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About this Project

The Out of Your Head Collective is a Baltimore-based improvised music collective co-founded by bassist Adam Hopkins and guitarist Matt Frazao in early 2009. Hopkins and Frazao curate weekly performances by the collective on Tuesday nights at The Windup Space. Out of Your Head is an attempt to broaden the local improvised music scene in Baltimore by forming groups of musicians in performance that have never previously played together.

There are approximately 30 musicians currently involved in the collective. Every Tuesday night Hopkins and Frazao draw from this pool of musicians and create ensembles that perform two sets of improvised music. Performances are scheduled in two month cycles, during which each member of the collective is likely to perform once, sometimes twice. Each week a completely different group is brought to The Windup Space to perform, and the band is likely to never be repeated. Some collective members are already in bands together, and some have never met, but the results of the new pairings are always exciting and fresh. The pool of musicians associated with Out of Your Head continues to grow and we are slowly but steadily building a new audience for improvised music in Baltimore. We've had guest performers come from Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, and local musicians such as Michael Formanek, Dave Ballou, Susan Alcorn, John Dierker, and Will Redman participate. On Tuesday March 2, 2010 we will celebrate the one-year anniversary of Out of Your Head with special guest (and Baltimore native) the legendary Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax from New York.

Performances occur every Tuesday night at The Windup Space from 9:30p-midnight. Out of Your Head is always free of charge. The Windup Space is located at 12 W North Avenue, Baltimore MD, 21201.

http://www.myspace.com/outofyourheadbaltimore

About this Project

Quartet Offensive is an ensemble of Baltimore musicians devoted to composing and performing new music. The group blurs the lines between jazz, rock, metal, and experimental music with a constant focus on improvisation. Quartet Offensive consists of John Dierker-reeds, Eric Trudel-sax, Matt Frazao-guitar, Adam Hopkins-bass, and Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums.

All members contribute compositions, but the pieces included were written by bassist Adam Hopkins. The goal of these pieces is to use written material as a catalyst for open improvisation. The improvising in all of these pieces is free of chord structure and a pre-conceived form, but the group is encouraged to expand on the previously played written material within the improvised context. All of these pieces take the modern approach to composition that genres no longer exist, and Hopkins draws from a wide range of music styles for his influence.

Tracks included are taken from Quartet Offensive's debut album "Carnivore," which was released to international acclaim in July 2009.

http://www.myspace.com/quartetoffensivebaltimore

About this Project

Turn Around Norman is a Baltimore/DC/NY based jazz quintet focused on performing original modern compositions and re-workings of compositions not typically played in the jazz setting. The band consists of Cam Collins-alto sax, Brent Madsen-trumpet, JJ Wright-piano, Adam Hopkins-bass, and Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums.

All members contribute compositions and arrangements, but the music featured in this profile are composed by bassist Adam Hopkins. Turn Around Norman will begin recording their debut album in March 2010, to which Hopkins will contribute two original compositions and an arrangement.

http://www.weturnaround.com

About this Project

YDT is a trio consisting of Quartet Offensive members Eric Trudel-sax, Adam Hopkins-bass, and Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums. They play original compositions as well as extended explorations on jazz standards, with a heavy focus on open improvisation.

Adam Hopkins is in the process of composing an album-length composition set for YDT titled "The Numbers in the Car." The track "The Zero In the Car" featured here is the first composition in that set.

About this Project

Although the focus of my career now lies in original composition and improvised music, a large part of my training and musical upbringing was in the traditional jazz vein. I still perform as a bassist in more traditional jazz settings frequently with musicians throughout the east coast, mostly as a sideman. I was introduced to the double bass through jazz recordings when I was 17, and since then it has been my primary instrument (earlier studies were on the electric bass and clarinet).

The recordings in this project highlight my work as a bassist in the jazz setting. They shows a different side of me as an artist than my original compositions, work as a curator, and performances in completely improvised settings. None of these pieces are original compositions, but performances of older jazz standards written by the all-time greats of this music.