Adam Hopkins-bass. Photo by Heather Van De Mark.

Composed by Adam Hopkins, "The Zero In the Car" is part of an album length composition set titled "The Numbers In the Car." "The Numbers in the Car" (work still in progress) focuses on the idea of a more systematic approach to composition, both tonally and rhythmically. Each piece in the set uses a new tonal or rhythmic concept as the central idea in the composition, and evolves from that concept. This excerpt is taken from a live performance with the improvised introduction edited out for time.

Once a year in December this trio puts together a holiday performance where we re-arrange our favorite, and maybe not so favorite holiday songs for sax/bass/drums trio. This is my re-arrangement of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

Composed by Hopkins, this is a ballad written for trio in a fairly traditional format. The very simple four-note bassline lays the foundation for a lullaby-like melody in the tenor. After the bridge in 3/4 over a bass pedal the original melody returns transposed to a new key. A typical performance would have tenor and bass solos, but this clip has been edited for time.

Adam Hopkins-bass. Photo by Heather Van De Mark.