These performance clips are taken from various concerts and recordings where I am either a sideman in someone else's project, or a project that I am not a primary composer. This includes groups where the music is completely improvised. Clips included are from the following projects: The Trudel/Hopkins Duo, Danny Gouker's Signal Problems, miscellaneous clips from The Banff Workshop, and recordings from my trio in a more traditional jazz context.

A significant part of what I do as a professional musician is performance in a traditional jazz setting. Much of what I do as an artist, and the focus of much of my graduate studies was the standard jazz repertoire. I have chosen not to highlight this elsewhere in my nomination because it only shows my work as a bassist and not a composer.
  • Adam Hopkins-bass
    Adam Hopkins-bass
    Adam Hopkins-bass, taken at a live performance.
  • Trudel/Hopkins Duo-Improvisation
    The Trudel/Hopkins Duo is a project with one of my closest musical collaborators, reeds player Eric Trudel. We play together frequently in Quartet Offensive, YDT, Eric's own sextet, Danny Gouker's Signal Problems, and a new dectet co-founded by Dave Ballou and myself. This project focuses on improvised music in the duo setting. All of the compositions we perform are spontaneous and improvised. We've given a number of concerts in the Baltimore/DC area as a duo and are planning an album and tour for Summer 2010.
  • Good Intentions, Bad Karma
    Composed by Gabriel Vinuela-Pelletier. The group includes Julie Kjaer-alto sax; Achilles Kallergis-guitar; Gabriel Vinuela-Pelletier-piano; Adam Hopkins-bass; and Trevor Falls-drums. This track was recorded in the studio at the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, which Adam attended in May 2010. It features a bass solo as the first solo on the track.
  • GiggleSqueek Improvisation
    Mariel Berger-accordian; Katie Rife-vibes; Jihye Kim-voice; Adam Hopkins-bass. GiggleSqueek is an improvising ensemble I formed while at the Banff Creative Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music this past May. This piece was recorded at a live club set and is improvised.
  • Segment (Charlie Parker) performed by Adam Hopkins Trio
    Trio recording of Charlie Parker's Segment featuring Cam Collins-sax; Adam Hopkins-bass; Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums. Recorded on a small digital Roland Edirol recorder.
  • Improvisation #3
    This is an improvised piece taken from a live performance of the Dierker/Hopkins Duo. This project is a duo collaboration with one of my favorite musicians in Baltimore, reeds player John Dierker. Improvisation #3 was recording live at The Windup Space on December 7, 2010.
  • Soul Eyes (Mal Waldron) by Adam Hopkins Trio
    Trio recording of Mal Waldron's Soul Eyes featuring JJ Wright-piano; Adam Hopkins-bass; Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums. This performance highlights my arco playing in the jazz setting. A large portion of my studies of the double bass, especially in my undergrad and graduate school, were focused on classical bass performance. I like to apply this training whenever possible in the jazz setting, often interpreting a melody or taking an arco solo. Recorded on a small digital Roland Edirol recorder.