But Andrew Hill

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…

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. Black Fire borrows from the avant-garde, but it's not part of it - the structures remain quite similar to bop, and there are distinct melodies. Nevertheless, Hill and his band - comprised of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Roy Haynes - are not content with the limitations of hard bop…

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

Compulsion is the eighth jazz album by pianist Andrew Hill. It was originally released in 1966 under the Blue Note Label as BST 84217. Hill's intention was to "…construct an album expressing the legacy of the Negro tradition.", and to use the piano more as a percussive instrument than a melodic one. The second number, "Legacy", was dedicated to the Afro-American legacy, and is followed by "Premonition", which Hill described as " indicating not alone a look ahead, but rather a sufficiently revealing look backward, so that you can really begin to know what may come."

Andrew Hill - Change (1966) {2007 Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series}
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© 1966, 2007 Blue Note / Capitol | 0946 3 85190 2 7 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Of the many jazz pianists who came of age in the 1960s, the brilliant Andrew Hill was not only one of the best, but among the most underrated. Perhaps this is due to Hill's subtle, minimalist, Thelonious Monk-derived style, which was alternately too conservative to attract attention from the out movement, yet too unusual for the average straight-ahead jazz fan. CHANGE is a session from 1966, previously available only as part of a long-out-of-print Sam Rivers Blue Note set issued in the '70s.

Andrew Hill - Strange Serenade (1980) {Soul Note 121013-2 rel 1996}
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© 1980, 1996 Soul Note | 121013-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

This is really a classic trio recording. Andrew Hill Accompanied by Alan Silva and Freddie Waits. This music is free, but it is more than that….it's a combination of flowing melody, harmony and rhythm interacting in a way that creates a sense of pulse, motion, and above all else beauty….in its depth it is fantastic music, you can hear and feel these three listening to each other,it is just terrific.Freddie Waits was an under recorded drummer in this kind of context, I was lucky to see him live with Cecil Taylor…..this trio should be required listening for improvised music fans and piano trio fans alike. Nasheet waits should be proud of this recording, I think it is a great representation of his Father's amazing drumming skills….as well as a clear wonderful recording of Alan Silva.

Andrew Hill Trio - Invitation (1974) {SteepleChase}
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© 1992 SteepleChase | SCCD 31026
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

After a flurry of recordings for Blue Note during the 1960s, Andrew Hill didn't make another album as a leader until this Steeplechase studio session in 1974. Not that the pianist was inactive during this five-year stretch; he was performing concerts, teaching at Colgate University, and also writing for string quartets and symphony orchestras. This trio date with bassist Chris White and drummer Art Lewis features five original compositions, beginning with the turbulent but enticing "Catfish," which alternates between post-bop and avant-garde.