid 1960s with him. The band was formed at the height of the British 'blues boom,' with the emergence of guitarists like Peter Green, Jeff Beck, and, later, Jimi Hendrix. In 1966, Etheridge appeared at Rush Release in London's Speakeasy Club, and on occasion, he'd jam with other guitarists on the scene, such as Eric Clapton.

In 1967, Etheridge left London to study History of Art at Essex University. Although he played during this time, he did not take up guitar seriously until 1970. Etheridge's interest in jazz and fusion piqued during this period, adding to his interest in jazz and fusion, particularly John McLaughlin's debut album Extrapolation.

Etheridge briefly worked with the Deep Purple offshoot Warhorse, before heading to Icarus for the final stages of recording their album The Marvel World of Icarus. "I've been on the fringes of London's music scene for the past few years," I recall, and Norrie Devine, the Icarus woodwinds player, was one of the first to perform. "I desperately needed somewhere to live," Peter Curtain said. After their guitarist left, Curtain, the drummer for Icarus, set Etheridge up with a flat and gave him a spot in the band. Although Etheridge was credited with all of the guitar parts, only one track featured him as the sole guitarist (though he did overdubs on several other tracks). He stayed with Icarus on their following tour of Romania, which ended abruptly when President Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered that the band be deported. The Romanian tour was their last public appearance on the Romanian tour.

In late 1972, Etheridge joined Curved Air's Wolf, which went on to record three albums under the Deram brand, Canis Lupus (1973), Saturation Point (1973), and Night Music (1974). It also served as a platform for his first works, with a rate of one or two tracks per album.

Following Wolf's demise, Etheridge briefly appeared in the Global Village Trucking Company in early 1975, before his colleague Allan Holdsworth's suggestion led to him joining Soft Machine, which now in full fusion mode, having just launched Bundles. Softs (1976) and Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978), Etheridge went on to record two albums with the band. He appeared on the more recent launch, The British Tour '75 (2005).

Etheridge began to develop parallel ventures as the production of Soft Machines in the late 1970s eased. He began what would be a long-term friendship with French violinist Stéphane Grappelli, with whom he appeared on numerous world tours between 1976 and 1981. With fellow Soft Machine member, violinist Ric Sanders, the late 1970s saw Etheridge form the band's second Vision. Despite the fact that the band released an album in 1980, they failed to gain greater exposure in the crowded post-punk scene and broke up in 1981.

The 1980s saw Etheridge remain very popular on the live front, as well as a reunion with Soft Machine in the band's last series of concerts at Ronnie Scott's club in 1984, but much less so in the studio. "1981 was a watershed year for me... there were some before and after 1981." Since then, I've mostly performed on my own or led bands, as well as in traditional bands, but not in established bands. Parts because I liked doing it and, in part, because I didn't know what to do with myself at the time. I'd always loved doing sort of jazz-type gigs, so I started doing it."

Etheridge appeared solo in Australia and in the United States with bassist Brian Torff. He toured England with his own trio in 1983, and the following year he joined forces with ex-Isotope guitarist Gary Boyle. He appeared on the album Elemental (1990) between 1989 and 1993, and was a member of Danny Thompson's band Whatever (1989). Dick Heckstall-Smith performed a lot of touring in Germany between 1988-94, releasing two albums as the Dick Heckstall-Smith Band and Living in Erlangen and Obsession Fees. Vic Juris, Bohemia, toured with Biréli Lagrène in 1988, and he and Fred Baker (bass) and Mark Fletcher (drums) performed in the Elton Dean/John Etheridge Quartet.

In 1992, he performed with violinist Nigel Kennedy's live band, playing on his albums Kafka (1996) and Jimi Hendrix (1998).

He released Invisible Threads, a 1994 solo album by Invisible Threads, with longtime friend Andy Summers (a former Soft Machine guitarist, albeit in a much earlier form of the band), and toured the world with him. The pair made the album using only acoustic guitars and acoustic bass. Etheridge's first solo album, Ash, featured his regular band at the time, Steve Franklin on keyboards, Henry Thomas on bass, and Mark Fletcher on drums, as well as duets with bassist Dudley Phillips. I Didn't Know (2004), Stitched Up (2006, with Arild Andersen and John Marshall), In House (2007), Live in London (2006, with Arild Andersen and John Marshall), Chasing Shadows (2001). (2008) and The Break Evening (2008, with Liane Carroll).

At three separate occasions (in 2005, 2006, and 2011, Etheridge has been nominated for 'Musician of the Year' at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

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