2005 -2022 AACM New York City Chapter, Inc
Fred Hopkins (October 11, 1947 – January 7, 1999)
Hopkins was born in Chicago,[1] and grew up in a musical family, listening to a wide variety of music from an early age.[8] He attended DuSable
High School, where he studied music under "Captain" Walter Dyett, who became well-known for mentoring and training musicians.[9] He was
originally inspired to learn the cello after seeing a performance by Pablo Casals on television, but was told by Dyett that because the school
didn't have a cello, he would have to play bass.[8] After graduating from high school, he worked at a grocery store, but was encouraged by Dyett
and other friends to pursue music more seriously.[8] He soon began playing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where he was the first recipient
of the Charles Clark Memorial Scholarship,[10] and studying with Joseph Gustafeste, principal bassist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at
the time,[1][3] as well as picking up piano duo gigs.[8] In the mid-1960s, Hopkins attended a concert by AACM members at Hyde Park and was
intrigued.[8] He also began playing with Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, with whom he would make his first recording in 1970 (Forces and
Feelings), and started becoming more serious about improvisation,[8] playing with Muhal Richard Abrams's Experimental Band and other related
groups.[11] Hopkins stated that a major inspiration at that time was hearing John Coltrane's Coltrane's Sound: "it really changed my whole
outlook on music. I knew then that I could do anything I wanted to do... And from that point on, I just got more involved, and started meeting
more people over the years."[8]
In the early 1970s, he formed a trio called Reflection with saxophonist Henry Threadgill and drummer Steve McCall. In 1975, he, like many other
Chicago free-jazz musicians,[12] left and moved to New York,[1] where he soon regrouped with Threadgill and McCall, who also moved there at
around the same time. They renamed their trio Air, and went on to tour and record extensively.[13] He also joined the AACM, immersed himself
in New York's loft scene,[3] and, over the following decades, increasingly gained recognition, gigging with Roy Haynes[12] and performing and
recording with artists such as Muhal Richard Abrams, Hamiet Bluiett, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Arthur Blythe, Oliver Lake, David
Murray, Diedre Murray, and Don Pullen, as well as with various groups led by Threadgill.[12]
In 1997, he moved back to Chicago,[1] stating that he "got tired of the stress" of living in New York, and reuniting with "ten brothers and sisters
and 35 nieces and nephews". [12] He continued to perform, tour, and record with a wide variety of musicians. He died in 1999 at age 51 of heart
disease at the University of Chicago Hospital.[3]
Wikipedia
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aacm new york
Fred Hopkins (October 11, 1947 – January 7, 1999)
Hopkins was born in Chicago,[1] and grew up in a musical family,
listening to a wide variety of music from an early age.[8] He attended
DuSable High School, where he studied music under "Captain" Walter
Dyett, who became well-known for mentoring and training musicians.[9]
He was originally inspired to learn the cello after seeing a performance
by Pablo Casals on television, but was told by Dyett that because the
school didn't have a cello, he would have to play bass.[8] After graduating
from high school, he worked at a grocery store, but was encouraged by
Dyett and other friends to pursue music more seriously.[8] He soon
began playing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where he was the
first recipient of the Charles Clark Memorial Scholarship,[10] and
studying with Joseph Gustafeste, principal bassist for the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra at the time,[1][3] as well as picking up piano duo
gigs.[8] In the mid-1960s, Hopkins attended a concert by AACM
members at Hyde Park and was intrigued.[8] He also began playing with
Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, with whom he would make his first
recording in 1970 (Forces and Feelings), and started becoming more
serious about improvisation,[8] playing with Muhal Richard Abrams's
Experimental Band and other related groups.[11] Hopkins stated that a
major inspiration at that time was hearing John Coltrane's Coltrane's
Sound: "it really changed my whole outlook on music. I knew then that I
could do anything I wanted to do... And from that point on, I just got
more involved, and started meeting more people over the years."[8]
In the early 1970s, he formed a trio called Reflection with saxophonist
Henry Threadgill and drummer Steve McCall. In 1975, he, like many
other Chicago free-jazz musicians,[12] left and moved to New York,[1]
where he soon regrouped with Threadgill and McCall, who also moved
there at around the same time. They renamed their trio Air, and went on
to tour and record extensively.[13] He also joined the AACM, immersed
himself in New York's loft scene,[3] and, over the following decades,
increasingly gained recognition, gigging with Roy Haynes[12] and
performing and recording with artists such as Muhal Richard Abrams,
Hamiet Bluiett, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Arthur Blythe, Oliver
Lake, David Murray, Diedre Murray, and Don Pullen, as well as with
various groups led by Threadgill.[12]
In 1997, he moved back to Chicago,[1] stating that he "got tired of the
stress" of living in New York, and reuniting with "ten brothers and sisters
and 35 nieces and nephews". [12] He continued to perform, tour, and
record with a wide variety of musicians. He died in 1999 at age 51 of
heart disease at the University of Chicago Hospital.[3]
Wikipedia
2005 -2022 AACM New York City Chapter, Inc