any ANDREW HILL biographies out there???

[Rooster_Ties]

This thread on AJJ (What Other Jazz Records Deserve the Ashley Kahn "KOB"/"Love Supreme" Treatment?), got me thinking that I'd LOVE to read a good, lengthy biography of Andrew Hill. (I had suggested "Black Fire" or "Point of Departure" for the AAJ thread.)

Just in the last month I've been reading John Szwed's recent and excellent "So What: The Life of Miles Davis", and realizing how much I would really, really love to read about Hill's life, especially since he went down so many interesting, and often different paths - including being a church musician, teaching (somewhat before it became common, I think?), and doing "tours" in non-standard kinds of venues (in the early 70's).

Are there any Hill biographies out there?? I can't imagine that there are any, but it never hurts to ask.

If not, then what are the most important written documents/discussions about Hill's life and work?? (Like are there any "Hill"-only chapters in any books???) Any Hill interviews to recomend???

[Rooster_Ties]

PS: I kind of know John Szwed, every so slightly (I was a reference for a few things in his Sun Ra biography, enough that my name got mentioned in the "thankyou"s in the introduction to the book - giving me my very own 15 nanoseconds of fame!!!)

Anyway, I've been thinking about dropping him an e-mail, to tell him what a great job he did on the Miles book (which I'm just about to finish, any day now), and while I'm at it ---- I'm suddenly half-thinking about half-seriously suggesting he consider writing a biography of Hill.

It's a "1 in a Million" shot, but hey - what's there to loose???

[Rooster_Ties]

Thanks Ghost. Rosenthal's "HARD BOP" was the one thing I could think of with much discussion about Hill. (I was about to mention it - but suddenly blocked on Rosenthal's name, and also on the title of the book.)

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Best stuff in terms of Hill bio research was done for the multi-day Andrew Hill festival on WKCR-FM, NYC - this was maybe 1997 or 98? Andrew was there at the station a few times and Ben Young got a lot of details out of him. I may have taped some of it but finding it would be tough right now. Unfortunately nothing in print.

Mike

[brownie]

Rooster, would not want to disappoint you but I think that an Andrew Hill

book/biography would be a very risky business enterprise. As much as I would

like to find one, I doubt that there are enough people around waiting to read such

a book to make it happen.

Trust you know this site: http://www.andrewhilljazz.com/

If not, happy reading.

[Rooster_Ties]

I think that an Andrew Hill book/biography would be a very risky business enterprise. As much as I would

like to find one, I doubt that there are enough people around waiting to read such a book to make it happen.

Unfortunately, this is probably true. Thanks for the link. I haven't been to Hill's site in several months, and perhaps there is some new content there to feed my interest.