became affectionately know "the jazz handbrake". He also worked with Elvis Costello, Carol Grimes, Mose Allison and the BBC Big Band. 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 on bass. Discography As sideman With Harvey Andrews In the Darkness & Soldier (Cube, 1972) Writer of Songs (Cube, 1972) Friends of Mine (Cube, 1973) With Ian Carr Belladonna (Vertigo, 1972) Labyrinth (Vertigo, 1973) Exit 1971 (678 Records, 2020) With Elvis Costello All This Useless Beauty (Warner Bros., 1996) Live (Rhino, 1996) Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety (Rhino, 2004) The Juliet Letters (Rhino, 2006) With Soft Machine Fourth (CBS, 1971) Fifth (CBS, 1972) Seven (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 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 Mose Allison, The Mose Chronicles (Blue Note, 2001) BBC Big Band, Special Edition (Actionbyte, 1990) Harry Beckett, We Got It Made (Ogun, 1977) Madeline Bell, Try a Little Tenderness (Big Time, 2002) Dave Cartwright, Back to the Garden (Transatlantic, 1973) Centipede, Septober Energy (RCA, 1971) Cherry Vanilla, Venus D'Vinyl (RCA Victor, 1979) Graham Collier, The Day of the Dead (Mosaic, 1978) Mike Cooper, Trout Steel (Dawn, 1970) Mike d'Abo, D'Abo (Uni, 1970) John Dankworth, Prelude to a Kiss (Sepia, 1981) Elton Dean, Elton Dean (CBS, 1971) Geoff Eales, Mountains of Fire (Black Box Music, 1998) Geoff Eales, Facing the Muse (Mainstem, 2002) Keith Emerson, Off the Shelf (Castle Music, 2006) George Fenton & Trevor Preston, Fox the Album (EMI, 1980) Michael Gibbs, Just Ahead (Polydor, 1972) Carol Grimes, Fools Meeting (B&C, 1970) John Harle, Elvis Costello, Terror and Magnificence (Argo, 1996) Trevor Herion, Beauty Life (Interdisc, 1983) Mark Isham, Cool World (Varese Sarabande, 1992) Dave Jordan, Away from Home (Bradley, 1975) Jonathan Kelly,