Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill (born June 30, 1931 in Chicago , Illinois , † April 20, 2007 in Jersey City , New Jersey ) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
biography
Hill started playing the accordion when he was seven and taught himself the piano when he was ten. He took piano lessons at the age of thirteen and also received composition lessons from Paul Hindemith . He performed with Charlie Parker , Miles Davis and Johnny Griffin as a teenager . In 1956 he recorded with the doo-wop group De'bonairs for the short-lived label Ping Records ; In 1961 he was the companion of Dinah Washington in New York , and in 1962 he worked with Rahsaan Roland Kirk in Los Angeles . He made his debut at Blue Note Records in 1963 as the pianist on Joe Henderson's album Our Thing . On the same label , he released a number of recordings that are now considered classic under his own name in the 1960s. He also played a significant role in Bobby Hutcherson's album Dialogue 1965. However, with his rhythmically complex and harmonically unusual music, which was difficult to access to the general public , he had only modest commercial success. Stylistically he was rooted in hard bop , but developed his music in the direction of avant-garde and free jazz .
Since the 1970s he worked mainly as a teacher. He lived in California from 1977 to 1989 , where he a. a. taught in public schools and prisons. He taught at Portland State University in Oregon and gave workshops at Wesleyan University , the University of Michigan , the University of Toronto , Harvard University and Bennington College . But he also continued to publish recordings.
In 1998 he founded the Point of Departure Sextet and also worked in a trio with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Nasheet Waits . In 2006 Hill released his last and much acclaimed album with Time Lines . With that he returned to Blue Note Records , the record company with which he had celebrated his greatest successes.
Hill died of lung cancer, which he was diagnosed three years before his death.
Awards
- In 1997 he was recognized by the Jazz Foundation of America for his life's work.
- The Jazz Journalist Association named him Jazz Composer of the Year 1997.
- He received the Doris Duke Foundation Prize for Jazz Composers.
- 2003: Jazzpar Prize , the most highly endowed international jazz award
- 2008: NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship
Discography
- So in Love with the Sound of Andrew Hill with Malachi Favors and James Slaughter , 1955
- Johnny Hartman & the Andrew Hill Trio 1961 Live
- Black Fire with Joe Henderson , Richard Davis and Roy Haynes , 1963
- Smokestack with Richard Davis, Eddie Khan and Roy Haynes, 1963
- Judgment! , with Richard Davis, Elvin Jones and Bobby Hutcherson , 1964
- Point of Departure with Kenny Dorham , Eric Dolphy , Joe Henderson, Richard Davis and Tony Williams , 1964
- Andrew! with John Gilmore , Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis and Joe Chambers , 1964
- Cosmos , with Ron Carter , Joe Chambers , Richard Davis, Joe Henderson , Bennie Maupin , Ben Riley , Freddie Hubbard and Pat Patrick
- One for One , with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Richard Davis, Joe Chambers , Bennie Maupin , Ron Carter , Paul Motian , Mickey Roker , Pat Patrick, Charles Tolliver and Ben Riley, 1965, 1969, 1970
- Compulsion , with Freddie Hubbard, John Gilmore, Cecil McBee , Joe Chambers , Nedi Qamar and Renaud Simmons , 1965
- Grass Roots , with Lee Morgan , Booker Ervin , Ron Carter and Freddie Waits , 1968
- Dance with Death , with Joe Farrell , Charles Tolliver , Victor Sproles and Billy Higgins , 1968
- Lift Every Voice , with Woody Shaw , Carlos Garnett , Richard Davis, and Freddie Waits, 1969
- Invitation , with Chris White and Art Lewis , 1974
- Blue Black , with Jimmy Vass , Chris White, and Leroy Williams , 1975
- Homage , 1975
- Divine Revelation , with Jimmy Vass, Chris White, and Leroy Williams, 1975
- Live at Montreux , 1975
- Nefertiti , with Richard Davis and Roger Blank , 1976
- From California with Love , 1978
- Faces of Hope , 1980
- Strange Seranade , with Alan Silva and Freddie Waits, 1980
- Verona Rag , 1986
- Shades , with Clifford Jordan , Rufus Reid, and Ben Riley, 1986
- Eternal Spirit , with Bobby Hutcherson, Greg Osby , Rufus Reid, and Ben Riley, 1989
- But Not Farewell , with Greg Osby, Robin Eubanks , Lonnie Plaxico and Cecil Brooks III , 1990
- Earth Prayer , with Russell Baba , Dan Sholute, and Akbar DePriest , 1992
- Dusk , with Greg Tardy , Ron Horton , Billy Drummond, and Marty Ehrlich , 2000
- Les Trinitaires , 2001
- Lift Every Voice , 2001
- A Beautiful Day , 2002
- Passing Ships , 1969/2003
- Time Lines , with Charles Tolliver , Greg Tardy , John Hébert, and Eric McPherson , 2006
Collections
- The Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66) - ( Mosaic 1995) - 10 LPs or 7 CDs with Joe Henderson , Richard Davis , Roy Haynes , Eddie Khan , Bobby Hutcherson , Elvin Jones , Kenny Dorham , Eric Dolphy , Tony Williams , John Gilmore , Joe Chambers , Freddie Hubbard , Cecil McBee , Nadi Quamar perc, Sam Rivers , Walter Booker , JC Moses
Web links
- andrewhilljazz.com
- Works by and about Andrew Hill in the catalog of the German National Library
- Broadcast by rbb-kulturradio on Andrew Hill's appearance at JazzFest Berlin 2002, with interview (PDF; 220 kB)
- "Andrew Hill, 75, Jazz Artist Known for His Daring Style, Dies" , New York Times , April 21, 2007
- Biography from NEA page ( Memento from September 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
Remarks
- ↑ New York Times obituary, April 21, 2007. Encyclopedias such as Kunzler's Jazzlexikon often incorrectly read June 30, 1937 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, because Hill himself had said so.
- ↑ Before that, only one LP was released in trio with Malachi Favors and James Slaughter , on which Hill (apart from two original compositions) only played jazz standards such as Body and Soul . The album was re-released by Fresh Sound Records .
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Hill, Andrew |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist and composer |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 30, 1931 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , Illinois |
DATE OF DEATH | April 20, 2007 |
Place of death | Jersey City , New Jersey |