Hugh Hopper 1945 - 2009

Some artists have that very special capacity to touch us deeply and personally. For me, Hugh Hopper was one of those.

As a young man with curious ears so much of what Hopper did impacted on my life, sending me off on some fascinating journeys.

The hair-raising angularity of "Facelift" - his barn-storming, almost brutal, composition from Soft Machine’s Third man-handled me into a strange but exhilarating world. 1984, his first solo album from 1973 provided me with a wry guide to minimalist experimentation that was as perplexing as it was beguiling.

When listening to albums where Hopper appeared, I used to zone-out other musicians in order to concentrate on those surprisingly lyrical places on the fretboard, revelling in the sense of enquiry, exploration and good taste found in his playing.

Whatever the setting, those sleek purring tones of his bass work filled with their dark brooding beauty resonated with me.

Sometime during 1978 I’d sent off a long, gushing letter to Hopper. It’d been sparked by a curiosity about what he was up to at the time. In it, I reminded him about the last time we’d met in Newcastle when he was a member of Isotope, and no doubt offered my opinion that I thought he was the best bassist on the planet.

I blush now when I think about the contents of that note but probably not as much as Hugh did when he read it.

I know he read it because a few weeks later a package arrived. Inside was a copy of Another Fine Tune You’ve Got Me Into by Gilgamesh.

It was accompanied by a brief note explain that he was concentrating on publishing and would soon be issuing a series of engravings featuring churches in Kent.

I loved the music on the album and of course the fact that it was a gift from the man himself made it all the more special.

Fast forward thirty years later: last month I was asked by Esoteric Recordings to write the sleeve notes for the Gilgamesh album and Soft Heap’s self-titled studio recording.

Knowing Hugh was gravely ill when I was writing the notes to these records made for some poignant listening - especially when it came to Soft Heap. With Alan Gowen, Elton Dean and Pip Pyle all gone, Hugh was the last surviving member of this remarkable quartet.

And now he’s gone too.