Andrew Hill - Les trinitaires

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:07
Size: 164,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:10) 1. Joanne
( 9:06) 2. What's New ?
(11:30) 3. Little Spain
( 4:31) 4. 15.08
( 5:17) 5. Metz
( 7:58) 6. Dusk (Take 1)
( 6:03) 7. Labyrinth
( 5:01) 8. Seven
( 6:51) 9. Dusk (Take 2)
( 5:37) 10. I'll Be Seeing You

Les Trinitaires finds master composer Andrew Hill alone at the piano in a small French club just 18 months before recording his well-regarded ensemble recording Dusk. This is a stark, moody set, not the place to begin to explore Hill's prickly work with its angular, elusive melodies. His solo presentation is stark and ruminative. For those already engaged with his work, this offers a glimpse of the skeletal foundations of compositions, especially "Dusk" and "15/8," which would later appear on Dusk in full ensemble form. These versions of the compositions are similar to seeing the sketches made for an oil painting. The session also includes two newly minted compositions, "Metz" and "Labyrinth," which were written during his stay at the club. Hill's rendering of the two standards "What's New?" and "I'll Be Seeing You" with their dark, dense altered chords and oddly loping left-hand figures give insights into this important composer's sonic world. ~ David Dupont https://www.allmusic.com/album/les-trinitaires-mw0000434819

Personnel: Andrew Hill - piano

Les trinitaires

---

Andrew Hill - Show Me

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 110:13
Size: 254,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:35) 1. Carolyn
( 6:15) 2. Ghetto Lights
( 4:12) 3. Flight 19
( 7:18) 4. Me 'N You
( 7:02) 5. Dedication
( 9:46) 6. Spectrum
( 7:19) 7. Catta
( 6:37) 8. Idle While
( 7:49) 9. Three Way Split
( 6:40) 10. Les Noirs Marchant
( 7:04) 11. New Monastery
( 6:44) 12. No Room for Squares
(10:00) 13. Dialogue
( 8:28) 14. Jasper
( 5:30) 15. Carolyn II
( 3:48) 16. Flight 19 II

Andrew Hill was a great and even groundbreaking composer and pianist, yet the relatively circumscribed scale of his innovations might have originally caused him to get lost in the shuffle of the '60s free jazz revolution. While many of his contemporaries were totally jettisoning the rhythmic and harmonic techniques of bop and hard bop, Hill worked to extend their possibilities; his was a revolution from within. Much of the most compelling '60s jazz was nearly aleatoric; Hill, on the other hand, exhibited a determined command of his materials, however abstract they might sometimes be. His composed melodies were labyrinthine, and rhythmically and harmonically complex tunes like "New Monastery" from his Point of Departure album exhibit a sophistication born of mastery, not chance or contingency. As a pianist, Hill had a flowing melodicism and an elastic sense of time. Like his composing, Hill's playing had an ever-present air of spontaneity and was almost completely devoid of cliché. He began playing the piano at about the age of 13. As a youngster in Chicago, Hill was encouraged by pianist Earl Hines. Jazz composer Bill Russo also took an interest, and introduced Hill to the renowned classical composer Paul Hindemith, with whom Hill studied from 1950-1952. While in his teens, he gigged with prominent jazz musicians passing through the Midwest, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker among them. In 1955, he recorded So in Love with the Sound of Andrew Hill for the Warwick label. He moved to New York in 1961 to work with singer Dinah Washington. After a brief foray to Los Angeles with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's band in 1962, Hill moved back to New York, where he began his recording career in earnest.

He made several records for Blue Note from 1963-1969, both as leader and sideman. Hill's Blue Note work featured some of the best and brightest post-bop musicians of the day, including Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Tony Williams, and Freddie Hubbard. Like many jazz musicians, Hill eventually turned to academia to make a living. He relocated to the West Coast, teaching in public schools and prisons in California. He eventually landed a teaching position at Portland State University, where he established the school's Summer Jazz Intensive. In addition to his teaching, Hill continued to perform and record in the '70s and '80s, making records for the Arista/Freedom and Black Saint/Soul Note labels. In 1989 and 1990, Hill recorded twice more for Blue Note, Eternal Spirit and But Not Farewell. Hill moved back to the New York area in the '90s; a series of performances and new recordings helped place him back in the jazz spotlight. Hill formed a new Point of Departure Sextet for the Knitting Factory's 1998 Texaco Jazz Festival. The band included saxophonists Marty Ehrlich and Greg Tardy, trumpeter Ron Horton, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Billy Drummond. The band went on to play New York club engagements to much acclaim. In 2000, Palmetto Records released Dusk, which was named the best album of 2001 by Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines. It was followed by A Beautiful Day in 2002, Passing Ships in 2003, and Black Fire in 2004, as well as a solid series of Blue Note reissues of his '60s work that included bonus tracks and new liner notes. His 2006 album, Time Lines, reunited him with both trumpeter Charles Tolliver and the Blue Note label. Hill also participated in a 17-piece big band, and a January 2002 engagement at New York's Birdland was filmed and recorded by Palmetto for future broadcast. After battling lung cancer for many years, Hill succumbed to the disease on April 20, 2007, leaving behind a stunning legacy of work. ~ Chris Kelsey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/andrew-hill-mn0000034617/biography

Show Me

---

Andrew Hill - Invitation

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:31)  1. Catfish
( 5:23)  2. Lost No More
(12:19)  3. Morning Flower
( 8:40)  4. Invitation
( 7:34)  5. Laverne
( 6:51)  6. Little John
(10:39)  7. Catfish - Take 3

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. "Lost No More" is far more intense, rarely giving the listener a time to focus before Hill switches his attack in another direction. The one standard of the date, Bronislaw Kaper's "Invitation," finds the pianist in an adventurous mood as the members of his rhythm section seem to be playing with a mind of their own. The CD reissue adds an alternate take of "Catfish," omitted from the original LP. Such fascinating music will be of great interest to fans of Andrew Hill. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/invitation-mw0000436631

Personnel: Piano – Andrew Hill;  Bass – Chris White; Drums – Art Lewis

Invitation

---

Andrew Hill - Smoke Stack (Remastered)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:52
Size: 140,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Smoke Stack
(5:07)  2. The Day After
(5:46)  3. Wailing Wall
(4:29)  4. Ode To Von
(6:24)  5. Not So
(5:48)  6. Verne
(7:06)  7. 30 Pier Avenue
(4:20)  8. Smoke Stack
(4:49)  9. The Day After
(5:28) 10. Ode To Von
(6:28) 11. Not So

Emerging at the beginning of the '60s, Andrew Hill was always difficult to pigeonhole. The pianist was too aligned with mainstream harmony to be considered avant garde, too complex a writer to be considered free, too abstruse a player to be considered mainstream. The people at Blue Note knew they had a gem when they signed him. What they didn't know was that it would be decades before his value was truly appreciated. But better late than never. Smoke Stack, the second of six Blue Note sessions recorded between November 1963 and February 1965, was the pianist's fourth release by the label. While Hill's other sessions from the time were equally challenging from a compositional perspective, Smoke Stack was the most inherently difficult to fathom. It eschewed the more traditional instrumentation of Black Fire (1963), Judgement! (1964) and Point of Departure (1965) in favor of a piano/two-bass/drums lineup that was likely too unorthodox, even for a label that wasn't particularly averse to the unconventional. Hill's partners on this recording are bassists Richard Davis and Eddie Khan, along with drummer Roy Haynes, who also played on Black Fire. Other sessions from 1963-65 would feature different drummers, but Davis remained a constant throughout the period. Always a thinking man's bassist, Davis is at his most dominant on Smoke Stack, where Khan and Haynes assume the role of rhythmic anchor. Unlike Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, who had already used twin-bass lineups but typically buried them underneath one or more solo voice, Hill places Davis front and center alongside his own idiosyncratic playing. Even on the balladic "Verne," where Khan sits out, Haynes steadfastly maintains rhythmic consistency while Davis interacts more persistently with Hill. On "Wailing Wall," Haynes' prevalent cymbal work sets a precedent for drummers like Jon Christensen and Jack DeJohnette; Davis' out-front arco gives credence to the song's title. Even on the semi-swinging "Ode to Von," where the harmonies feel mainstream, Hill's playing always skews things just the slightest bit off-kilter. But the tandem playing with Davis ensures an even greater elasticity which sometimes feels as though it might actually fall apart completely if it weren't for the real rhythmic glue that Haynes provides to bind this quartet. Looking back on Hill's emergence, it's remarkable how much he varied the contexts in which he worked. Smoke Stack may have been more of a challenge to listeners at the time, but today it stands out as one of Hill's most satisfying efforts, if only because of his remarkable interplay with Davis. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/smoke-stack-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Andrew Hill: piano; Richard Davis: bass; Eddie Khan: bass; Roy Haynes: drums.

Smoke Stack

---

Greg Osby - The Invisible Hand

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:20
Size: 150,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:02)  1. Ashes
(5:10)  2. Who Needs Forever
(5:40)  3. The Watcher
(7:40)  4. Jitterbug Waltz
(7:39)  5. Sanctus
(4:32)  6. Indiana
(8:44)  7. Nature Boy
(6:00)  8. Tough Love
(7:29)  9. With Son
(4:22) 10. The Watcher 2

Greg Osby has come a long way from his beginnings in St. Louis playing funk and R&B. His sound crossed our radar screens after moving to Brooklyn and joining forces with Steve Coleman in the mid-‘80s to form M-BASE, an urban-beat driven jazz. Osby had a very calculated, sometimes emotionless sound. It was if he was working equations in his head as he played. Where his older recordings suffered from a staid studio approach, his recent effort, Banned In New York, a live “bootleg” recording, displays Osby as an emotional quick-witted band leader. His last disc, Friendly Fire, a co-led affair with Joe Lovano proved Osby deserves to be considered as one of the top musicians working today. The Invisible Hand is further proof that Osby treads comfortably between the past and, importantly, the future of jazz. Joining him are Gary Thomas and Teri Lynn Carrington from his early Brooklyn days and two of the professor emeriti of jazz, Jim Hall and Andrew Hill. Hall is a guitarist that favors a subtle touch; a peculiar feature for someone so associated with cutting edge jazz. He has recorded classic albums with Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, and Paul Desmond. Lately, his Telarc dates have featured his third stream thinking. Andrew Hill’s Blue Note dates of the sixties were cerebral efforts, not quite post-bop and not really free jazz affairs. Early in Osby’s career he was a sideman for the late-‘80s Blue Note comeback of Hill. Likewise, he has recorded on two recent Hall dates. The Invisible Hand trades mathematics for emotion. The slow to mid-tempos presented are fertile grounds for group interplay and interpretation. For instance, they take on Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” a tune forever associated with Eric Dolphy. Rather than compete with our collective memories, Osby deconstructs the composition choosing bug parts over the whole, reworking it as an intellectual exercise. Osby’s deference to his esteemed colleagues shows. A stately and exquisite affair. 

~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-invisible-hand-greg-osby-blue-note-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php  

Personnel: Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Producer, Liner Notes – Greg Osby; Bass – Scott Colley; Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington; Flute, Flute [Alto], Tenor Saxophone – Gary Thomas; Guitar – Jim Hall; Piano – Andrew Hill

The Invisible Hand

---

Andrew Hill - But Not Farewell

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:22
Size: 146,1 MB
Art: Front

( 7:20)  1. Westbury
( 7:12)  2. But Not Farewell
( 8:28)  3. Nicodemus
(17:19)  4. Georgia Ham
( 5:44)  5. Friends
( 3:44)  6. Sunnyside
(13:32)  7. Gone

This is a recommended set of stimulating post-bop jazz. Andrew Hill's highly distinctive piano playing and unusual compositions hint at the past while following their own rules. The feeling of polyrhythms is present in several of Hill's seven compositions on this CD. The tightness of the bass-drum team (Lonnie Plaxico and Cecil Brooks) is quite impressive, as is the blend of Robin Eubanks' warm trombone and Greg Osby's alto. Osby's angular improvisations, which seem out of place in standard bebop, sound perfectly at home in Andrew Hill's music. "Friends" features the altoist's lyricism in a duet with the pianist. Although the final two numbers (including the 13-and-a-half-minute freely improvised "Gone") are solo piano performances, it is the quintet tracks with Osby and Eubanks that are the main reason to acquire this disc. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/but-not-farewell-mw0000263609

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - piano; Greg Osby - soprano saxophone (tracks 1-3), alto saxophone (tracks 4 & 5); Robin Eubanks - trombone (tracks 1-4); Lonnie Plaxico - bass (tracks 1-4); Cecil Brooks III - drums (tracks 1-4)

But Not Farewell

---

Andrew Hill Trio - Shades

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:49
Size: 101,4 MB
Art: Front

( 4:42)  1. Monk's Glimpse
( 6:36)  2. Tripping
( 5:33)  3. Chilly Mac
( 5:37)  4. Ball Square
( 7:35)  5. Domani
(13:44)  6. La Verne

Pianist Andrew Hill's first recording as a leader in six years was particularly notable for co-starring (and challenging) the underrated tenor Clifford Jordan. The quartet set (with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Ben Riley) has six of Hill's typically challenging and complex inside/outside originals, a perfect outlet for Jordan and the pianist to interact. Stimulating and unusual music that is difficult to classify as anything but "modern jazz." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/shades-mw0000193340

Personnel: Andrew Hill - piano; Clifford Jordan - tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 6); Rufus Reid - bass; Ben Riley - drums

Shades

---

Jimmy Woods Sextet, Elvin Jones - Conflict

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:54
Size: 131,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Conflict
(6:01)  2. Coming Home
(7:57)  3. Aim
(6:44)  4. Apart Together
(5:50)  5. Look to Your Heart
(6:32)  6. Pazmuerte
(4:54)  7. Conflict (Alt. Take)
(7:12)  8. Aim (Alt. Take)
(5:53)  9. Look to Your Heart (Alt. Take)

Jimmy Woods was a talented musician who made few recorded appearances before vanishing into obscurity. Conflict is the second of two '60s solo records on Contemporary, the first already reissued in a previous batch of limited edition releases. It’s tempting to judge Woods solely on the company he keeps certainly the likes of Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, and Harold Land don’t have to be bothered with middling talent. However, Woods proves he can more than handle the responsibilities on a program consisting entirely of forward-thinking, advanced hard bop originals, which also utilize inventive call-and-response riffs. “Conflict” is a lopsided blues with an edgy vamp from Hill which allows the front line to indulge in some grand exploratory work. On the other hand, “Apart Together” features a complicated head and the type of restless chord progressions that serious musicians love to dig in to. Woods demonstrates his ability to handle the changes and aptly deserves the company he keeps. Elvin Jones fits in his usual thunderous moments, and the rest of the sidemen, Hill and Carmell Jones in particular, are models of creative expression. Contemporary signed Woods after Ornette Coleman’s departure to Atlantic. While not quite an equal replacement, Woods proved that he was a talented musician whose time in the spotlight, for whatever reason, was brief. ~ David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/conflict-jimmy-woods-fantasy-jazz-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Jimmy Woods-alto sax; Carmell Jones-trumpet; Andrew Hill-piano; George Tucker-bass; Elvin Jones-drums.

Conflict

---

Andrew Hill Trio - Invitation

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:00
Size: 133,5 MB
Art: Front

( 6:31)  1. Catfish
( 5:23)  2. Lost no more
(12:19)  3. Morning flower
( 8:40)  4. Invitation
( 7:34)  5. Laverne
( 6:51)  6. Little John
(10:39)  7. Catfish (Take 3)

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. "Lost No More" is far more intense, rarely giving the listener a time to focus before Hill switches his attack in another direction. The one standard of the date, Bronislaw Kaper's "Invitation," finds the pianist in an adventurous mood as the members of his rhythm section seem to be playing with a mind of their own. The CD reissue adds an alternate take of "Catfish," omitted from the original LP. Such fascinating music will be of great interest to fans of Andrew Hill. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/invitation-mw0000436631

Personnel: Andrew Hill - piano, writer; Chris White - bass; Art Lewis - drums

Invitation

---

Andrew Hill - Dance With Death

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:55
Size: 105,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. Yellow Violet
(5:51)  2. Partitions
(7:31)  3. Fish 'N Rice
(6:39)  4. Dance With Death
(6:44)  5. Love Nocturne
(6:24)  6. Black Sabbath
(7:10)  7. Dance With Death (alternate take)

In a little over seven years beginning in '63, pianist Andrew Hill recorded over a dozen albums as a leader for Blue Note, yet it is only in recent years that the importance of these recordings is being recognized. Although he was overshadowed at the time by more eminently approachable pianists including Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, the truth is that while Hill's somewhat more oblique style kept him from reaching a broader audience, time and Blue Note's reissue of several key Hill recordings are painting a picture of an artist who created a complex world of rhythms and harmonies, examining music on the left without losing sight of memorable thematic constructs and clever, shifting grooves. Groove may not be a word that comes immediately to mind when thinking of Hill, but one listen to the lightly funky "Fish 'n Rice" and the more subtly insistent pulse of both versions of the title track included on the recently reissued Dance With Death and it becomes clear that Hill is as capable of captivating rhythms as he is more complex shifts. His more challenging side is in evidence on the aptly-named "Partitions," where the piece is broken up into discrete segments of varying tempi that still manage to hang together as a conceptual whole. Hill's time sense, with front-line instruments seeming to follow each other as they walk through the complicated theme of the balladic "Love Nocturne" until they eventually converge, is more elastic, less rigid than many of his contemporaries. Hill's sometimes convoluted compositions could sound clumsy in the wrong hands, but as was the case on '64's classic Point of Departure, Hill has surrounded himself with a stunning, albeit generally less well-known lineup. 

Woodwind multi-instrumentalist Joe Farrell, who would achieve his greatest success with Chick Corea a few years down the road, was already an established player with a robust tenor sound and a less nasal soprano sound than Coltrane, and would go on to grace Hill's more overtly ambitious '69 date, Passing Ships . Charles Tolliver, whose thick trumpet tone differentiated him from other fine contemporaries like Woody Shaw, never achieved the level of attention he deserved, although he is featured on many fine recordings by artists including Horace Silver, Jackie McLean and Booker Ervin, and released a number of intriguing albums as a leader in the '70s. Bassist Victor Sproles may be the least-known member of the quintet, but he possesses an approach not unlike Ron Carter's and, along with drummer Billy Higgins, the best-known player on the session, he navigates the challenging meters without losing sight of the inherent swing of the material, most notably on "Yellow Violet." Meanwhile Hill the pianist solos with an intriguing combination of lyricism and odd eccentricity. Dance With Death may not be the unequivocal masterpiece that Point of Departure is, nor is it as monumentally ambitious as Passing Ships , but it comes close an outstanding small ensemble work that continues to demonstrate what people have been missing and are only now beginning to realize. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dance-with-death-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-john-kelman.php?width=1920

Personnel: Charles Tolliver (trumpet), Joe Farrell (tenor sax, soprano sax), Andrew Hill (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), Billy Higgins (drums)

Dance With Death

---

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:32
Size: 98,4 MB
Art: Front

(14:10)  1. Blue Black
( 5:29)  2. Relativity
( 8:08)  3. Nefertiti
( 3:47)  4. Hattie
( 7:33)  5. Mudflower
( 3:23)  6. Unnatural Man

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. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/nefertiti-mw0000311943

Personnel:  Andrew Hill, piano;  Richard Davis, bass;  Roger Blank, drums.

Nefertiti

---

Andrew Hill - Eternal Spirit

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:42
Size: 155,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:57)  1. Pinnacle
(10:24)  2. Golden Sunset
( 4:53)  3. Samba Rasta
( 6:19)  4. Tail Feather
( 7:47)  5. Spiritual Lover
( 8:44)  6. Bobby's Tune
( 7:32)  7. Pinnacle (alternate take)
( 5:16)  8. Golden Sunset (alternate take)
( 6:45)  9. Spiritual Lover (alternate take)

Andrew Hill returned to the Blue Note label (where he made many significant releases during 1963-80) for a stimulating quintet date with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, altoist Greg Osby, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Ben Riley in 1989. The pianist's six originals (which are joined by three alternate takes on the CD) his dense chords behind the other improvisers and his own unpredictable solos are not all overshaowed by his talented sideman, even Osby who is heard in particularly inspired form. 

There are no weak performances on this superb post bop effort, Andrew Hill's strongest recording in several years. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/eternal-spirit-mw0000202207

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - piano;  Greg Osby - alto saxophone;  Bobby Hutcherson - vibes;  Rufus Reid - bass;  Ben Riley - drums

Eternal Spirit

---

Andrew Hill - Pax

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:53
Size: 116,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:42)  1. Eris
( 7:13)  2. Pax
(10:10)  3. Calliope
( 7:18)  4. Euterpe
( 4:01)  5. Erato
( 3:42)  6. Roots 'N' Herbs
( 6:45)  7. Euterpe (alternate take)

Pax is one of those seminal Andrew Hill albums that sat locked in Blue Note's vaults for a decade before the first five cuts here were finally released as part of a double-LP package in 1975 entitled One for One. The final pair, recorded at the same time, didn't see the light of day until they appeared on the limited-edition Mosaic Select Blue Note recordings a decade after that. The personnel on this disc is a dream band: Hill with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers. All of the these players but Hubbard had played with Hill before, and the telepathy is simply synchronistic. The opening cut, "Eris," is a sprawling blues clocking in at nearly 11 minutes. Full of Hill's knotty harmonics, and truly fiery playing by Hill and Hubbard, it's one of Hill's finest moments on record from the mid-'60s. "Calliope" is an off-kilter, medium tempo swing jam. There is a sense of time being stretched here that is simply uncanny. Of the two final tracks, being heard here by the general populace for the first time -- though this too is a limited edition in the Connoisseur Series (so the label can make you buy it again later in some other form) -- one was recorded sans horns. "Roots 'N' Herbs," (not Wayne Shorter's ) and the Afro-Cuban percussion and hypnotic bassline make it a curious midtempo ballad even as its meter shifts and floats and then becomes free before it enters the more conventional rock & roll backbeat rhythm pattern that Hill picks up on and stretches to the breaking point before it exhausts itself. The final cut is an interesting alternate of "Euterpe," which is not al that different from the first. In all, however, this is a semi-rough and wonderfully rowdy Hill date that deserves serious aural exploration. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/pax-mw0000555348

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - piano;  Freddie Hubbard - cornet (tracks 1-4 & 7);  Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4 & 7);  Richard Davis - bass;  Joe Chambers - drums

Pax

---

Andrew Hill - Time Lines

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:28
Size: 150,0 MB
Art: Front

(7:03)  1. Malachi
(9:02)  2. Time Lines
(9:00)  3. Ry Round 1
(9:40)  4. For Emilio
(8:59)  5. Whitsuntide
(8:14)  6. Smooth
(7:55)  7. Ry Round 2
(5:32)  8. Malachi (Solo Piano Version)

March was a month to celebrate. It saw the release of Andrew Hill's new album, Time Lines (for his alma mater, Blue Note), and found him leading a powerhouse quintet for four magical nights at Birdland. The visionary's legions of fans gave him a joyous reception in concert, and there is no end of buzz around his latest effort (many questioned the likelihood of his return to music after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004). To be sure, Hill is back, with an album that deserves close attention, not for the simple fact that it documents the return of a jazz giant to the company that got him off the ground, but rather as an achievement by a man who continues to give wholly of himself in the pursuit of high art. Time Lines begins and ends with the ethereal ballad "Malachi, a piece written for the late Hill collaborator bassist Malachi Favors, setting the tone for the entire album. The rapport between the players is immediately evident on this track, and as the album progresses, the role of each becomes clearer in Hill's delicate musical scheme. Hill himself plays a relatively supportive role in the proceedings, providing the occasional angular interjection and often sitting out altogether, content to just take it all in. On the album and in person, the main protagonists are two relative youngsters, multi-reedist Greg Tardy and the incredibly versatile bassist John Hebert. Like the classic Andrew Hill albums of yesteryear, much of the musical propulsion that characterizes his unique sound emanates from the bass chair, and Hebert doesn't disappoint. 

His buoyant phrases and deeply rooted rhythmic sense, along with Eric McPherson's sensitive drumming, lay the foundation for Tardy to soar on pieces like "Ry Round 2 and "For Emilio and inspire the reemerging master trumpeter Charles Tolliver to recapture the fire that characterized his earlier efforts with Hill and as a leader in his own right. Throughout all this, the distinctive signature of Hill's sound, both as a pianist and writer, is always present, about which any listener will surely agree upon hearing the final solo piano track. Like the learned sage, Hill sat perched on his throne at Birdland last month as the fruits of his genius swirled in the air around him, smiling almost imperceptibly. Forty-plus years of music had come and gone, and the master could think of nothing more appropriate than to smile at the beauty he had created. ~ Matthew Miller https://www.allaboutjazz.com/timelines-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-matthew-miller.php

Personnel: Andrew Hill: piano; Greg Tardy: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Charles Tolliver: trumpet; John Hebert: bass; Eric McPherson: bass.

Time Lines

---

Andrew Hill - A Beautiful Day

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:32
Size: 142,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:19)  1. Divine Revelation
(11:28)  2. Faded Beauty
( 8:43)  3. Bellezza
( 6:42)  4. 5 Mo
( 7:36)  5. New Pinnochio
( 5:50)  6. J Di
(11:44)  7. A Beautiful Day
( 1:07)  8. 11/8

Andrew Hill followed his first Palmetto release, the widely acclaimed Dusk, with this remarkable live album, which was recorded during a three-night run at New York's Birdland in January 2002. Whereas Dusk featured a sextet, A Beautiful Day boasts a large ensemble, billed at Birdland and previous gigs as the Andrew Hill Sextet + 11. Despite a large regiment of horns, Hill's reflective piano figures prominently. Trumpeter Ron Horton relieves Hill of the conducting burden by serving as musical director, managing an arcane system of cues and transitions and keeping all the players, quite literally, on the same page. The band's peculiar methodology yields a wonderfully complex and layered sound, by turns strident and melodious, driven by the sturdy rhythmic backbone of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Nasheet Waits. Jose Davila reinforces the low end with his omnipresent tuba. Amid the fanfare of full band passages, contemplative interludes emerge, with varied and inspired instrumental colorings. Tenor saxophonists Greg Tardy and Aaron Stewart go toe to toe on the opening "Divine Revelation," an older piece, newly arranged by Horton. "Faded Beauty" includes radiant solos by John Savage on flute and Marty Ehrlich on bass clarinet. Horton steps forward to deliver pointed witticisms on "Belleza," baritone saxophonist J.D. Parron gets the floor on the exuberant "J Di," and Hill weaves spiky piano harmonies into the dense structures of "5 Mo" and "New Pinnochio." The epic title track winds down with an enigmatic foray by trumpeter Dave Ballou, who is joined in short order by John Savage on alto sax. With its wide array of available textures and juxtapositions, the big band proves an ideal vehicle for Hill's powerful, unclassifiable music. ~ David R. Adler https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-beautiful-day-mw0000227787

Personnel:  Andrew Hill – piano;  John Savage – flute (tracks 2 & 4), alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3 & 5-8);  Marty Ehrlich – clarinet (track 4), bass clarinet (track 2), alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3 & 5-8);  Aaron Stewart, Greg Tardy – tenor saxophone;  J. D. Parran – baritone saxophone;  Dave Ballou, Laurie Frink, Ron Horton (tracks 1-6), Bruce Staalens – trumpet;  Mike Fahn, Joe Fielder, Charlie Gordon – trombone;  Jose D'avila – tuba;  Scott Colley – bass;  Nasheet Waits – drums

A Beautiful Day

---

Andrew Hill - Passing Ships

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:40
Size: 109,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Sideways
(7:08)  2. Passing Ships
(8:32)  3. Plantation Bag
(9:49)  4. Noon Tide
(6:22)  5. The Brown Queen
(6:27)  6. Cascade
(5:11)  7. Yesterday's Tomorrow

The history of Blue Note Records is in many ways the history of the golden age of jazz. When Blue Note changed, the whole face of jazz changed. After releasing classic sides one after another for much of the '60s, Blue Note veered off into populist funk and, despite its present renaissance, never really recovered. With today's Blue Note subsisting on fewer quality releases and the RVG reissue series, its reputation of yore seems firmly in the past. If so, the occasional new "old" album released by the label is a rare opportunity to be part of those heady days. Pianist Andrew Hill, like Wayne Shorter, or Herbie Hancock, was one of the main proponents of the Blue Note style - heavy post bop that didn't shy away from experimentation. Hill's albums like Point of Departure or Compulsion probably would be mentioned in the same breath as Juju or Maiden Voyage if he had more consistent exposure. By the late '60s, Hill's tenure at Blue Note was almost up and several sessions he recorded remained unissued, not seen as commercially viable. What has become the recently released Passing Ships is a rare chance to hear Hill's advanced melodic and harmonic concepts applied to a nonet including such musicians as Woody Shaw, Julian Priester, Joe Farrell and Ron Carter. 

The irony of this material lying dormant for 34 years is that this Hill is more commercial; apparently Blue Note didn't agree then but with interest resurging for the idiosyncratic pianist, Passing Ships is available now as a period document, a burning bridge away from '60s progressive jazz. Hill's music doesn't translate very well to a big band, though this may be the strange audio levels and a presumed lack of substantial rehearsal. Howard Johnson's tuba sounds jarring on occasion, Ron Carter is underwhelming, and this is only rookie Lenny White's second session.  Bright spots include the double punch of trumpeters - Shaw and Dizzy Reece, both underappreciated and overshadowed by the era's more strident players. Even more satisfying is how the late Joe Farrell completely takes over, playing no less than five disparate instruments: soprano and tenor sax for lead work, alto flute and bass clarinet for moody ambience and English horn for stylistic filigree. What was originally a curio piece of large ensemble writing by Hill becomes an opportunity to see why everyone was so high on Farrell before he bottomed out on the CTI label in the '70s. Whatever he is playing, the music centers on him, the other musicians granting him well-deserved space.  But if you forget this is an Andrew Hill record, the twists of his compositions remind you. Much of the material is the typical bread-and-water post bop which Blue Note pioneered, Hill's leads calmly flowing through the steep ravine of the horns. Of the seven tunes, three are the length and intellectual meat of the album. The title track features all the perks of Hill's playing: suspensions, ostinatos, thought-provoking dissonances. "Plantation Bag" is quite a funky plantation, Hill's island roots in evidence. "Noon Tide" is the freest, most quintessential Hill piece; one segment demonstrates the subtleties of Hill's accompaniment. As Farrell leads, Hill comps underneath, distinctly changing the feel of the piece five times with his chord voicings. Hill, a product of an era that had many virtuosos, may be able to the most with the least, which is probably why his take on the avant-garde seems less dated than many. While not his best album, and there may be other sessions more deserving of resuscitation, the moments where Hill stretches out and Farrell makes one strong contribution after another make one pine for the days when Blue Notes were the notes. ~ Andrey Henkin https://www.allaboutjazz.com/andrew-hill-passing-ships-by-andrey-henkin.php?width=1920

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - piano;  Ron Carter - bass;  Julian Priester - trombone;  Dizzy Reece - trumpet;  Woody Shaw - trumpet;  Lenny White - drums;  Joe Farrell - bass clarinet, alto flute, English horn, soprano sax, tenor sax;  Bob Northern - French horn;  Howard Johnson - tuba, bass clarinet

Passing Ships

---

Andrew Hill - Spiral

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:44
Size: 102,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Tomorrow
(6:07)  2. Laverne
(6:07)  3. The Message
(7:30)  4. Invitation
(4:49)  5. Today
(9:10)  6. Spiral
(7:25)  7. Quiet Dawn

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.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/spiral-mw0000651843

Personnel:  Andrew Hill – piano;  Ted Curson – trumpet, flugelhorn, pocket trumpet (tracks 1-4);  Lee Konitz – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4);  Robin Kenyatta – alto saxophone (tracks 5-7);  Cecil McBee (tracks 1-4), Stafford James (tracks 5-7) – bass;  Barry Altschul (tracks 5-7), Art Lewis (tracks 1-4) – drums

Spiral

---

Andrew Hill - Verona Rag

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:12
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(14:28)  1. Retrospect
( 6:17)  2. Darn That Dream
(16:38)  3. Verona Rag
( 4:25)  4. Tinkering
( 6:23)  5. Afternoon In Paris

Although Andrew Hill in this solo recital does wonders with the standards "Darn That Dream" and "Afternoon in Paris" and contributes two other superior originals, it is his breakdown of his striding "Verona Rag" that is most fascinating, transforming the piece from a spiritual-type rag into a very advanced improvisation. Hill, a true individualist, embodies the best in creative jazz.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/verona-rag-mw0000197822

Personnel:  Andrew Hill - Piano.

Verona Rag

---

Andrew Hill - Grass Roots

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:07
Size: 160,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Grass Roots
(4:45)  2. Venture Inward
(6:19)  3. Mira
(8:22)  4. Soul Special
(7:45)  5. Bayou Red
(9:12)  6. MC (bonus track)
(4:36)  7. Venture Inward (first version) (bonus track)
(8:52)  8. Soul Special (first version) (bonus track)
(5:58)  9. Bayou Red (first version) (bonus track)
(7:33) 10. Love Nocturne (bonus track)

This reissue contains not only Hill’s original LP, but also a previously unreleased session from four months prior. On this earlier session, an entirely different lineup plays three of the tunes from Grass Roots, along with two numbers from deep within the vault  "MC," a tribal 12/8 blues, and "Love Nocturne," an angular quasi-ballad. Thanks to the juxtaposition of the two sessions, we are afforded a rare treat: a chance to listen closely to the stylistic contrasts between Lee Morgan and Woody Shaw, Booker Ervin and Frank Mitchell, Ron Carter and Reggie Workman, and Freddie Waits and Idris Muhammad. (Guitarist Jimmy Ponder also appears on three of the five new tracks.) We also get to hear what these different lineups bring out in Hill, both as a pianist and a composer. On the whole, Grass Roots is "inside" compared to Hill’s more representative Blue Note masterpiece, Point of Departure. "Venture Inward" and "Bayou Red" are the most advanced pieces, while the calypso "Mira" and the boogaloo "Soul Special" traverse more familiar Blue Note terrain. The title track, with its deliberately square melody, is an excellent sample of Hill’s fractured, fragmented style. The alternate takes and new tracks are less energetic, although Woody Shaw sounds more in his element than does Lee Morgan. And whereas Booker Ervin cooks a variegated stew containing traces of Trane, Dexter, and Johnny Griffin, Frank Mitchell sounds almost like a carbon copy of Wayne Shorter. Ponder’s tasty licks are in the style of early Pat Martino. ~ David Adler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/grass-roots-andrew-hill-blue-note-records-review-by-david-adler.php?width=1920

Personnel, 1-5: Lee Morgan, trumpet; Booker Ervin, tenor saxophone; Andrew Hill, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Freddie Waits, drums

Personnel, 6-10: Woody Shaw, trumpet; Frank Mitchell, tenor saxophone; Andrew Hill, piano; Jimmy Ponder, guitar; Reggie Workman, bass; Idris Muhammad, drums

Grass Roots

---

Andrew Hill - Black Fire

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:36
Size: 118.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:21] 1. Pumpkin
[8:01] 2. Subterfuge
[6:56] 3. Black Fire
[5:39] 4. Cantarnostion
[5:48] 5. Tired Trade
[2:58] 6. Mcneil Island
[5:48] 7. Land Of Nod
[5:18] 8. Pumpkin
[5:43] 9. Black Fire

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. Much of the music is informed by implied Afro-Cuban rhythms and modal harmonics, resulting in continually challenging and very rewarding music. Hill's complex chording is thoroughly impressive, and Henderson's bold solos are more adventurous than his previous bop outings would have suggested. Their expertise, along with the nimble, unpredictable rhythm section, help make Black Fire a modern jazz classic. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Black Fire mc
Black Fire zippy

---