Andrew Hill (June 30, 1931
[Mandel, Howard (April 20, 2007) "Andrew Hill: 1931–2007]
''All About Jazz''.
Retrieved April 20, 2007. During his lifetime, Hill's year of birth was always given as 1937. – April 20, 2007) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
pianist and composer.
Jazz critic
John Fordham
John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely.
Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381 ...
described Hill as a "uniquely gifted composer, pianist and educator" although "his status remained largely inside knowledge in the jazz world for most of his career."
Hill recorded for
Blue Note Records for nearly a decade, producing a dozen albums.
Biography
Early life
Andrew Hill was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, to William and Hattie Hill.
He had a brother, Robert, who was a singer and classical violin player.
[Feather, Leonard. Original liner notes to '']Judgment!
''Judgment!'' is a studio album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill, recorded and released in 1964 on Blue Note Records. Accompanied by drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Richard Davis and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson - Hill weaves his music around ...
'' Hill took up the piano at the age of thirteen, and was encouraged by
Earl Hines. As a child, he attended the
University of Chicago Experimental School.
[ Spellman, A. B. Original liner notes to '' Black Fire.''] He was referred by jazz composer
Bill Russo to
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
, with whom he studied informally until 1952.
While a teenager, he performed in rhythm and blues bands and with touring jazz musicians, including
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
and
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
. Hill recalls some of his experience as a youngster, during a 1964 interview with
Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.
Biography
Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...
: "I started out in music as a boy soprano, singing and playing the
accordion, and tap dancing. I had a little act and made quite a few of the talent shows around town from 1943 until 1947. I won turkeys at two Thanksgiving parties at the
Regal Theatre," parties sponsored by the newspaper ''
Chicago Defender
''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...
'', which Hill coincidentally used to sell on the streets.
Career
In 1950, Hill learned his first
blues changes
The 12-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase (music), phrase, chord (music), chord structure, and duration (music), duration. ...
on the piano from the saxophonist
Pat Patrick and in 1953, he played his first professional job as a musician, with
Paul Williams' band. "At that time", he recalls, "I was playing baritone sax as well as piano." During the next few years, the piano gigs brought him into contact with many musicians, some of whom became relevant influences:
Joe Segal
Jazz Showcase is one of the oldest jazz clubs in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1947 by NEA Jazz Master Joe Segal, whose son Wayne now owns and operates the venue. Segal's various showcases have served as a launch pad for a number of career jazz mu ...
and
Barry Harris
Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style.
Life and career
Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December ...
, among others. In 1961, after travelling as an accompanist for
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...
, the young pianist settled in New York City in 1961,
where he worked for
Johnny Hartman
John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his ...
and
Al Hibbler, then briefly moved to
Los Angeles County, where he worked with
Roland Kirk
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
's quartet and at the jazz club
Lighthouse Café, in
Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of th ...
.
Hill first recorded as a sideman in 1954, but his reputation was made by his
Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...
recordings as leader from 1963 to 1970, which featured several other important
post-bop
Post-bop is a genre of small-combo jazz that evolved in the early to mid 1960s in the United States. Pioneers of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, crafted syntheses ...
musicians including
Joe Chambers
Joe or JOE may refer to:
Arts
Film and television
* ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle
* ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage
* ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971
* ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
,
Richard Davis,
Eric Dolphy,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Joe Henderson,
Freddie Hubbard,
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era.
Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...
,
Woody Shaw
Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...
,
Tony Williams, and
John Gilmore John Gilmore may refer to:
* John Gilmore (activist) (born 1955), co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Cygnus Solutions
* John Gilmore (musician) (1931–1995), American jazz saxophonist
* John Gilmore (representative) (1780–1845 ...
. Hill also played on albums by Henderson, Hutcherson, and
Hank Mobley. His compositions accounted for three of the five pieces on Bobby Hutcherson's ''
Dialogue'' album.
Hill rarely worked as a sideman after the 1960s, preferring to play his own compositions. This may have limited his public exposure. He later taught in California and held a tenure-track faculty appointment at
Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decad ...
from 1989 to 1996. While at PSU, he established a Summer Jazz Intensive program, in addition to performing, conducting workshops and attending residencies at
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...
, the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
,
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
,
Bennington College
Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...
and other schools.
Hill's album ''
Dusk
Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...
'' was selected best album of 2001 by both ''
DownBeat'' and ''
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of growt ...
''; and in 2003, Hill received the
Jazzpar Prize The Jazzpar Prize (established 1990) was an annual Danish jazz prize founded by trumpeter Arnvid Meyer. The winner was chosen from five nominees among internationally recognized performers. The winner received 200,000 Danish crowns and a bronze stat ...
.
Hill's earlier work also received renewed attention as a result of the belated release of several unissued sessions recorded in the 1960s for Blue Note, notably the ambitious large-group date ''
Passing Ships''. In 2004, he appeared on ''
SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions''. As a consequence of his renewed prominence, a new Blue Note album titled ''
Time Lines
''Time Lines'' is an album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill recorded in 2005 and released on the Blue Note label in 2006. '' was released on February 21, 2006.
His final public performance was on March 29, 2007 at
Trinity Church in New York City.
Private life
It was while working at the Lighthouse Café, in Hermosa Beach that he met his future wife, Laverne Gillette, at the time an organist at the Red Carpet. They married in 1963 and moved to New York.
Laverne died following a long illness in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where the couple had settled, in 1989.
He married dancer/educator Joanne Robinson Hill in Portland in 1992. They moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1995. From 2000, Hill and his wife lived in
Jersey City, New Jersey.
Andrew Hill suffered from lung cancer during the last years of his life. He died at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In May 2007, he became the first person to receive a posthumous honorary doctorate from
Berklee College of Music.
Playing style
Hill's main influences were pianists
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...
,
Bud Powell and
Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...
. "Monk's like
Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
and
Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
to me, in that he put a lot of personality into his playing
..it's the personality of music which makes it, finally," he said in a 1963 interview with
A. B. Spellman. Powell was an even greater influence, but Hill thought that his music was a dead end: "If you stay with Bud too much, you'll always sound like him, even if you're doing something he never did." Hill referred to Tatum as the epitome of "all modern piano playing".
Discography
As leader
Source:
Compilations
* ''
Mosaic Select 16: Andrew Hill'' (Mosaic)
* ''
Mosaic Select 23: Andrew Hill-Solo'' (Mosaic)
*''The Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66) (Mosaic)''
As sideman
With
Walt Dickerson
Walter Roland Dickerson (April 16, 1928 – May 15, 2008) was an American jazz vibraphone player, most associated with the post-bop idiom.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Walt Dickerson graduated from Morgan State U ...
* ''
To My Queen'' (New Jazz, 1963) – recorded in 1962
With
Roland Kirk
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
* ''
Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also c ...
'' (Mercury, 1962)
With
Jimmy Woods
Jimmy Woods (born October 29, 1934, in St. Louis, Missouri; died March 29, 2018, in Anchorage, Alaska) was an American jazz alto saxophonist.
Woods played with the R&B band of Homer Carter in 1951, and served in the Air Force from 1952 to 1956 ...
* ''
Conflict
Conflict may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton
* ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne
* ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...
'' (Contemporary, 1963)
With
Hank Mobley
* ''
No Room for Squares
''No Room for Squares'' is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on March 7 & October 2, 1963 and released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label. It features performances by Mobley, trumpeters Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd, pian ...
'' (Blue Note, 1964) – recorded in 1963
With
Joe Henderson
* ''
Our Thing'' (Blue Note, 1963)
With
Bobby Hutcherson
* ''
Dialogue'' (Blue Note, 1965)
With Russel Baba
* ''Earth Prayer'' (Ruda Music, 1992)
With
Reggie Workman
Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey.
Career
Early in his career, Workman wo ...
* ''
Summit Conference
A summit meeting (or just summit) is an international meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security, and a prearranged agenda. Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wi ...
'' (
Postcards
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
, 1994) – recorded in 1993
With
Greg Osby
* ''The Invisible Hand'' (Blue Note, 2000) – recorded in 1999
Notes
References
External links
Official siteRBMA Radio On Demand, Andrew Hill Tribute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Andrew
1931 births
2007 deaths
20th-century American composers
20th-century American pianists
American jazz composers
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
American music educators
Avant-garde jazz pianists
Blue Note Records artists
Colgate University alumni
Deaths from cancer in New Jersey
Hall, Andrew
American male jazz composers
Modal jazz pianists
Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey
Palmetto Records artists
Portland State University faculty
Pupils of Paul Hindemith
SteepleChase Records artists
Wesleyan University people
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century jazz composers