Hopper, Brian - If Ever I am (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
23-VP 338
For the most part, this is completely a solo album, with all parts (sax, keyboards, drum programming, etc) all performed by Brian.
BUT: There are guest appearances by brother Hugh on bass, Graham Flight on keyboards, Robert Fenner on guitar, Francis Knight on piano and...Robert Wyatt on cornet and vocals, including on a version of “Hope For Happiness”!!
“Brian Hopper, the older brother of Soft Machine bassist Hugh, will probably always be in his more-famous brother's shadow but he is in fact no slouch musician himself. As a founding member of Wilde Flowers he is equally as responsible for the Canterbury Sound (as his 4-CDs of archival tapes called "Canterburied Sounds" attest).
Here he plays saxes, keyboards and programs the drums, all quite excellently. The songs range from early Wilde Flowers material to more-recent jazz outings, with guest appearances from Wilde Flowers vocalist Robert Wyatt, bassist Hugh Hopper and keyboardist Graham Flight -- although not all on the same tracks, unfortunately (Robert sings a radically-rearranged "Hope for Happiness," barely recognisable from its Soft Machine days). Other tracks feature duets and solos in a variety of Britjazz styles.
This CD is a nice reminder of Brian's talents and an excellent summing up of his recent musical directions.”-Robert Carlberg
- LabelVoiceprint
- UPC604388317820