Greg Hopkins Nonet Follows in Davis' Footsteps

APRIL 8, 1999 THE BOSTON GLOBE

Greg Hopkins, the inspired trumpeter/composer who is one of Boston’s unappreciated jazz treasures, was listed as the leader of the nonet that appeared at Scullers on Tuesday. On the band’s debut CD “Jazz!” (Summit), he shares billing with pianist Chuck Marohnic and tuba player Sam Pilaflan, Arizona-based musicians who (together with drummer Dom Moio) traveled to New England for the group’s East Coast debut.

Given the instrumentation (four brass, two saxes, and rhythm), the CD’s cover art by sometimes-painter Miles Davis and the inclusion of three original arrangements from the influential “Birth of the Cool” recordings, this band might appear to be a mere recreation of the Davis nonet. Yet that legendary unit of the late ‘40s is only one of the models that has inspired this new unit.

Hopkins also identified two Blue Note albums from the late ’60s, McCoy Tyner’s “Tender Moments” and Herbie Hancock’s “The Prisoner,” as specific inspirations. The Tyner influence was clearest in the pedal-point driven “The Bishop,” an original by Boston composer Manuel Kauffman that used the ensemble to set up strong solos from Marohnic and Hopkins and a particularly charged duet by trombonist Jeff Galindo and tenor saxophonist Mark Phaneuf. Hancock’s more delicate modal washes crept through on “Cryogenic Suite,” an ambitious Hopkins opus that piled mood upon mood before settling into first a contemplative and then a more brisk Latin tempo. While initially overstuffed, “Cryogenic” ultimately provided a fertile setting for several soloists, with Galindo’s bold phrases once again outstanding.

Another Hopkins piece, “Mystic Valley,” illustrated the nonet’s ability to function in other jazz neighborhoods. Introduced as “a jazz waltz with rotaries,” the piece shifted between 3/4 and 414 time signatures in the manner of Bill Evans trio classics like “34 Skidoo.” By employing flugelhorn, flute, and soprano sax, Hopkins created an ensemble ambience that also echoed Evans’s delicacy, and which set up Marohnic’s most quietly propulsive solos.

The Davis nonet legacy was addressed with John Carisi’s “Israel” and Gil Evans’s arrangement of “Moondreams.” The former lost some of its impact by being turned into a lengthy vehicle for soloists, although it gave Pilafian the chance to display his surprisingly mellow tuba sound and flawless attack. Shannon Leclaire’s heated alto choruses, assertive in the Adderley/ Woods tradition, set up the climactic chorus most effectively. “Moondreams” retained its original ensemble focus, and remains a chillingly seductive example of how six horns can be transformed from a surface prettiness into a more menacing organism.                                                                                                

- Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe (Apr 08, 1999)