Andrew Hill Signs with Blue Note

[Rooster_Ties]

FYI, there's now a third tune you can sample (in full) on the BN website.

Go HERE, then click on the red link not far below the album cover - the link says "Andrew Hill - Time Lines digital player" in big red letters.

Then if the digital player doesn't come up automatically (it didn't for me), click on the "launch the player here" link that does come up. Then it will play the first three tunes first two tunes, plus track 7 on the disc -- full-length versions too, not just samples.

Kinda like one of those "post card" promo kinda things they've been doing lately on the BN site. A little less involved than for some other releases - but hey, it's something!!

1 Malachai

2 Time Lines

7 Ry Round 2

Tracks #1 & #2 have been available through THIS PAGE for several weeks. Track #7 is the new one.

The new third track (#7) features Tardy on bass clarinet.

[relyles]

I have had a chance to listen to an advance copy of the entire recording. First impression is that although it is not necessarily a "classic" recording, it is a welcome addition to the discography. It will likely take several close listens to fully appreciate.

[montg]

Thanks for the link to the tracks, Rooster. They sound beautiful--I've preordered this (along with the Mobley RVG Dippin, also out on the 21st).

[johnagrandy]

The problem is that these "tribute" albums sell based on the name recognition of the artist to whom tribute is paid, rather than the artist actually making the music. I'm sure there were people who would never buy a John Scofield album who picked up his recent Ray Charles tribute. Although *I'd* never buy an album for that reason, I can see why that "name-brand" recognition tends to work.

I agreed at first ... but Ray was a rich cat so it's not really like they took his money ... anyway, blame Ron Goldstein if he got a Lotus out of it.

That Sco tribute CD and tour has been a phenomenal success in the States and especially in Europe (and continues to be to this day). And it gave a chance to a lot of bigtime wellknown talent to pay tribute to Ray the way they wanted to. Apparently it was an amazing session, all done in NYC the week before Christmas -- I think even including Christmas day.

So now I say: Give the people what they want !

And I even gotta admit I kinda like John Mayer ....

Edited February 11, 2006 by johnagrandy

[Aggie87]

So what's the deal with two versions of the cover???

....apparently your original source corrected their image, Rooster!

[johnagrandy]

Greg Tardy evokes the ghost of Dolphy on those trax.

[Lazaro Vega]

From the New York Times:

Andrew Hill

"Time Lines"

(Blue Note)

The pianist and composer Andrew Hill made his best and most bracing recordings on Blue Note in the 1960's, a time when it was possible to conduct public investigations of the alchemy between hard-bop and the avant-garde. "Time Lines" is only his third Blue Note album since then, and his first for the label in more than 15 years. Happily, it does right by its pedigree: Mr. Hill has worked fruitfully outside the Blue Note nexus, notably for Palmetto Records, but never in his recent career has he sounded more in tune with his original line of inquiry. It helps that "Time Lines" reunites Mr. Hill with the trumpeter Charles Tolliver, another re-emergent post-bop veteran. They're joined by some diligent inheritors — the saxophonist and clarinetist Greg Tardy, the bassist John Hebert and the drummer Eric McPherson — who sound fully at home with Mr. Hill's variety of disciplined abstraction. The quintet wrings dark mystique out of a stuttering melody on the title track, and elasticizes a jagged melody on two takes of "Ry Round." Book-ending the album is a ballad called "Malachi," rendered first as an ensemble lament and then, more poignantly, as a solo piano reflection. NATE CHINEN

[Free For All]

Just got it, and am thoroughly enjoying it. Good chemistry among the players, nice tunes. Not earthshaking perhaps, but a very good listen, worth the investment. And the recording quality is excellent- great sounding piano IMHO.

[Larry Kart]

First time through, I like it a lot and am sure that I'll grasp its subtleties more each time. Agree about the recording quality, except that I'd like more presence on the drums.

Another recent Hill album (rec. 2003) that should not be missed is "The Day the World Stood Still" (Stunt), recorded live on tour in Denmark and Sweden after Hill had won Denmark's 2003 Jazzpar Prize by Hill, Scott Colley, Nasheet Waits, and a band of talented, fiesty Danes (and/or Swedes) -- Staffan Svensson, tpt; Klaus Lohrer, bass trb., tuba; Peter Fuglsang, alto, clarinet, bass clarinet; Thomas Agergaard, tenor sax, flute; Liudas Mockunas, sop. sax., bari. sax, clarinet, bass clarinet; and, on one track, vocalist Lenora Zenzalai Helm. Judging by the performances, the band had become very at ease in Hill's music, and that makes a difference.

[montg]

I've had the opportunity to listen to this most of the way through on a couple of occasions. A lot of beautiful music here. As others have said, Tardy and Tolliver etc appear to be pretty much in synch with Hill's vision and there's an organic, meditative feel to a lot of what I heard. Anybody who enjoys Hill's music can't possibly be disappointed.

Tardy does evoke Dolphy at times, I think.

Have to disagree about the recording quality. The piano sounds good, but nothing special with the sound of the horns. The bass is mixed in a very muddy way, a lot of times it's lost in the drums (at least that's how I hear it on my system). No clear & defined bass, like Richard Davis on the 60s RVG recordings. It's astonishing to me that the recording/engineering of jazz often seems to be no better than it was 45 years ago and sometimes things seem to have even regressed. Minor complaint in the overall scheme, however--the music is as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

I look forward to hearing more informed opinions.

[Larry Kart]

About the overall mix, I notice the name Kurt Lundvall.

[skeith]

Doesn't this thread belong in the New Releases forum?

I love Andrew Hill, and just got this a few days ago, but on maybe two listenings, I am a bit underwhelmed.

Some of the solos other than Andrew's sound a bit "generic" to me.

I may change my mind however.

sound quality seems ok to me but I have played it mostly on a Discman.