Press

 THE NEW YORKER

“Hopkins writes swinging material tailor made for a vacuum tube radio…”

NEW YORK TIMES 

“J. C. Hopkins Biggish Band, led by the bandleader, songwriter and producer for which it’s named, has always been a friend to vocalists.” (Nate Chinen)

ESQUIRE MAGAZINE  

“At Minton's, you're part of the choir. There's this part in "Moanin'" where—not in the original version but in this one, arranged by JC Hopkins and which his band, JC Hopkins' Biggish Band, plays—the horn section shouts out, call-and-response style. This night, we get in on it, too. Bum be de BOMP. HEY! Be dop bop be da BOMP. HEY! Bum be de BOMP. HEY! And it's not anger any longer, but joy.”

FINANCIAL TIMES

"Minton’s, reopened in 2013, was full and thriving in the current boom, and the house band that night was JC Hopkins’ Biggish Band… So with Hopkins at the piano, the band swung and bopped behind three wonderful vocalists through the Billie Holiday songbook, including superb readings of “God Bless the Child” and “What a Little Moonlight Can Do”. Music created in another age that remains as affecting today must be regarded as serious art, and that was what I heard at Minton’s that night."

WALL STREET JOURNAL - WILL FRIEDWALD 

“The birthplace of bebop, Minton's on 118th Street, has been reborn as a venue that is as classy as it is historic. The long-neglected room has now been remodeled into one of the most attractive venues in the city, with a menu that puts most Midtown clubs to shame. The combination of pianist-bandleader JC Hopkins and band expertly recapture the vitality and energy of Harlem jazz and blues of 70 years ago without slavishly imitating anyone and are thus a perfect fit.”

Press for New York Moment:

On New York Moment, pianist JC Hopkins and his twelve-piece Biggish Band tend to a flame that's been burning since prior to World War II, the sound of large dance bands (with and without vocalists) who moved audiences with both sophistication and swing. Hopkins' Momentrotates Vanisha-Arleen Gould, Joy Hanson, Nico Sarbanes (who also plays trumpet), Shawn Whitehorn and Alicyn Yaffee (guitar) as lead vocalists. 

The opening track leaves you genuinely "Beguiled" as vocalists Nico and Joy harmonize through the verses and the nostalgic sound of Hopkins' ensemble immediately transports you back more than half a century in time, to the optimistic halcyon sound of the swing and bop eras. It all creates the alluring feel of nightclub cabaret. 

Alto saxophonist Julian Pressley leads the ensemble as they sing through this big band blowout of Charles Mingus' monumental "Better Git It in Your Soul" like a church gospel choir. Pressley exercises (exorcizes?) his alto with passionate testimony, while pianist Hopkins and drummer Evan Hyde  rock the chords and the beat behind him. This rowdy and freewheeling, fearless version, easily the most powerful and exciting jazz captured in this Moment, most likely would have pleased its composer too. 

"The Children Will Lead Us" walks this set out with a gritty and funky big band blues stomp. Drummer Hyde bumps and thumps the fat and heavy beat that turned into rock 'n' roll someplace on the road from New Orleans to Memphis, while Alicyn Yaffee's blues guitar keeps the T-Bone Walker sound swinging and her vocal phrasing captures the indescribable intricacy of a salacious, bump-and-grind blues. 

Hopkins' previous release also captured a musically historic New York Moment: His ambitious Meet Me at Minton's (2017, Self-Produced), with vocal guests including Jon Hendricks and Andy Bey, was designed to honor both the resurrected nightspot (where Hopkins' band maintains a weekly residency on Saturday night) and the jazz, blues and jump music for which Minton's provided an early foothold in 1940s Harlem.  - All About Jazz - Chris Slawecki

This is a splendid addition to the very rich big-band tradition, one that carries it into the present. New York-based pianist Hopkins has been swinging in various Big Apple clubs for nearly 20 years, including its current Saturday night residency at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem. This third Biggish Band CD showcases his 11-piece band plus five singers performing 10 original tunes plus a mid-disc instrumental cover of Charles Mingus’ “Better Git It in Your Soul” that features alto saxophonist Julian Pressley. Jazz Notes - Ken Franckling

From the moment the first track of this album begins, I am completely on board. There is joy to the playing, to the singing. The album swings and pops on some tracks, warms us on others, and what is more, it features mostly original material, written or co-written by pianist J.C. Hopkins. Music Log - Michael Doherty

All About Jazz - review of JC Hopkins Biggish Band (excerpt) - "Meet Me at Minton's"  - James Nadal

All of the selections feature outstanding vocalists that are perfectly cast for the specific song. The gifted Brianna Thomas begins the show with "Remember When," a Hopkins original that establishes the mood and direction of the record. Thomas repeats on the lovely "Meant To Be," and the up-tempo standard "Them There Eyes." Acknowledging a major bebop influence on jazz, and house pianist at Minton's, the Thelonious Monk masterpiece "Suddenly (In Walked Bud)" brings in the inventor of jazz vocalese, Jon Hendricks, who at 96 years, is still a force to be reckoned with. On this tune, Hendricks does his signature scatting, backing vocalists joining in to stir up the excitement...

It would take several pages of writing to give due credit to the fabulous musicians in the band, who not only play as a cohesive ensemble, but take their solo spots with accurate professionalism and zest. On his original compositions, as well as the covered standards, Hopkins and accompanists replicate the desired music down to the minute musical detail, the vocalists introducing the allure and presence that is needed for the complete experience. For those who were not around during the swinging heyday of the Harlem jazz bands, this is as close and real as it gets.