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Hugh Hopper

Hugh Hopper is perhaps the central figure of the whole Canterbury scene. In a career spanning over thirty years, he has played with literally everyone: Robert Wyatt, Daevid Allen, Richard Sinclair, Elton Dean, Mike Ratledge, Phil Miller, Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle...

Hopper was one the founder members of the seminal Wilde Flowers in 1964. During the 60's, he also worked in an experimental context with guitarist Daevid Allen (who later founded or co-founded Soft Machine and Gong). After leaving the Wilde Flowers, he became Soft Machine's roadie, and when Kevin Ayers departed for a solo career, he swapped roles and moved to the role of bass player, remaining in the band until 1973 and playing on most of Soft Machine's classic albums.

In the early days of Soft Machine, Hopper was a prolific songwriter (his song "Memories" became a standard, even covered by Whitney Houston!), but when the Softs opted for an instrumental format, he kept the same level of inspiration, providing compositions full of unusual yet catchy riffs, and experiments with sounds (Hopper was a pioneer in the use of 'tape loops'), for instance on the groundbreaking Third (1970), which featured his own "Facelift," one of the Canterbury "hymns" alongside "Nan True's Hole" and "Calyx." Although he provided the bulk of the material for Fourth (1971), his creative input sadly decreased over the next couple of years, contributing short and rather minimal pieces to 5 and Six.

Hopper left Soft Machine in May 1973, shortly after the release of his first solo album, 1984, which had good jazz-rock instrumentals on one side, and a long experimental and partly improvised composition/collage on the other. "1984 is obviously the title of a book by George Orwell, about a possible Stalinist regime ruling Britain. I named my LP after it because it is a book that impressed me greatly when I first read it. The titles on the album - "Miniluv," "Minitrue," etc. - are the names in the book of the four ministries which control the country." Then followed five years of intense activity, both as a leader (or co-leader) and support/session musician.

He joined East Wind, the band led by Japanese percussion prodigy Stomu Yamash'ta, staying about six months. Also in that line-up were guitarist Gary Boyle and drummer Nigel Morris, both hailing from the fusion band Isotope. It was only logical that when Isotope's bass player, Jeff Clyne, left in May 1974, Hopper should replace him.

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Album Review

Stomu Yamash'ta: Seasons: The Island Albums (1972-1976)

Read "Seasons: The Island Albums (1972-1976)" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini


Stomu Yamash'ta è un celebre percussionista giapponese, nato a Kyoto, in Giappone nel 1947. Figlio del direttore della Filarmonica di Kyoto, ha studiato musica all'Università di Kyoto e al Berklee College of Music. Ancora giovanissimo venne notato dal grande direttore d'orchestra Seiji Ozawa e si mise in evidenza come performer di assoluto valore in contesti legati alla musica giapponese tradizionale e di avanguardia, incorporando suggestioni provenienti dalla musica elettronica. Nel 1969 si esibisce con la Chicago Symphony Orchestra diretta dal ...

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Album Review

Soft Machine: Facelift France and Holland

Read "Facelift France and Holland" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini


Sotto l'ombrello robusto chiamato Soft Machine si nascondono in realtà parecchie band. All'inizio l'interesse del gruppo, nato nel 1966 in quel di Canterbury (anche se loro non vogliono essere considerati come esponenti del cosiddetto Canterbury Sound), era per una sorta di pop-rock patafisico, che poi ha iniziato a dilatarsi verso la psichedelia, il rock progressivo, il jazz moderno, la musica creativa, l'avanguardia. Questa eccellente proposta della Cuneiform, etichetta che davvero merita un plauso particolare per l'abilità dimostrata nel riuscire a ...

Album Review

Soft Works: Abracadabra in Osaka

Read "Abracadabra in Osaka" reviewed by Claudio Bonomi


«Nel 2000 mi venne questa pazza idea di aiutare il mio vecchio amico Elton Dean a organizzare una reunion dei leggendari Soft Machine...» Inizia così il racconto di Leonardo Pavkovic, patron della Moonjune Records, al giornalista Chris M. Slawecki di All About Jazz sulla genesi dei Soft Works, quartetto composto da Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper e John Marshall che, nel 2002, diede alle stampe l'album Abracadabra. Allora, si trattò di una delle prime reincarnazioni ...

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Album Review

Hugh Hopper: The Gift of Purpose

Read "The Gift of Purpose" reviewed by Mark Redlefsen


Posthumously released under the name of late ex-Soft Machine/Soft Machine Legacy bassist Hugh Hopper, The Gift of Purpose captures a live studio performance from early 2008, featuring a trio project called Bone, along with guitarist Nick Didkovsky and drummer John Roulat. Rreleased as a benefit for Hopper's family--to which all proceeds of the sale of the disc will go--it serves as one last look back upon the playing, and compositional skills of this highly influential artist. The ...

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Album Review

Humi: Dune

Read "Dune" reviewed by Nic Jones


In Hugh Hopper's case, age seems to be bringing with it a certain restlessness of spirit. This duo with Yumi Hara Cawkwell mines a seam of disturbed minimalism the surface of which is ruffled and undermined by Hopper's deft way with lower end sonics and Cawkwell's declamatory yet understated vocals.

It all comes together on “Hopeful Impressions Of Happiness" where any dippiness implicit in the title is put to rest by Hopper's way with tape loops and electronics and Cawkwell's ...

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Album Review

Humi (Hugh Hopper / Yumi Hara Cawkwell): Dune

Read "Dune" reviewed by John Kelman


One well-known artist; the other, not-so. Bassist Hugh Hopper first came to public attention as a member of legendary British group Soft Machine in the late 1960s, but since then the experimental disposition that ultimately resulted in his leaving that band has been heard across a spectrum of projects, from the jamband fusion-centricity of Soft Machine Legacy (MoonJune, 2006) to the spontaneous improvisation of Soft Mountain (Hux, 2007) and experimental looping of The Stolen Hour (Burning Shed, 2004), a multi-media ...

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Interview

Hugh Hopper: Idiom As A Means To No End

Read "Hugh Hopper: Idiom As A Means To No End" reviewed by Nic Jones


Hugh Hopper started out on his path through music as a stalwart of the British Canterbury scene, from which came bands including Soft Machine, of which Hopper was a member for five years, Caravan and Hatfield and The North. In a sense he's embodied the music which emerged from that scene, which might be best described as an idiosyncratic take on jazz-rock fusion. Any pigeonholing this might imply does him an injustice however, as it takes no account of his ...

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Recording

Hugh Hopper Of Soft Machine’s Legacy Enhanced With The Re-Release Of 'Jazzloops' And 'The Stolen Hour,' Featuring His Soft Machine Bandmates – Out Now!

Hugh Hopper Of Soft Machine’s Legacy Enhanced With The Re-Release Of 'Jazzloops' And 'The Stolen Hour,' Featuring His Soft Machine Bandmates – Out Now!

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

Hugh Hopper was a key member of Soft Machine and an accomplished solo artist but passed away in 2009. His legacy is now being celebrated with the re-release of two of his solo albums which had been hard to find until now. Both Jazzloops and The Stolen Hour feature his Soft Machine bandmates guesting throughout including: Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean and John Marshall. Other guests include Gong alumni Didier Malherbe and French guitarist Patrice Meyer. This double disc re-mastered set ...

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Recording

Soft Machine Legend Hugh Hopper 10-CD Set Of Unreleased Recordings To Be Released By Gonzo Multimedia

Soft Machine Legend Hugh Hopper 10-CD Set Of Unreleased Recordings To Be Released By Gonzo Multimedia

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

London, UK - Hugh Hopper and Soft Machine fans worldwide are rejoicing to the news of the pending release of HUGH HOPPER - DEDICATED TO HUGH, a 10-CD Archival Celebration of the music of bass guitarist, composer, Hugh Hopper comprised of previously unreleased Hi-Fidelity recordings. Compiled by Michael King, a Canadian Hugh Hopper Scholar, the CDs will be released individually, beginning with Volume One, entitled 'Memories'. This ten part series is to compliment a heretofore large body of work (over ...

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Obituary

Hugh Hopper: Memories

Hugh Hopper: Memories

Source: All About Jazz

Hugh Hopper departed this world on June 7, 2009, victim of leukemia, as, curiously, his previous collaborator, keyboardist Alan Gowen had, almost three decades ago. Hopper was, on his own, a revolutionary bassist and composer who found early exposure in the 1960s but never gained the exposure he really deserved during his lifetime. He still, however, managed to put out an impressive body of work. Hopper started on guitar and Alto saxophone (brother Brian played tenor saxophone) and he started ...

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Obituary

Funeral Details for Bassist Hugh Hopper

Funeral Details for Bassist Hugh Hopper

Source: All About Jazz

Here are the details of bassist Hugh Hopper's funeral, to take place in Teynham, Kent, in the UK. Thanks to Hugh's wife Christine, and to drummer and close friend John Marshall for passing this information along:

Hugh's funeral will be on Thursday 25th June at 10am at Deerton Natural Burial Ground, which is situated close to the village of Teynham, in Kent (postcode: ME9 9LL).

It will be a Tibetan Buddhist Ceremony to respect Hugh's wishes and there will be ...

156

Obituary

Hugh Hopper Bassist, Composer for Soft Machine

Hugh Hopper Bassist, Composer for Soft Machine

Source: Michael Ricci

Hugh Hopper, 64, a bassist and composer for the progressive rock group Soft Machine, died of leukemia June 7 in Kent, England.

After serving as the group's road manager, Hopper stepped up to offer compositions and virtuoso performances on six of the group's albums. His songs include “Facelift" and “Kings and Queens." He left the group in 1973 to pursue a variety of projects in experimental jazz and avant-garde rock.

Born in Canterbury, England, on April 29, 1945, he was ...

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Interview

Bassist Hugh Hopper Interviewed at AAJ

Bassist Hugh Hopper Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

Hugh Hopper started out on his path through music as a stalwart of the British Canterbury scene, from which came bands including Soft Machine, of which Hopper was a member for five years, Caravan and Hatfield and The North. In a sense he's embodied the music which emerged from that scene, which might be best described as an idiosyncratic take on jazz-rock fusion. Any pigeonholing this might imply does him an injustice however, as it takes no account of his ...

283

Recording

Delta Saxophone Quartet Feat. Hugh Hopper - "Dedicated to You but You Weren't Listening - The Music of Soft Machine"

Delta Saxophone Quartet Feat. Hugh Hopper - "Dedicated to You but You Weren't Listening - The Music of Soft Machine"

Source: All About Jazz

MoonJune records announces the new release: DELTA SAXOPHONE QUARTET “Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening - The Music Of Soft Machine" Formed in 1984, the Delta Saxophone Quartet has never sought, or needed to find, a level or a comfort zone. Whether performing works by Steve Martland, Mike Westbrook, Steve Reich, Philip Glass or Terry Riley, their musical choices have always come with their own demands and challenges. Sometimes personnel changes merely solidify an existing repertoire and dampen the ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Jazzloops / The...

Cherry Red Records
2023

buy

Facelift France and...

Cuneiform Records
2022

buy

Seasons: The Island...

Cherry Red Records
2022

buy

Abracadabra in Osaka

MoonJune Records
2020

buy

Goat Hopper

Justin Time
2013

buy

The Gift Of Purpose

Cuneiform Records
2010

buy

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