Designer Reid Miles photographed Hill himself for the striking album cover design. Blue Note founder Alfred Lion considered Hill to have as distinct and important a compositional voice as Thelonious Monk, and the seven Hill compositions that the quartet explore here contain all the rare beauty to be found in his music. On his second Blue Note album Smoke Stack (1966), pianist and composer Andrew Hill used an unusual line-up of two bassists (Richard Davis and Eddie Khan) along with the masterful Roy Haynes on drums. The series resumes in May 2020 with Part 4 of the Great Reid Miles Covers theme - Larry Young – Into Somethin' (1964), Kenny Dorham – Trompeta Toccata (1965), and Andrew Hill – Smoke Stack (1966). Distinct from the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, this second series curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman features 180g vinyl LP releases in standard packaging with albums spanning the many eras of the label's history presented by themes: Blue Note Debuts, Blue Grooves, Great Reid Miles Covers, Blue Note Live, and Blue Note Drummer Leaders. Smoke Stack may have been more of a challenge to listeners at the time, but today it stands out as one of Hill's most satisfying efforts, if only because of his remarkable interplay with Davis.In honor of Blue Note Records' 80th Anniversary, the legendary jazz label is launching the Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series. Looking back on Hill's emergence, it's remarkable how much he varied the contexts in which he worked. But the tandem playing with Davis ensures an even greater elasticitywhich sometimes feels as though it might actually fall apart completely if it weren't for the real rhythmic glue that Haynes provides to bind this quartet. On "Wailing Wall," Haynes' prevalent cymbal work sets a precedent for drummers like Jon Christensen and Jack DeJohnette Davis' out-front arco gives credence to the song's title.Įven on the semi-swinging "Ode to Von," where the harmonies feel mainstream, Hill's playing always skews things just the slightest bit off-kilter. 2020 reissue - Trimming away some of the overt Afro-Cuban rhythms that distinguished Black Fire, Andrew Hill turned in a dense, cerebral set of adventurous. Even on the balladic "Verne," where Khan sits out, Haynes steadfastly maintains rhythmic consistency while Davis interacts more persistently with Hill. Unlike Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, who had already used twin-bass lineups but typically buried them underneath one or more solo voice, Hill places Davis front and center alongside his own idiosyncratic playing. Always a thinking man's bassist, Davis is at his most dominant on Smoke Stack, where Khan and Haynes assume the role of rhythmic anchor. Other sessions from 1963-65 would feature different drummers, but Davis remained a constant throughout the period. Hill's partners on this recording are bassists Richard Davis and Eddie Khan, along with drummer Roy Haynes, who also played on Black Fire. It eschewed the more traditional instrumentation of Black Fire (1963), Judgement! (1964) and Point of Departure (1965) in favor of a piano/two-bass/drums lineup that was likely too unorthodox, even for a label that wasn't particularly averse to the unconventional. While Hill's other sessions from the time were equally challenging from a compositional perspective, Smoke Stack was the most inherently difficult to fathom. Smoke Stack, the second of six Blue Note sessions recorded between November 1963 and February 1965, was the pianist's fourth release by the label. What they didn't know was that it would be decades before his value was truly appreciated.īut better late than never. On his second Blue Note album Smoke Stack, pianist and composer Andrew Hill used an unusual line-up of two bassists (Richard Davis and Eddie Khan) along with the masterful Roy Haynes on drums. Play online or download to listen offline free - in HD audio, only on JioSaavn. The people at Blue Note knew they had a gem when they signed him. Listen to Smoke Stack on the English music album Broken Colour by Andrew Hill, only on JioSaavn. Stream songs including 'Smoke Stack', 'The Day After' and more. The pianist was too aligned with mainstream harmony to be considered avant garde, too complex a writer to be considered free, too abstruse a player to be considered mainstream. Listen to Smoke Stack (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) by Andrew Hill on Apple Music. Emerging at the beginning of the '60s, Andrew Hill was always difficult to pigeonhole.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |