Blue Andrew Hill

Andrew Hill - Mosaic Select 16 (2005) {3 Disc Set, EMI–Mosaic Records MS-016 rec 1967-1970}
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© 1967-70, 2005 EMI Music / Mosaic Records | MS-016
Jazz / Post Bop / Modal Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Of all the volumes in the Mosaic Select series, this one, and the Big John Patton box, are the most satisfying, though for very different reasons. This one is a true collector's gem. For starters, all but six of the 31 cuts on this three-CD box are previously unreleased. For Hill fans who knew there was more in the can, this is a most welcoming find. The material here was completely composed by Hill and was recorded in five sessions between 1967 and 1970. The pianist and composer is found in three different settings, from trio to sextet and septet with some octet sides. The personnel here varies, too. The sextet sessions feature Hill with Bennie Maupin, Pat Patrick, Charles Tolliver, Ron Carter, and either Paul Motian or Ben Riley on drums. These are the earliest cuts here and they are solid as solid can be.

Black Fire, Andrew Hill's debut record for Blue Note, was an impressive statement of purpose that retains much of its power decades after its initial release. Hill's music is quite original, building from a hard bop foundation and moving into uncharted harmonic and rhythmic territory. His compositions and technique take chances; he often sounds restless, searching relentlessly for provocative voicings, rhythms, and phrases. ~ AllMusic

After four years mostly off of records, the innovative pianist/composer Andrew Hill re-emerged for this Freedom set, which has since been reissued on CD. The program is split between quintet numbers with altoist Lee Konitz (who doubles on soprano) and trumpeter Ted Curson, and quartet performances that showcase the somewhat forgotten altoist Robin Kenyatta. In addition, "Invitation," the one Hill nonoriginal, is taken as a spontaneous duet with Konitz.

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti (1976) {2005 Test of Time Records Edition}
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© 2005 Test Of Time Records / East Wind | TOT-7
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-garde Jazz / Piano

Originally recorded for the Japanese East Wind label and only made available domestically on a 1979 Inner City LP, this trio outing by pianist Andrew Hill also features bassist Richard Davis and drummer Roger Blank. Hill performs six of his unpredictable originals ("Nefertiti" is his tune, not the more famous composition by Wayne Shorter) and, although the music seems slightly more conservative than usual for a Hill set, the music is consistently stimulating; too bad it's so difficult to locate.

Andrew Hill - Spiral (1975) {Black Lion}
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© 1975 Black Lion / Freedom | FCD 41007
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

After four years mostly off of records, the innovative pianist/composer Andrew Hill re-emerged for this Freedom set, which has since been reissued on CD. The program is split between quintet numbers with altoist Lee Konitz (who doubles on soprano) and trumpeter Ted Curson, and quartet performances that showcase the somewhat forgotten altoist Robin Kenyatta. In addition, "Invitation," the one Hill nonoriginal, is taken as a spontaneous duet with Konitz. Although the music overall does not reach the heights of the pianist's earlier work for Blue Note (or his later sessions), there are enough surprising moments and thought-provoking solos to make this a release worth picking up by open-eared listeners.

Andrew Hill - Hommage (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000 UCCJ-9147}
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© 1975, 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9147
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Piano

Reissue with the latest DSD remastering. An obscure set of solo tunes from modernist Andrew Hill – originally recorded for the Japanese East West label in 1975, and a very different side of Andrew's music than his Blue Note work of the 60s – but one that's equally great!. Hill's playing a grand piano – with a complex approach to chords that's really compelling – this sense of flow and majesty that we really love, as Andrew tries out some sharp edges at points – but still retains some of that soulfulness he rediscovered as the 70s approached. There's a darkness to the material that we didn't always hear in Hill's other sides – and the intimacy of the recording shows that his talents are still extremely rich at this point in his career. Titles include "Naked Spirit", "Rambling", "Vision", "Clayton Gone", and "Insanity Riff".

Augmenting his rhythm section of bassist Richard Davis and drummer Elvin Jones with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Andrew Hill records an excellent set of subdued but adventurous post-bop with Judgment. Without any horns, the mood of the session is calmer than Black Fire, but Hill's compositions take more risks than before. Close listening reveals how he subverts hard bop structure and brings in rhythmic and harmonic elements from modal jazz and the avant-garde. The harmonic structure on each composition is quite complex, fluctuating between dissonant chords and nimble, melodic improvisations…

Compulsion continues Andrew Hill's progression, finding the pianist writing more complex compositions and delving even further into the avant-garde. Working with a large, percussion-heavy band featuring Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Cecil McBee (bass), Joe Chambers (drums), Renaud Simmons (conga), Nadi Qamar (percussion), and, for one track, Richard Davis (bass), Hill has created one of his most challenging dates. The extra percussion is largely used for texture, as is the dueling bass on "Premonition," and that's one of the reasons why the record is so interesting - it's a provocative, occasionally unsettling set of shifting tonal colors. Hill's compositions often seem more like sketches and blueprints than full-fledged songs…