Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Claude Hopkins studied piano while simultaneously pursuing medical studies at Howard University, of which his parents were members. In 1924, Claude Hopkins joined Wilbur Sweatman's band for a few months, and the following year he conducted an orchestra and toured Europe and France with music-hall singer Joséphine Baker (1906-1975). The orchestra included clarinet saxophonist Sidney Bechet, who would settle permanently in France after the Second World War. Hopkins returned to the U.S. in 1926, took charge of Charlie Skeete's orchestra and played the same year as Louis Armstrong at Harlem's Cocoanut Grove (1930). The orchestra played in many New York clubs: the Savoy Ballroom, the Roseland Ballroom and the Cotton Club. Claude Hopkins is very popular among the black population, and his growing popularity (he records numerous radio programs) allows him to have brilliant soloists on the desks (Edmond Hall, Vick Dickenson, Jabbo Smith). The orchestra performed well until 1942, when a slight decline set in. Hopkins decided to disband the orchestra (1942), and worked for two years as an inspector in an aircraft factory. He then reformed his orchestra (1944-1946), but like most of his big-band colleagues, he was faced with management and money problems. This time the band closed for good (1946). He devoted a lot of time to arrangements, sometimes playing in small bands until the 70s, notably with Henri "Red" Allen (1954-55), and with Will Bill Davison's Jazz Giants (1967-1968). Hopkins' piano playing is supple and melodious, with powerful accents in the left hand to accentuate the swing.
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Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Salon
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by More Wings in Hell on 11 dec. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
1937-1940
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 nov. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Swing Years 1935
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 30 apr. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Archives Presents: Claude Hopkins - Previously Unissued Sides and Rare Sides (1933, 1934 and 1940)
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Jazz Archives on 24 feb. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singin' In The Rain
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 31 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Early Swing with Hotlips and Hopkins
Hot Lips Page, Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 28 jul. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keep Swinging with Claude
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 31 aug. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singing in the Rain
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Dance Plant Records Inc on 28 mei 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Golden Swing Years
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 31 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Truckin
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 31 aug. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Albany on 15 aug. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Collection
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 7 aug. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Express Yourself
Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by sinderella on 30 dec. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo