Hugh Hopper

Hopper’s place in the pantheon of jazz rock pioneers is pretty much assured by virtue of his work as bassist and composer with Soft Machine but his career after leaving that august institution has been continually interesting, varied and decidedly non-linear. When Burning Shed put out his ‘Jazzloops’ last year he was definitely having fun with tape loops and samples from all manner of associates and harking back to some of his earlier experiments. Now he has teamed up with vocalist Julian Whitfield and others to produce something which still utilises techniques from ‘Jazzloops’ along with another early interest, songs. And these are songs that owe something to the blues and rock whilst remaining endearingly out of kilter and slightly askew. Never content with the conventional, but clearly enjoying a close flirtation with it, Hopper has fused greasy horns and dirty rock riffs while Whitfield’s treated vocals echo Kevin Ayers, Syd Barrett and the ghosts of several dead blues men. He has the mean rasp of a seasoned rocker, especially on ‘Got Something’, a track that also features some heavily fuzzed riffing and wailing harmonica. It’s a wall of solid sound that, as it steamrollers out at you, projects echoes of Beefheart and Canned Heat among others. In a different universe it would surely be a hit single. As would ‘Bogey Man’ which features Whitfield’s ‘head in a bucket’ vocals, swathes of fuzzed guitar , slivers of organ and Tony Rico’s meaty sax figures. It has an attractively sleazy groove and is one to play loud. ‘Quagmire’ is a brief alliance of acrobatic sax and slide guitar from Pierre-Olivier Govin and Trevor Stevenson, respectively, with minimal vocals of the ‘oh yeah’ variety that segues into the earthy, loping ‘Old Chrome Moon’. Nodding allusively to Americana again, it mixes a fat sax/trombone combination with more of that gutbucket vocalising and for those thirsting for some fuzz bass, there it is at the core of the track. Music for bars where I fondly imagine truckers demanding that the jukebox has some Zappa and ‘Trout Mask Replica’ on it. There are naturally a couple of atmospherically Hopperesque pieces too, like the aptly buoyant ‘Lost At Sea’ and the sinister trip-hop - meets - blues guitar of ‘Dimension 5’ with its menacing vocal layers. They manage to fit comfortably within the overall design of the album. So, if you have enjoyed Hopper’s work with Soft Machine or, more recently, Soft Works, this is a chance to hear the bass man and like – minded comrade, Whitfield, enjoying some experimentation within and around the genre of idiosyncratic song. (review by Paul Donnelly for ejazz.com)

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On this duo offering Hugh plays bass, guitar, loops & keys, while Julian sings and plays guitar, bass, loops and keys as well. Their guests include saxists Tony Rico, Pierre-Olivier Govin & Peter Cook, guitarists Trevor Stevenson & Rob Harvey, Robert Jarvis on trombone, Alex Keen on acoustic bass and drummers Andy Ward (from Camel & Bevis Frond) & Liam Genockey (from Trevor Watts). Can't say that I am familiar with anyone here except for the drummers, but no matter. "Bogey Man", opens with a great, sly, rockin' groove, fuzz guitar, a chorus of saxes and Julian's great 70's style blues/rocking vocals. "Dimension 5" has a fine, mysterious vocals and a strange, hypnotic groove with some backwards sounding loops. What is great is that both the drum machine and vocoder vocals are used sparingly, adding some subtle mystery and some dreamy grooves throughout. "Quagmire" has another laid back and slimy blues groove which kicks into high gear midway when it turns into "Old Chrome Moon" and has some great fuzz bass at the center. Kinda reminds me of The Mothers or Geronimo Black with that greasy horn section. Both Hugh and Julian do a great job of looping layers of strange sounds/instruments/vocals into their mesmerizing and enticing alien blend. It flows together seamlessly like the way those great Soft Machine releases/sets do. A bit funkier and more blues drenched than I would have imagined, but still an unexpected gem!

Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, NYC)

Now packaged in a jewel case with booklet/inlay

Pete Morgan