Theo Hill (born May 22, 1982) is 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 major ...

pianist. He has recorded four albums as a leader.

Biography

Theo Hill was born and raised in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

, United States. He began playing piano at age five, and graduated from the Jazz Conservatory of the

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts, ''cum laude''. Hill’s first CD, ''Theo Hill Quartet: Live at Smalls'' (SmallsLive), was released in January 2015 and features Dayna Stephens on

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums, Joe Sanders on bass, and Rodney Green on drums. In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Nate Chinen described ''Live at Smalls'' as a fine album and characterized Hill as "a painterly young pianist with a chamber-like approach to composition". His sophomore effort ''Promethean'' (

Posi-Tone Records Posi-Tone Records is an American jazz record label founded by Marc Free, a producer and musician who runs the company with engineer Nick O'Toole. The label's first five albums were issued in 1995. The roster includes trombonist Steve Davis, saxop ...

) was released in May 2017 featuring sidemen Yashushi Nakamura on bass and Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums. Brian Zimmerman of ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' gave the album received an Editors’ Choice review lauding Hill's “formidable piano chops and probing arrangements make healbum such a winning statement.” Hill's latest album, ''Interstellar Adventures'' (

), was released in June 2018 and features Rudy Royston on drums and Rashaan Carter on bass. It received a -star rating from ''DownBeat'' a four star review from All About Jazz which noted Hill's "steady, determined ascent into the contemporary ranks of vital and inspired jazz pianists", and the July 2018 issue of '' The New York City Jazz Record'' observed that " ere’s not a weak spot on the record", complimented Royston and Carter as a "phenomenal" rhythm section, and noted that Rashaan Carter is "a real under-the-radar master". Hill is based in New York and frequently appears at popular jazz clubs, including

Smalls Jazz Club Smalls Jazz Club is a jazz club at 183 West 10th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City. Established in 1994, it earned a reputation in the 1990s as a "hotbed for New York's jazz talent" with a "well-deserved reputation as one of the best places ...

, Mezzrow, and Fat Cat. He frequently appears with the

Mingus Big Band The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...

Frank Lacy Frank Lacy (born August 9, 1958, Houston, Texas) is an American jazz trombonist who has spent many years as a member of the Mingus Big Band. Career Lacy's father was a teacher who played guitar with Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, and Eddie Clea ...

Bill Saxton William Edward Saxton (born June 28, 1946, in New York City) is an American hard bop tenor saxophonist. He studied clarinet, composition and arrangement at the New England Conservatory in Boston, graduating in 1973 and worked with Pharoah Sand ...

, Josh Evans, and

T. S. Monk Thelonious Sphere "T. S." Monk III (born December 27, 1949) is an American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader. He is the son of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Biography Born in New York City, he began his music career early in his life, honin ...

Discography

As leader

As sideman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Theo 1982 births Living people American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Musicians from Albany, New York State University of New York at Purchase alumni Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians