Claude Hopkins Albums (6)
'Sophisticated Swing'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 9
Label Fat Cat's Jazz
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Veteran swing pianist Claude Hopkins is given top billing on this LP, which has music from two concerts from the 1974 Manassas Jazz Festival. Hopkins does have some good solos along the way, but in reality he is just one of the players. Six of the ten selections have Hopkins in a septet with cornetist Tom Saunders, clarinetist Tommy Gwaltney, and trombonist Bill Allred. Two songs have vocals for Natalie Lamb (with Wild Bill Davison or Bill Barnes on trumpet), while the other two are more primitive, with Stan McDonald on soprano or clarinet and cornetist Tony Pringle and other members of the Black Eagle Jazz Band joining on "Weary Blues." The music is mostly Dixieland-ish, with Hopkins taking some fine stride solos on "Nobody's Sweetheart Now," "Deed I Do," and "I Would Do Most Anything for You." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Claude Hopkins is best-known for being a powerful stride pianist who led a big band in the 1930s; he is also known for his solo records of 1969-72. Barely on records at all from 1941-59, Hopkins cut three albums for Swingville from 1960-63; the second and third are reissued in full on this 1999 CD. The most surprising aspect to these combo dates is that Hopkins hardly strides at all and comes across as a Teddy Wilson-inspired swing pianist. Much of the time he is in the background, with the success of the sessions really due to the fine playing of the horns. Trombonist Vic Dickenson and tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson play at the high level one would expect on the Swing Time set, with the main revelation being the obscure trumpeter Bobby Johnson, a veteran of Erskine Hawkins' Orchestra, who holds his own with the stars. Hopkins' "Crying My Heart Out for You" from this date is well worth reviving again. The music from the other Swingville album, Let's Jam, gives tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate an opportunity to play his underrated clarinet on "Late Evening" and has several opportunities for the largely forgotten swing trumpeter Joe Thomas to show how lyrical a soloist he was. This CD is recommended even if Hopkins' role is much more minor than expected. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Claude Hopkins is heard on a rare solo piano session on Crazy Fingers, a Chiaroscuro LP recorded in early 1972. One can really appreciate Hopkins in such a setting, as he digs into some serious stride piano in his best-known composition, "I Would Do Anything for You," and also "Safari Stomp." He swings gently in an original ballad, "Blame It on a Dream." Hopkins is also a marvelous interpreter of standards. His understated approach to "Willow Weep for Me," a wild "(Back Home Again In) Indiana" that brings Fats Waller to mind, and a romp through "Three Little Words" are all delightful performances. The only piece that is a disappointment is the finale, "Hopkins' Scream," which is yet another lively stride piano original but adds the pianist's scream at its conclusion. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
