Hugh Hopper
Encyclopedia
Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock
and jazz fusion
bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene
, as a member of Soft Machine
and various other related bands.
, alongside drummer Robert Wyatt
, he alternated between free jazz and rhythm and blues. In 1964 with Brian Hopper
(his brother), Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers
and Richard Sinclair he formed The Wilde Flowers
, a pop music group. Although they never released any records during their existence (a compilation was released 30 years later), The Wilde Flowers are acknowledged as the founders of the Canterbury scene
and spawned its two most important groups, Soft Machine
and Caravan
.
and played bass on one of its tracks. In 1969 he was recruited to be the group's bassist for their second album, Volume Two and, with Mike Ratledge
and Robert Wyatt
, he took part in a recording session for a solo album
of Syd Barrett
's (formerly of Pink Floyd
, with whom the early Soft Machine had regularly gigged ). Hopper continued with Soft Machine, playing bass and contributing numerous compositions until 1973. During his tenure the group evolved from a psychedelic pop group to an instrumental jazz-rock fusion
band. In 1972, shortly before leaving Soft Machine, he recorded the first record under his own name, 1984 (named after George Orwell
's novel). This was a decidedly non-commercial record featuring lengthy solo pieces using tape loop
s as well as shorter pieces with a group.
's East Wind, Isotope
, Gilgamesh
, and the Carla Bley
Band. He also played in a couple of cooperative bands alongside former Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean
: Hopper/Dean/Tippett/Gallivan (with pianist Keith Tippett
and drummer Joe Gallivan
) and Soft Heap
(with keyboard-player Alan Gowen
and drummer Pip Pyle
).
In the early 1980s Hopper gave up playing music for a couple of years, but by the mid-1980s he was actively working with several bands, including Pip Pyle
's Equipe Out and Phil Miller
's In Cahoots
. He also began playing with a group of Dutch musicians in a band initially called Hopper Goes Dutch. After French guitarist Patrice Meyer joined, this group became known as the Hugh Hopper Franglo-Dutch Band.
After many years working primarily in instrumental, jazz-oriented groups including Short Wave
, in the mid-1990s Hopper began occasionally working again in more rock-oriented vocal contexts, including several collaborations with the band Caveman Shoestore (using the name Hughscore) and with singer Lisa S. Klossner. He also returned to his early tape loop experiments, but now using computer technology, in recordings such as Jazzloops (2002).
In the 1990s and 2000s several projects led Hopper to revisit his Soft Machine past. In 1998 he was asked to participate in a project by the French jazz collective Polysons, joining them in performances of Softs classics which featured Polysons members (Pierre-Olivier Govin and Jean-Rémy Guédon on saxes, Serge Adam on trumpet and François Merville on drums) plus organist Emmanuel Bex. The resulting Polysoft group was re-activated in 2002-03 to perform at Parisian club Le Triton, with fellow ex-Softs Elton Dean
sitting in, resulting in a live CD, Tribute To Soft Machine, released on the club's own label. Also in 2002-04, Hopper, Dean and two other former Soft Machine members (drummer John Marshall
, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth
) toured and recorded under the name SoftWorks. With another former Soft Machine member, guitarist John Etheridge
, replacing Holdsworth, they toured and recorded as Soft Machine Legacy, playing some pieces from the original Soft Machine repertoire as well as new works. Three albums of theirs were released: Live in Zaandam (CD, rec. 2005/05/10), New Morning
- The Paris Concert (DVD, rec. 2005/12/12) and the studio album Soft Machine Legacy (CD, 2006, rec. 09/2005). After Elton Dean who died in February 2006, Theo Travis
http://www.theotravis.com/ replaced him, and Soft Machine Legacy recorded the album Steam, released in 2007. Hopper also appeared on the 2004 debut solo album by No-Man
singer Tim Bowness
(My Hotel Year, on One Little Indian Records.
Other occasional projects were Soft Bounds (with French musicians Sophia Domancich and Simon Goubert, first with Elton Dean and then Simon Picard), which like PolySoft released a live CD recorded at the Triton club, and Clear Frame, an improvising group with Charles Hayward
, Lol Coxhill
and Orphy Robinson
(augmented for their first release by Robert Wyatt
on cornet).
Hopper recently recorded two solo albums for, and established an online shop via, the highly regarded UK-based internet label, Burning Shed
http://www.burningshed.com. He worked with Japanese musician and composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell as a duo called HUMI. They had a tour of Japan planned for early 2008, which did not happen due to Hopper's health.
Hopper was diagnosed with leukaemia in June 2008 and underwent chemotherapy
. As a result of his illness and the treatment, he cancelled all his concert appearances. A Hugh Hopper benefit concert took place in December 2008 at the 100 Club
in London and featured In Cahoots, members of Soft Machine Legacy, Delta Sax Quartet, Sophia Domancich and Simon Goubert, Yumi Hara Cawkwell, and the Alex Maguire Sextet. Another benefit was planned for late June 2009.
He married his partner Christine on 5 June 2009 and died of leukaemia on 7 June. His funeral, a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony to respect Hugh's wishes, was held on 25 June 2009.
With others
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, as a member of Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
and various other related bands.
Early career
Starting in 1963 as bassist with The Daevid Allen TrioDaevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
, alongside drummer Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
, he alternated between free jazz and rhythm and blues. In 1964 with Brian Hopper
Brian Hopper
Brian Hopper is a British guitarist and saxophonist, and older brother of the late bassist Hugh Hopper. With Hugh, he was a member in the early Canterbury scene band Wilde Flowers. He also played saxophone on Soft Machine's album Volume Two...
(his brother), Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
and Richard Sinclair he formed The Wilde Flowers
Wilde Flowers
The Wilde Flowers were a popular music group based in the vicinity of Canterbury, England. The group was active between 1964 and 1967 but never released any records during its existence; however it led to the formation of two other groups that became well-known and influential: Soft Machine and...
, a pop music group. Although they never released any records during their existence (a compilation was released 30 years later), The Wilde Flowers are acknowledged as the founders of the Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
and spawned its two most important groups, Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
and Caravan
Caravan (band)
Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
.
With Soft Machine (1968-1972)
Hopper's role with Soft Machine was initially as the group's road manager, but he already composed for their first album The Soft MachineThe Soft Machine (album)
The Soft Machine, as reissue also titled "Volume One", is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene....
and played bass on one of its tracks. In 1969 he was recruited to be the group's bassist for their second album, Volume Two and, with Mike Ratledge
Mike Ratledge
Michael Roland "Mike" Ratledge is a British musician. Ratledge was part of the Canterbury scene and a long-time member of Soft Machine.-Biography and career:...
and Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
, he took part in a recording session for a solo album
The Madcap Laughs
The Madcap Laughs is an album by British singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, released on 3 January 1970. It was his first solo album after being replaced in the band Pink Floyd by his old school friend David Gilmour.- History :...
of Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
's (formerly of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, with whom the early Soft Machine had regularly gigged ). Hopper continued with Soft Machine, playing bass and contributing numerous compositions until 1973. During his tenure the group evolved from a psychedelic pop group to an instrumental jazz-rock fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band. In 1972, shortly before leaving Soft Machine, he recorded the first record under his own name, 1984 (named after George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's novel). This was a decidedly non-commercial record featuring lengthy solo pieces using tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
s as well as shorter pieces with a group.
1973 until 2009
After leaving Soft Machine, through the end of the 1970s, he worked with such groups as Stomu YamashtaStomu Yamashta
Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta (born is a Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer. He is sometimes credited as Stomu Yamash'ta. His father was the band director Kiyoharu Yamashita (1907–1991)....
's East Wind, Isotope
Isotope (band)
Isotope was a British jazz-rock band based around guitarist Gary Boyle.Boyle founded the band in June 1972 and a first album, Isotope, was largely composed by keyboardist Brian Miller. Jeff Clyne was on bass and Nigel Morris was on drums. However, Clyne and Miller left in 1974 to be replaced by...
, Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh (band)
Gilgamesh were a British jazz fusion band in the 1970s led by keyboardist Alan Gowen, part of the Canterbury scene.-History:...
, and the Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
Band. He also played in a couple of cooperative bands alongside former Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean
Elton Dean
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
: Hopper/Dean/Tippett/Gallivan (with pianist Keith Tippett
Keith Tippett
Keith Tippett is a British jazz pianist and composer.Tippett, the son of a local police officer, went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. He formed his first jazz band called The KT7 whilst still at school and they performed numbers popular at the time by The Temperance...
and drummer Joe Gallivan
Joe Gallivan
Joe Gallivan is an American jazz and avant-garde musician. He plays drums, percussion and synthesizer....
) and Soft Heap
Soft Heap (band)
Soft Heap was a Canterbury scene supergroup founded in January 1978. The name references Soft Machine while "Heap" comes from the first letters of the band's founders: Hugh Hopper , Elton Dean , Alan Gowen and Pip Pyle . Hopper and Dean had worked together in Soft Machine, while Gowen and Pyle had...
(with keyboard-player Alan Gowen
Alan Gowen
Alan Gowen was a fusion/progressive rock keyboardist, best known for his work in Gilgamesh and National Health.-History:...
and drummer Pip Pyle
Pip Pyle
Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
).
In the early 1980s Hopper gave up playing music for a couple of years, but by the mid-1980s he was actively working with several bands, including Pip Pyle
Pip Pyle
Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
's Equipe Out and Phil Miller
Phil Miller
Phil Miller is an English progressive rock/jazz guitarist who was part of the Canterbury scene.He was a member of the bands Delivery, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Short Wave and has since worked in solo projects and in his band In Cahoots, which he founded in 1982...
's In Cahoots
In Cahoots
In Cahoots is a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.The band was formed in November 1982 by Miller with Pip Pyle , Richard Sinclair and Elton Dean , as the Phil Miller Quartet. It was expanded to a quintet and given its definitive name when Peter Lemer joined...
. He also began playing with a group of Dutch musicians in a band initially called Hopper Goes Dutch. After French guitarist Patrice Meyer joined, this group became known as the Hugh Hopper Franglo-Dutch Band.
After many years working primarily in instrumental, jazz-oriented groups including Short Wave
Short Wave (band)
Short Wave Live is the only album by Short Wave, a UK band related to the Canterbury Scene, consisting of Hugh Hopper , Didier Malherbe , Phil Miller and Pip Pyle .The band was formed in 1991...
, in the mid-1990s Hopper began occasionally working again in more rock-oriented vocal contexts, including several collaborations with the band Caveman Shoestore (using the name Hughscore) and with singer Lisa S. Klossner. He also returned to his early tape loop experiments, but now using computer technology, in recordings such as Jazzloops (2002).
In the 1990s and 2000s several projects led Hopper to revisit his Soft Machine past. In 1998 he was asked to participate in a project by the French jazz collective Polysons, joining them in performances of Softs classics which featured Polysons members (Pierre-Olivier Govin and Jean-Rémy Guédon on saxes, Serge Adam on trumpet and François Merville on drums) plus organist Emmanuel Bex. The resulting Polysoft group was re-activated in 2002-03 to perform at Parisian club Le Triton, with fellow ex-Softs Elton Dean
Elton Dean
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
sitting in, resulting in a live CD, Tribute To Soft Machine, released on the club's own label. Also in 2002-04, Hopper, Dean and two other former Soft Machine members (drummer John Marshall
John Stanley Marshall
John Stanley Marshall, better known as John Marshall, born 28 August 1941 in Isleworth, Middlesex, is an English drummer. He was a founding member of the jazz rock band Nucleus and has worked with various other jazz and rock bands and musicians, among them J.J...
, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth is an English guitarist and composer. He has released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and played many different styles of music over a period of four decades, but first drew attention for his work in jazz fusion...
) toured and recorded under the name SoftWorks. With another former Soft Machine member, guitarist John Etheridge
John Etheridge
John Michael Glyn Etheridge is a British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene....
, replacing Holdsworth, they toured and recorded as Soft Machine Legacy, playing some pieces from the original Soft Machine repertoire as well as new works. Three albums of theirs were released: Live in Zaandam (CD, rec. 2005/05/10), New Morning
New Morning (club)
New Morning is a Parisian music nightclub that opened in 1981, specialising in jazz and blues.Its concerts are often featured on Mezzo TV.-History:The first concert was given on 16 April 1981 by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers....
- The Paris Concert (DVD, rec. 2005/12/12) and the studio album Soft Machine Legacy (CD, 2006, rec. 09/2005). After Elton Dean who died in February 2006, Theo Travis
Theo Travis
Theo Travis is a British saxophonist and flautist.Travis received his degree in flute and saxophone from the University of Manchester and has worked among others with Robert Fripp, Gong, Porcupine Tree, The Tangent, Bill Nelson, Bass Communion, No-Man, Steven Wilson, David Sylvian, Harold Budd,...
http://www.theotravis.com/ replaced him, and Soft Machine Legacy recorded the album Steam, released in 2007. Hopper also appeared on the 2004 debut solo album by No-Man
No-Man
No-Man are a British art-pop duo formed in 1987 as No Man Is An Island by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson . The band has so far produced six studio albums and a number of singles/outtakes collections...
singer Tim Bowness
Tim Bowness
Tim Bowness is a singer/songwriter primarily known for his work as part of the band No-Man, a long-term project formed in 1987 with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson.-Music career:...
(My Hotel Year, on One Little Indian Records.
Charles Hayward (musician)
Charles Hayward is an English drummer and was a founding member of the experimental rock group This Heat. He also played with Mal Dean's Amazing Band, Radar Favourites, Dolphin Logic, and gigged and recorded with old schoolfriend and "Pooh and the Ostrich Feather" member Phil Manzanera in the...
, Lol Coxhill
Lol Coxhill
Lowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...
and Orphy Robinson
Orphy Robinson
Orphy Robinson is an award-winning Vibraphonist. Robinson, a multi-instrumentalist, also plays the saxophone,trumpet, drums, piano, marimba and steel pans . Orphy has written music for television, film, theater, opera and contemporary classical music...
(augmented for their first release by Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
on cornet).
Hopper recently recorded two solo albums for, and established an online shop via, the highly regarded UK-based internet label, Burning Shed
Burning Shed
Burning Shed is an independent record label established in April 2001 by musicians Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers, in association with duplication company manager and former Noisebox Records boss, Pete Morgan....
http://www.burningshed.com. He worked with Japanese musician and composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell as a duo called HUMI. They had a tour of Japan planned for early 2008, which did not happen due to Hopper's health.
Hopper was diagnosed with leukaemia in June 2008 and underwent chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. As a result of his illness and the treatment, he cancelled all his concert appearances. A Hugh Hopper benefit concert took place in December 2008 at the 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
in London and featured In Cahoots, members of Soft Machine Legacy, Delta Sax Quartet, Sophia Domancich and Simon Goubert, Yumi Hara Cawkwell, and the Alex Maguire Sextet. Another benefit was planned for late June 2009.
He married his partner Christine on 5 June 2009 and died of leukaemia on 7 June. His funeral, a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony to respect Hugh's wishes, was held on 25 June 2009.
Solo albums
- 1973: 1984 (featuring Pye HastingsPye HastingsJulian Frederick Gordon 'Pye' Hastings is a British musician. He is the guitarist, vocalist and leader of the Canterbury scene band Caravan and brother of Jimmy Hastings.-References:...
, Gary WindoGary WindoGary Windo was a jazz tenor saxophonist.He came from a musical family in England and by age six took up drums and accordion, then guitar at 12, and finally saxophone at 17. He lived in the United States in the 1960s, but returned to England in 1969...
, Lol CoxhillLol CoxhillLowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...
, Nick EvansNick Evans (trombonist)Nicholas "Nick" Evans is a Welsh jazz and progressive rock trombonist.- Career :He worked in the Graham Collier Sextet , Keith Tippett Group , Soft Machine , Brotherhood of Breath , Centipede , Just Us , Ambush , Ninesense , Intercontinental Express , Ark Nicholas "Nick" Evans (born 1947 in...
, John MarshallJohn Marshall (musician)John Marshall is an American percussionist. He has worked with many musicians including David Darling, George Benson, Benjamin Verdery, and the Paul Winter Consort.-Professional career:...
, Malcolm Griffiths) - 1976: Cruel But Fair (with Elton DeanElton DeanElton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
, Keith TippettKeith TippettKeith Tippett is a British jazz pianist and composer.Tippett, the son of a local police officer, went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. He formed his first jazz band called The KT7 whilst still at school and they performed numbers popular at the time by The Temperance...
, Joe GallivanJoe GallivanJoe Gallivan is an American jazz and avant-garde musician. He plays drums, percussion and synthesizer....
) - 1977: Hopper Tunity Box (featuring Elton Dean, Marc CharigMarc CharigMark Charig is a British trumpeter and cornetist.He was particularly active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he played in settings as diverse as Long John Baldry's group, Bluesology, Soft Machine, and Keith Tippett's group and his Centipede big band...
, Frank RobertsFrank RobertsFrank Roberts was a footballer who played for Manchester City between 1922 and 1928. He could play either as an inside forward or a centre forward.-Early life:...
, Dave Stewart (the keyboardist), Mike Travis, Richard Brunton, Gary Windo, Nigel MorrisNigel MorrisNigel Morris is a businessman who co-founded Capital One with Richard Fairbank, and retired as COO in 2004.He lent the Labour Party £1,000,000 as part of the Cash for peerages affair....
) - 1978: Soft Head - Rogue Element (with Elton Dean, Alan GowenAlan GowenAlan Gowen was a fusion/progressive rock keyboardist, best known for his work in Gilgamesh and National Health.-History:...
, Dave Sheen) - 1979: Soft Heap (with Elton Dean, Alan Gowen, Pip PylePip PylePhillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
) - 1980: Two Rainbows Daily (with Alan Gowen)
- 1985: Mercy Dash (with Elton Dean, Keith Tippett, Joe Gallivan)
- 1985: Monster Band (featuring Elton Dean, Mike Travis, Jean-Pierre Carolfi, Jean-Pierre Weiller)
- 1989: Alive (featuring Frank van der Kooy, Kees van Veldhuizen, Dionys Breukers, Hans van der ZeeHans van der ZeeHans van der Zee is a Dutch soccer manager and scout.He was a manager of two clubs in Holland on the highest level.From 1996 until 1997 he was manager of FC Volendam. From 1997 until 1999 he was manager of Sparta Rotterdam....
, Pieter Bast, Andre Maes) - 1991: Meccano Pelorus (featuring Patrice Meyer, Dionys Breuker, Pieter Bast, Frank van der Kooij)
- 1993: Hugh Hopper and Odd Friends (featuring John AtkinsonJohn AtkinsonJohn Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron Atkinson , Irish lawyer and politician* John Atkinson John Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron Atkinson (1844–1932), Irish lawyer and politician* John Atkinson (Australian politician) John Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron...
, Dionys Breukers, Mike Travis, Rick Biddulph) - 1993: Short Wave Live (with Short Wave - Didier MalherbeDidier MalherbeDidier Antonin Malherbe is a saxophonist and flautist. He was one of the founders of the Canterbury sound band Gong....
, Phil MillerPhil MillerPhil Miller is an English progressive rock/jazz guitarist who was part of the Canterbury scene.He was a member of the bands Delivery, Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Short Wave and has since worked in solo projects and in his band In Cahoots, which he founded in 1982...
, Pip Pyle) - 1994: A Remark Hugh Made (with KramerMark KramerMark Kramer , known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy-Disc...
) - 1994: Hooligan Romantics (featuring John Atkinson, Pieter Bast, Dionys Breukers, Patrice Meyers, Frank van der Kooy)
- 1995: Carousel (featuring Patrice Meyer, Frank van der Kooy, Dionys Breuker, Kim Weemhoff, Robert Jarvis)
- 1995: Caveman Hughscore (with Caveman Shoestore thereafter known as Hughscore)
- 1995: Adreamor (with Mark HewinsMark HewinsMark Hewins is a British jazz guitarist known particularly for his connections to the Canterbury scene.Hewins' professional career as a guitarist began in 1970 with the London band Mother Sun...
) - 1996: Somewhere In France (with Richard SinclairRichard SinclairRichard S. Sinclair is a progressive rock bassist, guitarist and vocalist who has been a member of several bands of the Canterbury scene.-Biography:...
) - 1996: BracknellBracknellBracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
-BresseBresseBresse is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne, and Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term Bresse has two meanings: Bresse bourguignonne , which is situated in the east of the department of Saône-et-Loire, and Bresse, which is located...
Improvisations (with Alan Gowen, Nigel Morris) - 1996: MASHU - Elephants in your head? (with Shyamal Maitra, Mark Hewins)
- 1996: Best Soft (compilation)
- 1997: Huge (with Kramer)
- 1997: Highspot Paradox (with Hughscore)
- 1998: Different (with Lisa S. Klossner)
- 1999: Delta Flora (with Hughscore)
- 2000: Cryptids (with Lisa S. Klossner)
- 2000: Parabolic Versions (compilation from Somewhere In France, Hooligan Romantics and Hugh Hopper and Odd Friends)
- 2002: Jazzloops (featuring Elton Dean, Steve Franklin, Pierre-Olivier Govin, Christine Janet, Frank van der Kooij, Didier Malherbe, John Marshall, Patrice Meyer, Nigel Morris, Simon Picard, Kim Weemhoff, Robert Wyatt)
- 2003: In a Dubious Manner (with Julian Whitfield)
- 2004: The Stolen Hour (comics by Matt HowarthMatt HowarthMatt Howarth is an American comic book writer/artist known for such series as Those Annoying Post Bros, Savage Henry, Star Crossed, and Bugtown....
) - 2007: Soft Mountain (with Elton Dean, Hoppy KamiyamaHoppy KamiyamaHoppy Kamiyama is a Japanese keyboardist and music producer who has worked with artists such as eX-Girl, Bradford Reed, Bill Laswell, Jan Linton, Marc Ribot, Hugh Hopper/Elton Dean and Damo Suzuki.- Biography :...
, Yoshida TatsuyaYoshida Tatsuyais a Japanese musician and composer who is the only consistent member of the renowned progressive rock duo Ruins, as well as Koenji Hyakkei...
) - 2007: Numero D'Vol (with Simon Picard, Steve Franklin, Charles HaywardCharles Hayward (musician)Charles Hayward is an English drummer and was a founding member of the experimental rock group This Heat. He also played with Mal Dean's Amazing Band, Radar Favourites, Dolphin Logic, and gigged and recorded with old schoolfriend and "Pooh and the Ostrich Feather" member Phil Manzanera in the...
) - 2008: Dune (with Yumi Hara Cawkwell, as Humi)
Contributions
With Soft Machine- 1968: The Soft MachineThe Soft Machine (album)The Soft Machine, as reissue also titled "Volume One", is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene....
(one track only as player, others as well as composer) - 1969: Volume Two
- 1970: Third
- 1971: Fourth
- 1972: Fifth
- 1973: SixSix (Soft Machine album)Six is a 1973 instrumental album, originally released as a double LP by the British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene...
With others
- 1962-5 Canterburied Sounds, Vol.s 1-4 (1998 compilation by Brian Hopper)
- 1965: The Wilde Flowers (released 1994)
- 1969: Syd BarrettSyd BarrettSyd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
: The Madcap LaughsThe Madcap LaughsThe Madcap Laughs is an album by British singer/songwriter Syd Barrett, released on 3 January 1970. It was his first solo album after being replaced in the band Pink Floyd by his old school friend David Gilmour.- History :...
(two tracks) - 1969: Kevin AyersKevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
: Joy of a ToyJoy of a ToyJoy of a Toy is the debut solo album of Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure... - 1973: Stomu YamashtaStomu YamashtaStomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta (born is a Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer. He is sometimes credited as Stomu Yamash'ta. His father was the band director Kiyoharu Yamashita (1907–1991)....
's East Wind: Freedom Is FrighteningFreedom Is FrighteningFreedom Is Frightening is a 1974 EMI album by the Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer Stomu Yamash'ta and his band East Wind. It was recorded in August 1973 at Advision Studios .-Track listing:Side One... - 1974: Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
: Rock BottomRock Bottom (album)-Personnel:*Robert Wyatt - Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion, Slide Guitar *Mike Oldfield - Guitar *Gary Windo - Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax *Ivor Cutler - Voice , Baritone Concertina *Alfreda Benge - Voice *Mongezi Feza - Trumpets... - 1974: Stomu Yamashta: One by One
- 1975: IsotopeIsotope (band)Isotope was a British jazz-rock band based around guitarist Gary Boyle.Boyle founded the band in June 1972 and a first album, Isotope, was largely composed by keyboardist Brian Miller. Jeff Clyne was on bass and Nigel Morris was on drums. However, Clyne and Miller left in 1974 to be replaced by...
: Illusion - 1976: Isotope: Deep End
- 1978: Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
Band: European Tour 1977European Tour 1977European Tour 1977 is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1977 in Munich, Germany and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1978.-Reception:... - 1978: GilgameshGilgamesh (band)Gilgamesh were a British jazz fusion band in the 1970s led by keyboardist Alan Gowen, part of the Canterbury scene.-History:...
: Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into - 1985: In CahootsIn CahootsIn Cahoots is a Canterbury scene band led by guitarist Phil Miller, their main composer.The band was formed in November 1982 by Miller with Pip Pyle , Richard Sinclair and Elton Dean , as the Phil Miller Quartet. It was expanded to a quintet and given its definitive name when Peter Lemer joined...
: Cutting Both Ways - 1985: Pip PylePip PylePhillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
: L'Equipe Out - 1986: Patrice Meyer: Dromedaire viennois
- 1987: Anaid: Belladonna
- 1991: Lindsay CooperLindsay CooperLindsay Cooper is an English bassoon and oboe player, composer and political activist. Best known for her work with the band Henry Cow, she was also a member of Comus, National Health, News from Babel and David Thomas and the Pedestrians...
: Oh Moscow - 1999: BrainvilleBrainville (band)-External links:*...
: The Children's Crusade (with Daevid AllenDaevid AllenDaevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
, Pip PylePip PylePhillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
) - 2001: Glass Cage: Glass Cage Paratactile
- 2003: Soft Works: Abracadabra
- 2003: Bone: Uses Wrist Grab (with Nick DidkovskyNick DidkovskyNick Didkovsky is a composer, guitarist, computer music programmer, and leader of the band Doctor Nerve. He is a former student of Christian Wolff, Pauline Oliveros and Gerald Shapiro....
and John Roulat) - 2003: Polysoft: Tribute to Soft Machine
- 2004: Brian Hopper: If Ever I Am
- 2005: NDIO Airback
- 2005: Soft Machine Legacy: Live in Zaandam
- 2006: Soft Machine Legacy: Soft Machine Legacy
- 2007: Soft Machine Legacy: Steam
- 2008: Brainville3Brainville (band)-External links:*...
: Trial by Headline(with Daevid AllenDaevid AllenDaevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
, Chris CutlerChris CutlerChris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
)
External links
- Burning Shed records
- Mark Bloch's 1998 Interview with Hugh Hopper
- Hugh's site (hosted by Burning Shed) including link to the Hopper Archives
- 1999 Calyx interview with Hugh Hopper
- 2003 Cosmik Debris interview with Hugh Hopper
- Hugh Hopper at All About JazzAll About JazzAll About Jazz is a leading jazz music website for enthusiasts and industry professionals based in Philadelphia in the United States.Founded by Michael Ricci in 1995, the Web-Site is maintained by a volunteer staff of writers, editors, and musicians, and provides coverage of all genres of jazz from...
- Hugh Hopper at jazz.com
- New York Times obituary