Art Blakey - A Night At The Birdland Vol. 2 (1954)

The second volume of recordings from this seminal hard-bop date (February 21, 1954) picks up where Volume 1 leaves off, and is no less thrilling. Trumpeter Clifford Brown positively smokes through "Wee-Dot" and a supercharged reworking of the standard "The Way You Look Tonight." Alto Lou Donaldson earns his "Sweet Papa Lou" moniker with a tender reading of "If I Had You," rippling off a flurry of notes without ever upsetting the gentle nature of the tune, and evidencing a strong Bird influence in the process. Speaking of Bird, the two closing tunes come from Parker's pen, most notably "Now's the Time," which here receives a superbly slowed-down and funked-up rendition. --Marc Greilsamer

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Art Blakey - A Night At The Birdland Vol. 1 (1954)

Recorded live at Birdland, New York, New York on February 21, 1954. Originally released on Bluenote (1521). Includes liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.

When Pee-Wee Marquette, emcee of Birdland, introduces Art Blakey and his quintet, the audience in attendance erupts in enthusiastic applause. Rightly so; this is a powerful group in full stride. A NIGHT AT BIRDLAND VOL. ONE captures Blakey's pre-Messengers quintet on an evening in February 1954 with legendary trumpeter Clifford Brown and alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson holding down the front line. Longtime partners Blakey and pianist Horace Silver, as well as talented bassist Curley Russell, propel the relentless rhythm section.

The results of that eventful night are now preserved so that we may become patrons of the once legendary nightspot. The fiery mambo "Split Kick" opens the set showcasing Blakey's assertive drumming and the fine blowing of Brown and Donaldson. Silver's bebop-style "Quicksilver" also provides a stunning vehicle for the group's lightning-quick dexterity. Turning the tide, the slow and sultry "Blues" is a totally improvised jam that provides some down-and-dirty solos by the horns and piano. Of course, the highlight of the set is Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night In Tunisia," a piece that would become a Messengers favorite. Finally, Silver's up-tempo "Mayreh" closes the set on a high note with raucous solos all around.

Digitally remastered by Rudy Van Gelder.

This is part of Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder Editions series.

3 Bonus Tracks

Art Blakey Quintet: Art Blakey (drums); Lou Donaldson (alto saxophone); Clifford Brown (trumpet); Horace Silver (piano); Curly Russell (bass).

Producer: Alfred Lion.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Liner Note Authors: Bob Bluementhal; Leonard Feather.

Recording information: Birdland, New York, NY (02/21/1954).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

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Andrew Hill - Changes (1966)

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. Hill's quartet consists of Sam Rivers, an urgent, volatile tenor saxophonist; Walter Booker on bass; and J.C. Moses on drums. The titles of Hill's compositions perfectly evoke the mood of this vital, commanding session, with Hill and Rivers in top form.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Sam Rivers (tenor saxophone); Walter Booker (bass instrument); J.C. Moses (drums).

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Andrew Hill - Time Lines (2006)

While recording for Blue Note in the 1960s, composer and pianist Andrew Hill released some of the most forward-thinking and meticulously constructed albums of the post-bop era. The intelligence and daring that characterized those albums still inhabits Hill's recordings, as 2006's TIME LINES attests.

Flanked by a fine quartet (a bassist, drummer, trumpeter, and the multi-talented Greg Tardy on tenor sax, clarinet, and bass clarinet), Hill still reels off witty, elliptical piano lines that bring together modal music and free jazz with strains of traditional bop structure. Packed with both fine compositions and playing all around, TIME LINES shows that Hill is still capable of making works of quiet, incisive brilliance.

Recording information: Bennett Studios, Englewood, NJ (06/23/2005-07/18/2005).

Photographer: Jimmy Katz.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); John Hébert (upright bass); Greg Tardy (clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone); Charles Tolliver (trumpet); Eric McPherson (drums).

Audio Mixer: Dae Bennett.

Magnet (p.118) - "Hill's compositions range from hip-shaking soul/jazz workouts to rhythmically challenging and emotionally complex works."
Down Beat (p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Bracketed by elegiac dedications to bassist Malachi Favors, Andrew Hill's second return to Blue Note is suffused with jagged melodies, roiling rhythms and bracing lyricism."
JazzTimes (p.93) - "As a pianist, his note choices are still cryptic, his phrase shapes are still angular and his movements still scurry. As a composer/bandleader, he still creates exotic, darkly luminous aural landscapes that inspire soloists."

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Andrew Hill - Pax (1965 - relased 2006)

Originally recorded in 1965, and released piecemeal on other collections (ONE FOR ONE and MOSAIC SELECT), the sessions for PAX didn't appear in their entirety until 2006. The revered pianist Andrew Hill is in superb company here, with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Richard Davis, and Joe Chambers on board to help carve out slices of unique, knotty post-bop. Hill is a master of merging the best elements of the avant garde and the mainstream, and the too-long-shelved PAX is proof positive of that skill. Better a Blue Note gem late than never.

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Joe Henderson (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Richard Davis (upright bass); Freddie Hubbard (cornet); Joe Chambers (drums).

Liner Note Author: Michael Cuscuna.

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Andrew Hill - Lift Every Voice (1969)

This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series.

The CD reissue of Andrew Hill's remarkably advanced fusion of voices and jazz quintet not only resuscitates the long out of print 1969 LP Lift Every Voice from oblivion, it adds an entire unreleased, untitled album from 1970, more than doubling the original playing time. Having once composed a jazz opera, Hill usually treats his voices in a sustained operatic manner, but this is not a classical-jazz fusion; the voices are fastened onto a pure jazz quintet base. This is highly unusual, to say the least, yet it works surprisingly well, whether in wild wordless scat passages or when employed in the freedom-conscious lyrics of the title track. On the original Lift Every Voice album, Hill is joined by trumpeter Woody Shaw (who gets off some wicked muted licks on "Ghetto Lights"), an impassioned Carlos Garnett on tenor sax, Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Watts on drums. This quintet is hardly a complacent hard bop outfit; like many of Hill's Blue Note bands, it searches and ruminates, backed by Watts' shifting, at times funky, rhythms. The 1970 album expands the palette of voices from seven to nine, and Hill's backup band changes over completely, featuring the always-crackling Lee Morgan on trumpet; Bennie Maupin's still-developing hard-edged tenor sax, bass clarinet, and dancing flute; Ron Carter on bass; and Ben Riley on drums. The concept is the same as it was in 1969, but Hill's material isn't quite as striking -- hence one probable reason why the album was shelved. Also, this music was perhaps too way out there for the traditional hard bop Blue Note audience and not commercial enough for the label's emerging R&B slant. In any case, these would be among Hill's last sessions for Blue Note, after which he would shift operations to Colgate University en route to a doctorate. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster.

6 Bonus Tracks

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 16, 1969 and March 6 & 13, 1970. Originally released on Blue Note (84330). Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Gail Nelson, Lachlan Williams, Lillian Williams, Joan Johnson, Milt Grayson, Ron Stewart (vocals); Bennie Maupin (flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone); Carlos Garnett (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan , Woody Shaw (trumpet); Frederick Waits, Ben Riley (drums).

Audio Remixer: Malcolm Addey.

Liner Note Author: Leonard Feather.

Recording information: New York, NY (05/16/1969); Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (05/16/1969).

Producer: Francis Wolf.

Down Beat (1/02, p.54) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Fascinatingly icy...breaking sonic ground..."

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Andrew Hill - Passing Ships (1969)

This larger group session was recorded for Blue Note in 1969 but had to wait until 2003 to see the light of day. It was worth the wait, since PASSING SHIPS is one of composer-pianist Andrew Hill's most varied and distinctive efforts. Actually, the group here isn't all that big when you check the lineup, but Hill's skillful writing makes it sound as if we're listening to a more spacious ensemble. In addition, he makes most effective use of reedman Joe Farrell's multi-instrumental talents here. Not only does Farrell excel in the usual tenor and soprano saxophone roles but it's his English horn that sings the plaintive theme on the title track and his dusky alto flute that establishes the mood of the exotic "Noon Tide." The writing throughout is fresh and, most of all, coherent, which can't be said for all free-jazz endeavors of the era. But Andrew Hill had a particular knack for making the avant-garde a part of the mainstream. With PASSING SHIPS, he joins the ranks of Mingus and Gil Evans as a great composer-arranger for large forces.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on November 7, 1969. Includes liner notes by Michael Cuscuna.


Audio Remixer: Malcolm Addey.

Liner Note Author: Michael Cuscuna.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (11/07/1969-11/14/1969).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

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

JazzTimes (02/04, pp.113-14) - "Hill's writing is excellent, both in terms of the widely varied heads and the backup horn parts that punctuate the solos."

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Andrew Hill - Grass Roots (1968)

Words by Andrew Hill: "Before this, I had been trying to gratify myself as a musician. It's inevitable, I guess, in the process of finding yourself as an artist you have to keep on proving yourself, testing your skills. But that kind of self-absorption tends to leave out a large number of people. I felt finally that the time had come for me - and perhaps for jazz - to make an album like this. I'm not proving myself here. I'm not concerned with what may or may not be hip now or in the future. I want to give something. I want to reach out from myself to make people happy who listen to this. That's what grass roots are in music. Getting down to the basics, getting down as deep as you can into feeling."

"I tried to write each [song] as lyrically as possible, but each in a different mood. The title song came to mind when I was in Central Park one day just watching some animals. Looking at them, I thought that human beings consider animals naive, but how naive we are! We are almost down to the question of the very survival of the human race and yet there are people - I call them 'high school intellectuals' - totally immersed in the divisions between people on the basis of color or class or whatever. And then I saw some kids playing together in the park. They were of different races, but they were having a great time. There was no malice, no animosity among them. Where they were, the way they were acting, are to me the real roots of mankind. So, what the song is about is that rather than being consumed by rage or, for that matter, rather than proclaiming 'love' for everyone, I just wanted to tell about life as it really is. And you know, real life isn't bad at all."

Tracks 1-5: Lee Morgan [trumpet], Booker Ervin [tenor sax], Andrew Hill [piano], Ron Carter [bass], Freddie Waits [drums]. Tracks 6-10: Woody Shaw [trumpet], Frank Mitchell [tenor sax], Jimmy Ponder [guitar], Reggie Workman [bass], Idris Muhammad [drums].
Recorded April 19 [6-10] & August 5 [1-5], 1968, at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

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Andrew Hill - Compulsion (1965)

"Compulsion" is one of Andrew Hill's freest and most "out" albums, here re-released by Blue Note in RVG remastered format. It features Andrew Hill (piano) with Freddie Hubbard (trumpet and flugelhorn), John Gilmore (tenor and bass clarinet), Cecil McBee (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums) with added percussion from Nadi Qamar (African drums and percussion) and Renaud Simmons (congas and percussion). Richard Davis plays bass on one track ("Premonition").

The album takes a more uncompromising stance than other free albums by Andrew Hill (such as the excellent "Judgment" or "Pax") but retains coherence, mainly because of the African pulse of percussion that underpins the music, carrying it forward and adding structure. John Gilmore (seldom heard outside of the Sun Ra context) adds to the coherency, allowing Andrew Hill and Freddie Hubbard to stray as far "out" as they wish.

Overall, this is an involving album with more than a hint of a barely restrained melancholy that somehow can't be kept from breaking through the abstraction at the surface.

As the last re-release in his lifetime, it is a fitting tribute to the memory of this great jazz musician and a measure of the continuing challenge of his music.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Cecil McBee, Richard Davis [track 3](double bass); John Gilmore (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn); Joe Chambers (drums); Renaud Simmons (conga, percussion); Nadi Qamar (percussion, african drums, thumb piano).

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Andrew Hill - Andrew (1964)

ANDREW finds the avant-garde composer and pianist Andrew Hill following up his landmark 1964 LP, POINT OF DEPARTURE, with a more flowing quintet session, featuring the estimable vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and Sun Ra tenor saxophonist John Gilmore (in a rare appearance outside of the Arkestra). This is the Blue Note sound of the '60s at its best, cutting edge yet beautifully produced with room enough for full, exploratory improvisations by all concerned. Hutcherson in particular provides a warm, fluent foil to Hill's more abstract conceptions, and Gilmore's bright tone and energetically structured solos bring even more fire to the mix. Andrew Hill remained somewhat underrated throughout his career, but few musicians of the time possessed his special intellectual integrity, the mark of a true composer. ANDREW captures him in a peak period.

Liner Note Authors: Michael Cuscuna; Don Heckman.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (06/25/1964).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Richard Davis (double bass); John Gilmore (tenor saxophone); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Joe Chambers (drums).

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Andrew Hill - Point Of Departure (1964)

The Rudy Van Gelder Edition of POINT OF DEPARTURE includes an essay by Bob Blumenthal.

Digitally remastered using 24-bit resolution by Rudy Van Gelder (1998, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).

This is part of Blue Note Records "Rudy Van Gelder" Editions series.

Trying to describe Andrew Hill's POINT OF DEPARTURE in words is like trying to explain the pictures made by a kaleidoscope--it's impossible to be completely articulate about something so magically unique. Of course, with an assembled cast that includes Kenny Dorham, Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Richard Davis, and Tony Williams all in their creative prime, Hill would have been hard-pressed not to come up with a masterpiece of these proportions. The result is, indeed, a record that is a beacon of the New Thing movement, which was coming to the foreground in the early '60s.

From oddly swinging cuts like "New Monastery" to the intricately mesmerizing "Flight 19," Hill proves to be a both a pianist and composer of incomparable range as he and his legendary sidemen explore the furthest reaches of group improvisation. The churning waltz "Refuge" offers intense ensemble passages that constantly shift colors and textures as Williams drives the group with hurricane-like waves of cymbals. The closing ballad, "Dedication," is a beautifully esoteric piece that, like the kaleidoscope, must be experienced to truly capture its true nature. For most, this will be a DEPARTURE that will take listeners on an indescribable journey.

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 21, 1964. Originally released on Blue Note (4167). Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Richard Davis (bass); Tony Williams (drums).

Producer: Alfred Lion.

Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.Q (9/99, p.132) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...[Hill] created his own brooding, pulsing, abstract style. There's some miraculous playing on this 1964 date, and Rudy Van Gelder's remastering allows it all to shine through..."

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Andrew Hill - Judgement (1964)

Andrew Hill's previous 1964 outing on Blue Note, the trio-only SMOKE STACK, had drummer Roy Haynes sounding so much like Elvin Jones that Hill brought in the real thing for next quartet session, JUDGEMENT! True to form, the always fiery Jones gets things off to an explosive start on "Siete Ocho," with Hill and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson keeping up as best they can. The warmly inventive Hutcherson remained an ideal musical partner for the abstract-minded pianist-composer, which was somewhat the same role that the bluesy vibraphonist Milt Jackson played with John Lewis in the Modern Jazz Quartet--except that, as a pianist, Andrew Hill is nowhere near as restrained as the spare and sometimes decorous Lewis. The '60s avant-gardist is a prodigious, meaty musician, taking us on a dark, chromatic journey in all his extended improvisations. JUDGEMENT! is like an MJQ session opened up for a musically (and politically) radicalized '60s.

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 8, 1964.

Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.

Liner Note Authors: Leonard Feather; Bob Blumenthal.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (01/08/1964).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Richard Davis (bass); Elvin Jones (drums).

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Andrew Hill - Smoke Stack (1963)

This 1963 trio session was only the avant-garde pianist and composer Andrew Hill's second release for Blue Note, with whom he would enjoy a fruitful association throughout the decade. Already, on the previous BLACK FIRE, Hill had established himself as a worthy, somewhat more mainstream alternative to the radical Cecil Taylor. His musical style is heavily chromatic, both dense and angular, similar in part to McCoy Tyner's equally muscular explorations. For the most part however, SMOKE STACK takes things at a ruminative, deceptively leisurely pace. Still, the venerable drummer Roy Haynes remains energetic, supple. and busy throughout the set, much like the fiery Elvin Jones with the John Coltrane Quartet. One highlight: Richard Davis's arco bass stylings, moaning and keening throughout the exotic "Wailing Wall."

Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.

Liner Note Author: Bob Blumenthal.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (12/13/1963).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

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

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Andrew Hill - Black Fire (1963)

Pianist Andrew Hill's most notable contribution to jazz may be his ability to creatively combine bebop with the avant-garde. On 1963's BLACK FIRE, the oft-misunderstood jazz composer creates a tonal landscape that is at once steeped in bop, yet ambitiously searching for new harmonic and structural vistas.

Joined by legendary drummer Roy Haynes, tenor great Joe Henderson, and bassist Richard Davis, Hill performs a set of nine originals that seek to push the musical envelope. Each musician explores melody, harmony, and rhythm in ways they normally didn't, particularly Henderson, who expertly adapts his style and sound to the tricky compositions of Hill. Every member of the quartet gets a chance to stretch on this album, and there is more "soloing equality" on BLACK FIRE than on most late-'50s or early-'60s records. Indeed, this was the dawning of a new age in jazz, and Hill was one of this era's greatest pioneers. Standout tracks include the moody and rubato "McNeil Island" and the knotty "Pumpkin."

Additional Tracks

Liner Note Authors: A.B. Spellman; Bob Blumenthal.

Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (11/08/1963).

Photographer: Francis Wolff.

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Andrew Hill; Richard Davis (bass instrument); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Roy Haynes (drums).

Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.

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