On Friday, November 8, 1963, Andrew Hill walked into Van Gelder Studio at Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for his maiden recording session for Blue Observe Information. Following a second stint on the studio the next day, he emerged with Black Hearth. It marked the start of what can be the primary, and longest, of three separate stints (1963-70, 1989-90 and 2006) with Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff’s iconic New York-based jazz label.
However anybody that regarded Hill, then a 32-year-old pianist/composer initially from Chicago, as a recording novice was very mistaken. He had, in actual fact, recorded a brace of 10” singles for the small Ping label, in 1956, and that very same 12 months minimize a long-forgotten trio album (So In Love) for Warwick, which consisted largely of requirements and didn’t get launched till 1960. Extra considerably, simply previous to his debut Blue Observe session, he labored on albums by multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk (earlier than the latter prefixed his title with Rahsaan) and vibraphonist Walt Dickerson. It’s additionally value noting that Miles Davis will need to have held Hill in excessive regard, as he employed the pianist to play on a few of his band’s Chicago gigs within the mid-to-late 50s.
Brimming with ardour
Although Black Hearth was solely his second solo recording, it’s a mature, fully-formed assortment of self-penned materials revealing that Hill had already found his personal distinctive voice in jazz. His sui generis method to melody, concord, rhythm and compositional construction has no parallel, besides, maybe, within the equally idiosyncratic determine of Thelonious Monk, additionally a pianist/composer who created his personal personalised type of jazz.
Monk definitely exerted an enormous affect on Hill, particularly in regard to the latter’s angular chromatic melodies and jaunty rhythms, however, as Black Hearth reveals, Hill’s idea was completely particular person. In reality, the latter’s tackle jazz was so totally different from the bop mentality that largely prevailed at Blue Observe that he discovered it tough to seek out simpatico musicians on the identical wavelength. This resulted in an awesome a lot of his later classes for the label (comparable to Dance With Loss of life and Passing Ships) being shelved till later dates.
Fortunately, on Black Hearth, Hill doesn’t have this downside and leads a positive, intuitive quartet that appears to be wholly in tune with him in addition to the generally exacting calls for of his materials. The estimable Joe Henderson, famend for his strong, growling tenor saxophone (and who, in 1963, had simply launched his Blue Observe debut LP, Web page One) is the one horn participant current, whereas the rhythm part consists of Hill’s fellow Chicagoan, bassist Richard Davis, and famous drummer Roy Haynes (who, at 39, was the oldest member of the quartet). The latter introduced with him a lot expertise and a highly-nuanced polyrhythmic model that will each complement and improve Hill’s music.
The primary notes we hear on the album are Haynes’, coming from his busy hi-hat and cymbal patterns in tandem with Davis’ elastic bass. Collectively, they announce the opening bars to “Pumpkin,” the primary of seven unique Hill tunes on the album. The piece boasts a knotty however memorable most important theme, enunciated by Henderson’s sax, earlier than Hill takes the primary solo; its tumbling sequence of notes epitomizes the composer’s singular piano model. Henderson, in the meantime, navigates his means by the difficult modifications with aplomb.
A extremely unique musical thoughts
Hill’s piano is extra jagged on “Subterfuge,” which sees the 26-year-old Joe Henderson sit out. The track is constructed on throbbing ostinato rhythms churned out by Haynes and Davis, who’re each allowed solo spots. In sharp distinction, the album’s title tune, rendered in a jaunty 3/4 time, finds Henderson again within the fold and is distinguished by a extremely infectious Monk-like most important theme.
“Cantaros” is totally different once more and outlined by a quasi Latin-esque rhythm, although it’s removed from typical: the Hispanic affect is implied fairly than said, and refracted by the prism of Hill’s creativeness. “Tired Trade,” in the meantime, has extra of a blues really feel, although, once more, it’s not completely orthodox. With Henderson dropping out as soon as extra, lowering the group to a trio, Hill’s roving piano is the principle focus and it permits us to get a superb glimpse of his barely stilted taking part in model. There are additionally solo passages by Davis and the ever-ingenious Haynes.
“McNeil Island” – named after a small piece of land in Washington’s Puget Sound – is a brief ballad that reveals Hill’s extra meditative facet, although the sense of stillness it creates is rapidly dispelled by Black Hearth’s closing minimize, “Land Of Nod,” which begins virtually raucously because of Joe Henderson’s spirited blowing of the principle melody over staggering, virtually ramshackle rhythms. In reality, although, it’s a monitor outlined by a delicate ebb and circulation, between loud passages and softer, extra pensive ones.
Although thought-about to be within the vanguard of avant-garde music, Andrew Hill most definitely wasn’t an apostle of free jazz. In reality, as Black Hearth reveals, considered one of his distinguishing traits as a jazz composer was his frequent employment of type and construction, albeit in an unorthodox style. Hill’s music might appear indirect and cerebral, maybe, nevertheless it was really brimming with ardour and refreshingly freed from bebop clichés. It was additionally deeply private and indicative of a extremely unique musical thoughts.
Whereas Level Of Departure, recorded for Blue Observe 4 months later, is rightly considered Hill’s magnum opus, Black Hearth doesn’t lag very far behind by way of its high quality and significance. It, together with a lot of Hill’s different Blue Observe classes from the identical timeframe, has aged exceedingly nicely. Over 5 many years after it was recorded, the music on Black Hearth nonetheless burns brightly.
Store Andrew Hill’s music on vinyl or CD now.
