Hopper, Hugh: Jazzloops/The Stolen Hour

Hugh Hopper (RIP) needs no introduction in these pages. The former member of Soft Machine has forever earned a place in the annals of progressive rock and the Canterbury sound with his unique fuzzed out bass sounds and his expert use of tape loops. Here we have a couple of releases remastered by Mike Pietrini, supported by Explore Rights Management Ltd. The one/two punch of Jazzloops and The Stolen Hour were originally released in 2001 and 2004 respectively.

Hopper has help with some familiar names, including former members of Soft Machine; Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean, and John Marshall. Like most things out of left field, this is not something that will appeal to everyone. The first disc is the Jazzloops album where Hopper experiments with acid/psychedelic jazz and ambient sounds. It is a slow building affair with many of the sounds taking on an unearthly vibe, very spacey and while you are unlikely to play this at your next party, you just might find a good pair of headphones to hear what Hopper was on to beginning with the spacey “T3� where a subtle percussive back beat solidifies Simon Picard’s eerie saxophone and Christine Janet’s otherworldly trumpet lines. On “Afrik� the saxophonist invokes a moody soundscape where elastic like percussion and staticky waves of electronics and keyboards are blended together in layers, creating an unusual yet compelling listening experience. Ambient and weird psychedelia makes “Garrisoi� another cool listen with Francois Verly’s tabla helping with the low end. More unearthly sounds can be found on the trippy “Sfrankl�, and really its these spaced out jams, mostly led by saxophone, that defines the album.

Hopper’s The Lost Hour is accompanied by the story of the same name written by Matt Howarth. It is a comedic piece referring to the Australian government moving to Daylight Savings Time early, so as to accommodate the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Each of the album’s twelve songs directly refer to the comic strip, as Hopper lays down plenty of sampled loops, supplemented with his bass and electric guitar.

Esoteric saxophone and an eerie backdrop of sound, along with Marshall’s percussive beat propels the album opening “Craig’s Distended Train Ride�. The melody is at times almost uplifting but Hopper did not want the listener to become too comfortable. Still, there is an hypnotic element that demands your attention. The crashing drums and wonderful saxophone highlight the blistering “Complications At Work�, this time with fantastic solo spots from saxophonists Frank van der Kooij and Pierre-Olivier Govin. Things get pretty trippy with the next two tunes, “An Inescapable Encounter With Mrs. Pry� and “Yearning For The Stolen Hour�, a mashup of experimental prog and jazz. Robert Wyatt’s trippy electronic loops and cornet come to the forefront in the experimental “Mia’s Timely Emergence From The East� and in the last track “Sharing The Stolen Hour�, percussive loops and Govin’s hypnotic saxophone makes for a satisfying conclusion to what is a heady journey into the mind of a musical genius.

Fans of Soft Machine and eclectic music in general should give this one a go. If that is you this one is a no-brainer.

Track Listing:
CD 1 Jazzloops
1. T3
2. Afrik
3. Garrisoi
4. Sfrankl
5. Acloop
6. Calmozart
7. Aintpo
8. 1212
9. Digwot
10. L4
11. Nigepo

CD 2 The Stolen Hour
1. Craig’s Distended Train Ride
2. Complications At Work
3. An Inescapable Encounter With Mrs. Pry
4. Yearning For The Stolen Hour
5. The Long Drive
6. An Unregulated Sunset
7. A Sideways Peek At Dreamtime
8. Snide Wisdom Involving The Immateriality Of Time
9. The Stuff He Sees
10. Mia’s Timely Emergence From The East
11. Compatibility
12. Sharing The Stolen Hour

Added: February 19th 2025
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 89
Language: english

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