Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

stride pianist and bandleader.

Biography

Claude Hopkins was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his birth. His parents were on the faculty of

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

. A talented stride piano player and arranger, he left home at the age of 21 to become a sideman with the Wilbur Sweatman Orchestra, but stayed less than a year. In 1925, he left for Europe as the musical director of The Revue Negre which starred

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

with

Sidney Bechet Sidney Joseph Bechet ( ; May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Ar ...

in the band. He returned to the US in 1927 where, based in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, he toured the Theatre Owners Booking Association circuit with The Ginger Snaps Revue, before heading once again for New York City where he took over the band of Charlie Skeets. At this time (1932–36), he led a Harlem band employing jazz musicians such as Edmond Hall, Fred Norman, Jabbo Smith and

Vic Dickenson Victor Dickenson (August 6, 1906 – November 16, 1984) was an American jazz trombonist. His career began in the 1920s and continued through musical partnerships with Count Basie (1940–41), Sidney Bechet (1941), and Earl Hines. Life and car ...

(although his records were arranged to feature his piano more than his band). This was his most successful period, with long residencies at the

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

and Roseland ballrooms and at the Cotton Club. In 1937, he took his band on the road with a great deal of success. The high-pitched vocals of Orlando Roberson (Orlando Herbert Roberson 1909–1977) were a feature of the band's work. It included Ovie Alston, Fernando Arbello, Shirley Clay, Vic Dickenson, Edmond Hall, Arville Harris, Pete Jacobs, Sylvester Lewis, Ben Smith, and Jabbo Smith. He broke up the band in 1940 and used his arranging skills while working for several non-jazz band leaders and for CBS. In 1948/9 he led a "novelty" band briefly but took a jazz band into The Cafe Society in 1950. From 1951 until his death, he remained in New York City, working mostly as a sideman with other

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

bands at festivals, New York clubs, and recording. He died on February 19, 1984.

Discography

As leader

* 1932-34 - ''The Chronological C H'' (Classics #699) * 1935-35 -''The Chronological C H'' (Classics #716) * 1937-40 -''The Chronological C H'' (Classics #733) * 1955 - ''The golden era of Dixieland Jazz'' (Design) * 1958 - ''Music of the Early Jazz Dances'' (20th Fox, 1958) * 1960 - '' Yes Indeed!'' with Buddy Tate and Emmett Berry (Swingville, ) * 1961 - '' Let's Jam'' with Buddy Tate and Joe Thomas (Swingville, ) * 1963 - '' Swing Time!'' with

Budd Johnson Albert J. "Budd" Johnson III (December 14, 1910 – October 20, 1984) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with, among others, Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke ...

and

(Swingville, 1963) * 1968 - ''The Jazz Giants'' with Wild Bill Davison, Buzzy Drootin, Herb Hall, Benny Morton and Arvell Shaw (Sackville, 1968) * 1969 - ''Master Jazz Piano Vol. 1'' (Mater Jazz Records) * 1972 - ''Soliloquy'' (Sackville, 1972) * 1972 - ''Crazy Fingers'' (Chiaroscuro, 1973) * 1974 - ''Safari Stomp'' (Black and Blue, 1974) * 1976 - ''Jazz Piano Masters: Live at the New School'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977)

As sideman

With Red Allen * ''Jazz at the Metropole Cafe'' with Cozy Cole, Charlie Shavers (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''At Newport'' with Kid Ory, Jack Teagarden (Verve, 1957) With Cozy Cole * ''After Hours'' with Jimmy McPartland (Grand Award, 1956) * ''Cozy Cole and His Big Seven'' (Grand Award, 1958 * ''Caravan'' (Grand Award, 1959) * ''Cozy Cole and Other All-Time Jazz Stars'' (Colortone, 1959) With Bud Freeman *'' The Bud Freeman All-Stars featuring Shorty Baker'' (Swingville, 1960) With

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

* '' Things Ain't What They Used to Be'' (Swingville, 1961) * ''Years Ago'' (Prestige, 1964) * ''Dear Old Southland'' (Membran, 2005) With Lonnie Johnson *'' Blues by Lonnie Johnson'' (Bluesville, 1960) With Ma Rainey * ''Blame It on the Blues'' (Milestone, 1969)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Claude 1903 births 1984 deaths American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists American big band bandleaders Stride pianists Swing pianists Brunswick Records artists Columbia Records artists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists Sackville Records artists Black & Blue Records artists