Guy Berger Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 March 21, 1964 was when Andrew Hill, Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Kenny Dorham, Richard Davis, and Tony Williams went into the studio and recorded this amazing album. Quote
CraigP Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Love Andrew Hill! Wish I had seen him live. Quote
GA Russell Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 1964 was quite a year for Blue Note. Quote
MartyJazz Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Fabulous album, one that will always sound so fresh and contemporary no matter how many years pass. Quote
sidewinder Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Astonishing to think that such fresh and innovative music is now 50 years old. Quote
erwbol Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Will listen to the session as recorded on the Mosaic box later today. I saw Andrew Hill's Sextet at North Sea Jazz in 2003. His music was still somewhat impenetrable to me at times back then, so I wish I had enjoyed the concert more. Quote
sidewinder Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) NorthSea sounds like totally the wrong venue for Andrew Hill's music - although when I saw him in Bath back in 2003/4-ish with a big band it sounded a bit under-rehearsed with with badly compromised stage sound. The solo piano and Archie Shepp duo performances at the QEH London a few years earlier were better/more coherent (especially the solo set). Edited March 21, 2014 by sidewinder Quote
erwbol Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 The concert was at the roof terrace and I indeed got the impression of an open rehearsal. If my memories aren't too coloured Andrew was giving instructions and it wasn't a seamless concert. Quote
mjazzg Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 NorthSea sounds like totally the wrong venue for Andrew Hill's music - although when I saw him in Bath back in 2003/4-ish with a big band it sounded a bit under-rehearsed with with badly compromised stage sound. The solo piano and Archie Shepp duo performances at the QEH London a few years earlier were better/more coherent (especially the solo set). Enjoyed the Hill/Shepp too. I also saw a big band at QEH and best of all the band with Greg Osby at the Jazz Cafe I remember that Tower Records in Piccadilly had a huge repro of 'Point of Departure' cover behind the counter - I always wanted that. Great album, my favourite until I heard Compulsion in the Mosaic box Quote
Head Man Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 NorthSea sounds like totally the wrong venue for Andrew Hill's music - although when I saw him in Bath back in 2003/4-ish with a big band it sounded a bit under-rehearsed with with badly compromised stage sound. The solo piano and Archie Shepp duo performances at the QEH London a few years earlier were better/more coherent (especially the solo set). The only time I saw him live was at The Irish Centre in Leeds in May 2003 with an Anglo-American Big Band. The band was obviously a bit under-rehearsed and Andrew looked rather frail. Although the band was billed as the Andrew Hill Big Band I seem to recall that it was lead on stage by another member of the band. An enjoyable evening but I'd loved to have seen him leading a small group in his heyday. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Funny, while POD certainly is a spectacular date -- I must say that in the corner of my brain that it occupies, I often associate it as being as much an Eric Dolphy sort of date (for me, Dolphy dominates the proceedings), as Hill's. Early, early on in the first half-decade of my first jazz listening (mid 90's), I even filed it under "Dolphy" in my collection. While I love POD, I think it's elevation (in most camps) as being almost THE definitive Andrew Hill date seems a little off to me. I'd be more likely to nominate "Black Fire" for that. When I'm loaning out Hill CD's to someone, I usually give folks "Black Fire" and "Passing Ships" to start with -- as (what I feel) are the two best examples of his early and later (60's) BN periods. POD does have numerous AMAZING performances -- but so does Black Fire, with the added benefit of (what I think) are stronger tunes (compositions). I heard Andrew's quartet at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in 2003 - one of the most memorable live dates I've yet been to! (Along with Sun Ra, Sam Rivers, and Grachan Moncur) Quote
Steve Reynolds Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Saw Hill's sextet around 1998 with Ehrlich, Horton, Colley and Drummond I forget the tenor player Band was awesome due in large part to Marty Ehrlich and Billy Drummond Quote
Lazaro Vega Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 The 1988 CD re-issue gives March 31st, 1964 as the date of the recording..... Quote
Lazaro Vega Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 And that appears to be incorrect according to discography, etc. Quote
Justin V Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Somehow, despite it being his most acclaimed album, this is one of only two Andrew Hill Blue Note albums that I don't own. At this point, maybe I'm hoping for an expanded SHM reissue. Quote
sidewinder Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) The only time I saw him live was at The Irish Centre in Leeds in May 2003 with an Anglo-American Big Band. Saw the Bath Fest performance of that one (late May/early June). Even got to have a chat with Mr Hill after the show as he was having a beer and he signed some CDs and the Mosaic booklet for me (in really scrappy hand-writing !). A very nice person and really glad I got to meet him. Edited March 21, 2014 by sidewinder Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 This thread reminds me to see if I have the US RVG CD issue of POD (which I'm sure I probably have), to read the supplemental essay that appears there in the liners (which I haven't read in years). POD is the Hill date I've had the longest - so I probably take it a little for granted (even as great as it is). But a few random thoughts... If I'm recalling correctly, POD is the only Hill date (from the big Mosaic, 63-66) with three horns on the front line. And, yet, the date doesn't function anything like a date with a big horn-driven front-line (like the Messengers dates, for instance, with trombone). Strangely enough, POD is also one of the only dates I can think of with Joe Henderson (another guy I also obsessively collect, every bit as much as Hill) -- that I really DON'T associate with Joe Henderson very much at all. My brain scarcely remembers that Joe is even on POD, unless I'm actually playing it (though I certainly associate Joe's other dates with Andrew quite strongly - both Black Fire and the date that was later released as Pax). The one thing about POD that almost supersedes all else is DOLPHY. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 The only time I saw him live was at The Irish Centre in Leeds in May 2003 with an Anglo-American Big Band. Saw the Bath Fest performance of that one (late May/early June). Even got to have a chat with Mr Hill after the show as he was having a beer and he signed some CDs and the Mosaic booklet for me (in really scrappy hand-writing !). A very nice person and really glad I got to meet him. I think I was at that one too. Was it really 2003? Or did he come back again later? Remember really enjoying it and going back to his more recent records as a result. Quote
Simon8 Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Funny, while POD certainly is a spectacular date -- I must say that in the corner of my brain that it occupies, I often associate it as being as much an Eric Dolphy sort of date (for me, Dolphy dominates the proceedings), as Hill's. Early, early on in the first half-decade of my first jazz listening (mid 90's), I even filed it under "Dolphy" in my collection. While I love POD, I think it's elevation (in most camps) as being almost THE definitive Andrew Hill date seems a little off to me. I'd be more likely to nominate "Black Fire" for that. When I'm loaning out Hill CD's to someone, I usually give folks "Black Fire" and "Passing Ships" to start with -- as (what I feel) are the two best examples of his early and later (60's) BN periods. POD does have numerous AMAZING performances -- but so does Black Fire, with the added benefit of (what I think) are stronger tunes (compositions). I heard Andrew's quartet at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in 2003 - one of the most memorable live dates I've yet been to! (Along with Sun Ra, Sam Rivers, and Grachan Moncur) Pretty much the same for me. I've never truly connected with POD, but very much so with "Black Fire" (I like "Dance with Death" for late 60's Hill). Quote
alankin Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Saw his sextet (?) in Philadephia in, I think, 2006. Quote
Homefromtheforest Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Well I think I know what record I'll play tonight if I get some time. Maybe "judgement" and "Andrew!!!" too if time allows.... I think Dolphy dominates this session too FWIW Quote
Guy Berger Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Posted March 21, 2014 Well I think I know what record I'll play tonight if I get some time. Maybe "judgement" and "Andrew!!!" too if time allows.... I think Dolphy dominates this session too FWIW I agree that Dolphy "dominates" this session as an instrumentalist. I view that as a point in its favor; Dolphy on a good day is one of the most glorious things in jazz, and here we have "Dolphy on a good day" complemented by an array of 5 other great musicians and 5 fantastic compositions. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted March 21, 2014 Report Posted March 21, 2014 Never meant to suggest Dolphy's dominance was in any way a bad thing - but it certainly is a thing that ought to be acknowledged when discussing POD. FWIW, my ears think POD sounds even more like a "Dolphy date", than "Dialogue" sounds like an Andrew Hill date (which it does). Quote
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