Duncan Hopkins (born 21 September 1967) is an English-born jazz composer and musician who plays double bass and electric bass.
Early life and education
Hopkins was born in
Coventry, West Midlands. His father was a trombone player and his mother a pianist. He started his musical education at
Pattison College, where his mother taught music. The family then moved to
St. Catharines
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...
,
Ontario, Canada in 1971, where he remained until he finished formal studies at Lakeport Secondary School and
Brock University (1987–1989).
After acquiring his bachelor's degree in business economics, Hopkins moved to
Montreal to study with bassist Michel Donato, first within the confines of
McGill University and then later privately. He then attended the
Banff School of Fine Arts
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...
to study with
Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid (born February 10, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer.
Biography
Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, where he played the trumpet through junior high and high school. Upon graduation ...
,
Kenny Wheeler,
Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow.
Early life
Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...
.
Career
Hopkins returned briefly to St. Catharines in 1992 and won an
Ontario Arts Council Award to live and study in New York with
Dave Holland. During that year, however, his parents succumbed to cancer and he returned to Canada and moved to Toronto. Over the years Hopkins has performed with
Diana Krall,
Peter Appleyard,
Warren Vache,
Rob McConnell,
Robert Farnon,
John Hicks,
Mark Murphy,
Lester Bowie,
Sam Rivers,
Kenny Wheeler,
Don Thompson,
Moe Koffman,
Norman Amadio,
Scott Hamilton,
Edward Simon and others.
Hopkins also toured Britain and continental Europe with the Bobby Watson All Stars featuring
Bobby Watson on alto sax,
Bruce Barth on piano, and Stephen Keogh on drums.
References
External links
www.duncanhopkins.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Duncan
1967 births
Living people
English jazz composers
Male jazz composers
English male composers
British jazz bass guitarists
British jazz double-bassists
Musicians from Coventry
Brock University alumni
McGill University alumni
Basho Records artists