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Duncan Hopkins
Canadian double bassist, composer and arranger Duncan Hopkins
has been working at the highest levels of jazz for almost thirty years.
In that time he has worked with such jazz legends as Norma
Winstone, Bobo Stenson, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Scott
Hamilton, Houston Person, Warren Vache, Ed Bickert, Mark Murphy,
Peter Appleyard, Bobby Watson, Jeremy Pelt, Byron Stripling, Dianna
Krall, Kenny Wheeler, Sam Rivers, Harry Allen and Edward Simon to
name but a few and playing in clubs and venues such as the
National Arts Centre in Canada, Royal Festival Hall in England and
Carnegie Hall in The United States. He can be seen on film in
“Where the Truth Lies” featuring Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth. He has
toured extensively throughout Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Brazil
and the United States. He can be heard on over fifty albums,
numerous CBC, BBC and NPR recordings and has seven recordings
as a leader and several others as co-leader.
“St.Catharines has given the jazz world one important composer ... Kenny
Wheeler. It may have another one ... in the person of Duncan Hopkins”.
Mark Miller, The Globe and Mail, Canada
The new recording Who Are You? released in the summer of 2023
on TPR records has received national and international acclaim and
airplay.
"Who Are You? sits with the very best of them. The music is excellent, as
is the guitar work of Reg Schwager and Ted Quinlan, but it is the
combination of the two guitars and bass that really make this release
stand out. The way that the two guitarists play off and around each other
is captivating but it is the depth of sound that Duncan Hopkins’ melodic
bass brings to a number that pulls everything together."
Simply Jazz Talk U.K. June 1st, 2023
Gear
Double Bass - Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume
Tags
With Duncan Hopkins’ group the sound of jazz is moving forward.
Reg Schwager and Ted Quinlan dance and weave around each other’s lines with thoughtful expression that finds them moving in harmony at times, sharing contrapuntal moments and trading between chords and melodies. It is a guitar masterclass from start to finish.
David Reed The Intelligencer May 16th, 2023
"Foxy Trot" is classic Wheeler — a sly exploration of its quasi-titular dance's 4/4 rhythm, with off-kilter metric accents that keep you on your toes. Hopkins takes the first solo, spritely but understated with a plush tone. Schwager and Quinlan follow in turn, each gracing the tune with his own unique lyricism while Lambert responds to every nuance with mesmerizing detail. Not only a loving tribute, but also a thoroughly exciting session from some of Canada's jazz greats.