Andrew Hill

[mrjazzman]

As much as I like Andrew Hill(I own 6 of his titles), don't know what I was thinking when I purchased "Lift Every Voice". I don't mind voices if the fit in, on this set they, imho, definitely DON'T fit in. To make matters worse I, as always, listened to sound samples prior to purchasing. I must be slipping. Since I own all Lee Morgan led sessions, I deceided to try and collect all of his sideman sessions. I should have passed this one up, what a waste of time for Lee and Woody Shaw, Carlos Garnett and the rest of the guys....................

[clifford_thornton]

It's not one of my favorites, either, but nor is it a trainwreck IMHO.

Have to pull it out sometime and get a fresher opinion.

[six string]

It is officially my least favorite Andrew Hill album but as the other poster said, it's not a trainwreck and I wouldn't say it wasn't worth Lee Morgan's time. He might have disagreed with you on that point. Who knows? Someday you and I may come to like it a lot more than we do now. Stranger things have happened to my musical taste. For instance, I can listen to AC/DC now but in their prime I thought they were terrible. Of course I have to be drunk in order to play them but I think that's what they are for anyway.

[Joe]

I actually think the later, previously unreleased session, tacked on to the CD reissue is more successful than the record that was actually released at the time... "Blue Spark" is pretty groovy stuff...

[Chuck Nessa]

If you are interested in Hill as a composer, I think the disc is very interesting. I dismissed the record long ago but have reconsidered.

Don't blame the label for following the artist's wishes.

[JSngry]

I rather enjoyed the LP & CD both.

And as far as released LPs, go, I'll much take Lift Every Voice over Grass Roots. CDs are another, much closer story.

[Chuck Nessa]

I rather enjoyed the LP & CD both.

And as far as released LPs, go, I'll much take Lift Every Voice over Grass Roots. CDs are another, much closer story.

Me to.

[JSngry]

If you are interested in Hill as a composer, I think the disc is very interesting.

Exactly. But you know, a lot of people don't fully understand what that word means...they confuse it with "songwriter" or some such.

[clifford_thornton]

I've always enjoyed Grass Roots as an issued LP, but the extra tracks take it to a whole 'nother level. Another way of putting it is that the LP is a fine record on its own, while the CD expands its relevance to Hill's oeuvre. Composer vs. songwriter, perhaps.

[jazzbo]

I really like Lift Every Voice, and the expanded cd release. REALLY.

My least favorite Hill is Point of Departure. Just doesn't do anything for me.

It's too bad he's gone. He had many good ones left in him.

[Popkin]

I think the choir just takes some getting used to; once you get used to it, it's a great album. There's some really fantastic writing: Two Lullabies is, without question, one of my all-time favourite Hill songs. I agree with Joe that the second (unreleased at the time) session is much better that the first. Blue Spark, A Tender Tale are both great. Plus Natural Spirit has to be one of the purely catchiest things Hill ever wrote . . . if there's any problem with these sessions, it's not the choir, but the rest of the band. Specifically, I remember a fair bit of sloppiness out of the drummers.

[clifford_thornton]

My least favorite Hill is Point of Departure. Just doesn't do anything for me.

That was the first Hill I bought, on a McMaster CD years ago. I'm now the proud (?) owner of a nice, NY mono edition. But it's also the one I return to least. That, and maybe Judgment.

[JSngry]

. . . if there's any problem with these sessions, it's not the choir, but the rest of the band.

I might even go so far as to say that the session suffered from Lion not being there. So many of the Wolff-produced (& mixed & mastered?) sessions showed a rapid decline in the exaggerated use of reverb & ... "unusal" soundstage" that would come to mark Rudy's Muse/etc recordings. With music like this, the blur is built in. You need a clear recording to here it.

[WorldB3]

It's too bad he's gone. He had many good ones left in him.

I will second that, Time Lines is one my favorites by him.

Must get CD tracks that are non on vinyl of Grass Roots...

[Rooster_Ties]

Took me a good couple years to really learn to like the "Lift Every Voice" sessions, but frankly -- I could say that about most of Hill's output early on in my listening (anything more than 5 to 8 years ago). Now I think they're really fascinating, and what's not to like about any Hill sessions with either Lee Morgan or Woody Shaw??

Keep listening to them. They'll click eventually for you, I'm guessing. Or not. Either way, these are pretty darn interesting dates, and the vocalists are singing some fairly tricky stuff in my estimation.

Anybody know if they vocalists were recorded in real-time with the rest of the band?? I'd be shocked to learn if they were. I'm envisioning the band laying down their tracks first, with the vocalists coming in later (overdub) and doing multiple takes to get their part(s) right -- as tough as their role in the material was. (Or maybe I'm underestimating the vocal group.)

Edited May 12, 2009 by Rooster_Ties

[AndrewHill]

I really dig Lift Every Voice; its one of Hill's most interesting experiements. Now albeit, I don't play it as often as Compulsion! or Andrew! but I certainly wouldn't ignore it because of the voices. In fact, I can't imagine this record without the voices. Give it a few more listens, then decide whether you dig it or not.

[John L]

Lift Every Voice is quite a nice record, in my estimation, - not my favorite Andrew Hill, but not my least favorite either. Maybe not everything works, but enough does for me.

[sidewinder]

Always thought that the vocals on 'Lift Every Voice' could have used a bit more rehearsal to tighten up the sound a bit. Outstanding though for Woody Shaw's contribution. A similar issue of lack of rehearsal also affects 'Passing Ships' but again, the originality of the music triumphs nevertheless IMO.

[David Ayers]

Well - yeah, if you like. In claiming Hill as an interesting choral composer are you sure you have the leading examples in mind - works by Boulez, Webern, Stravinsky, Henze he might have learned from?

[JohnS]

Voices apart there is some very fine playing on Lift Every Voice that easily overcomes the negatives. I rather like it.

[Niko]

lift every voice is one of my favorite hill albums, can't really explain it. but i find the structure of the compositions comes out clearer in this line-up, don't know, i find it easier to follow... and though i am not particularly fond of choirs in general i think a solo singer would not have been better here (or melodies played by the horns)... think i like it better than grass roots (and also agree (?) that the additional album on the cd is a bit weaker than the original album (quite unlike grass roots where i like the additional material a good deal better...))

[JSngry]

Well - yeah, if you like. In claiming Hill as an interesting choral composer...

I don't think that anybody made that specific claim....

I'd think there to be a difference between a composer who used a choral group on one occasion and an actual "choral composer", if in no other manner than where said composer saw themself both beginning from and getting to.

I think that makes sense, but maybe not?

[David Ayers]

Well - yeah, if you like. In claiming Hill as an interesting choral composer...

I don't think that anybody made that specific claim....

I'd think there to be a difference between a composer who used a choral group on one occasion and an actual "choral composer", if in no other manner than where said composer saw themself both beginning from and getting to.

I think that makes sense, but maybe not?

IMO that record is poor, and I find it a mistake to spend time apologising for bad records just because they exist and we happen to have purchased them. There's too much that is too good out there, and vocal part-writing has a very long tradition. Two kinds of music, nicht wahr? [i mean two kinds of music, good and bad]

Edited May 12, 2009 by David Ayers

[JSngry]

IMO that record is poor, and I find it a mistake to spend time apologising for bad records just because they exist and we happen to have purchased them.

Then we have an honest & fundamental difference of opinion, and for that there is no need to apologize.

[mrjazzman]

I think to compare "Lift Every Voice" to "Grass Roots" is a SERIOUS stretch of ones imagination. One is a piece of junk the other, because of the power of the composer and the in the groove foot tapping finger poppin quality of the music, is a near classic............

Edited May 13, 2009 by mrjazzman