Fred Hopkins

Fred Hopkins gained his greatest recognition as bassist with the co-op trio <a href="spotify:artist:1c0wlIJWID8ghPnKsqJDSu">Air</a>, but he played through the years with most of the top avant-garde musicians and his abilities were well-known to his fellow players. He recorded with Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre in 1970, worked with <a href="spotify:artist:0bSP8obSwEpc8XEOE7qc63">Henry Threadgill</a> and Steve McCall in the trio <a href="spotify:artist:4ldFiG5GSRIokRXykyT5QU">Reflection</a> (1971-1972), freelanced in Chicago, moved to New York in 1975, and reunited with <a href="spotify:artist:0bSP8obSwEpc8XEOE7qc63">Threadgill</a> and McCall as <a href="spotify:artist:1c0wlIJWID8ghPnKsqJDSu">Air</a> (1975 through the mid-'80s); after McCall's departure in 1982, the group (with <a href="spotify:artist:0xXCz3o5ZJ2Z9jdAoGxRxO">Pheeroan AkLaff</a> on drums) became known as <a href="spotify:artist:3Y3HG8RQqGU6TICxhRmb1l">New Air</a>. Hopkins also worked and recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:3UXq4fckDmcPmleixlrl6i">Anthony Braxton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5OKhN5AURco1pBqba3CbnS">Marion Brown</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3y58dknRdBENZ8oVErWu9B">Oliver Lake</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:00SOiqZ0YGY2JhjSPxZMZg">David Murray</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0CwLl45yTdzGtaA0izZ4Y0">Hamiet Bluiett</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5Sbzoxpu3PldyIHP4IQvA4">Craig Harris</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0zdSGWAAxDPCaU0Xa3FTQP">Don Pullen</a>, and many others, but strangely enough, never led a record session of his own. Due to health problems, Hopkins stepped down as bassist in <a href="spotify:artist:62IOpPQsfmXpQzma1ikho8">Ari Brown</a>'s trio in the late '90s and, in January 1999, Fred Hopkins died in his hometown of Chicago. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi