Late

OK, I just checked my sources — the liner notes to Black Fire, by A.B. Spellman, and Leonard Feather's The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties both list Hill(e)'s birthplace as Port au Prince, Haiti. His family did move to Chicago, however, in 1941 when Andrew was 4. As a note of interest, according to Feather, "Hill started in music as a boy soprano, singing, playing accordion and tap dancing. He appeared in local talent shows from 1943-47. In 1950 he learned to play blues on the piano. His teacher was a baritone saxophonist. On his early jobs he played baritone as well as piano. He worked with Paul Williams' r&b at 15, later coming into contact with many name jazzmen at Joe Segal's jam sessions." Feather even lists his address (from 1969): Andrew Hill 212 West 102nd St. New York 25, NY p.s. Mike Weil, I dig your avatar!

I voted for Frank. In my book, Rosolino's the only trombonist who's the equal of Jay Jay's talent. I also enormously dig Roswell Rudd, but I've already gotten off the list. Here's a Rosolino site with a sobering account by Gene Lees of Rosolino's last days. Good, albeit painful, reading.

Paul Bley has agendas? Wait, are those Annette's hands, or ... ? That photo actually comes from an interesting site. Some of my favorite Bley recordings therein. I've read elsewhere about Bley's (sometimes curious) comments, namely that he only listens to his own records. I couldn't tell if he was serious or not. Doesn't diminish the fact, of course, that he's an amazing pianist. Red, nice call on "a moment of truly transcendental playing." I'm struck the exact same way. When I reach for this recording, it's always because of Rollins' playing. I love Coleman Hawkins too, but when I want to dig Bean, I reach for something else — right now it's his 30's work with Benny Carter's orchestra. In fact, a great solo of Bean's to check out from this time is on "Crazy Rhythm." Recorded in 1937 in Paris, Bean, in his brief solo, plays some wild lines that almost seem to prophesy what Newk would play nearly 30 years later. Not just incidentally, I suppose, was Bean The Daddy of the Tenor Saxophone. His 30's work strikes me just as transcendentally as Newk's 60's work. Cut, uncut, those two (I like to think) had to have had a good laugh afterward: cigar smoke, scotch in hand, maybe even Bean considering a mohawk.

Sonar operator for the navy? Hey, that's Al! (Joe X-mas.) Has he been to this board (yet)? I miss the guy's posting humor. Sidewinder, the JRVG, when it comes out, might just have (probably will have) an entirely different sound pallette. Maybe Taylor's alto will sneak through a bit more. That is, if the two bonus tracks are on it. If so, I'll likely be lumping over the sterling for that disc. The question is ... will Hans? Blue Spirits might be finding its place in the Offering & Looking For forum in coming days.

The Japanese remaster (in mini-LP format) of this album is staggering. One of the best-sounding discs I own. This is my favorite Rollins studio session. I hear it less as a cutting session than as a meeting of two generations — one, a sort of mentor (Hawkins), the other a sort of student (Rollins). I've always thought that Hawkins' was, in a way and I guess ironically, following Rollins' lead. Newk, to be sure, is letting his "avant garde" inclinations dominate his playing here, and I hear in return Hawkins pushing his own boundaries. I imagine that Newk was probably just a little nervous for this gig. He's recording with his idol, and likely doesn't want to sound like him. So, what does he do? In my perception, he tries his damnedest to improvise figures that are anything but like Bean. And, for me, this pays off handsomely. There is a creative tension in Newk's playing here that one doesn't always hear — in large part because Newk's mastery is always so total: confidence brims in his lines. On this date, however, I hear something different. His improvisations have an edgy (in a positive way) hesitation: he's forcing himself into territory that he's necessarily never fully explored. And that is precisely why I think his improvising here (in the studio) was never matched in quite the same way. Whereas Saxophone Colossus displays authority and youthful vigor, Sonny Meets Hawk displays a curious, and wonderful, uncertainty that ultimately (in my opinion) translates into some inspired thinking. In my book, this is the most forward-looking Rollins on record, and I wish he would have kept pushing himself in this direction.

Sidewinder, Try a few more spins (so I don't start feeling paranoid). The "third horn" is actually pitched differently (different notes, I mean) than Joe's horn. It's right under Freddie's trumpet: quiet, but not too quiet. Blocking out Herbie's comping (strange thing to say!) helps bring out the alto. Jürgen, I understand from your post that Taylor is indeed on alto? I wonder why Cuscuna would call it a quintet session then. Late

I imagine most people here (pre)ordering this set already are familiar with the music. I'd like to read more opinions/reviews on the playing. Here's my 2¢: I've always been fond of this set for Miles' soloing. In fact, I find his improvisations here a lot more interesting than on the Plugged Nickel set. His chops are right on (as they aren't for the Plugged Nickel date), and his playing, to me, reveals a lot of confidence. That said, I would have to cast my vote with the I-think-I-would-rather-have-a-different-second-horn-than-Mobley's group. Of course, I like Hank's playing, but my ears have never really been able to adjust to his approach in the context of a Miles Davis band. I don't think Hank lessens the musicality of the set at all, but, for some reason, I keep thinking of other horn players I'd like to hear instead. For some reason, Frank Strozier's name keeps popping up in my mind. He played with Miles close to this time, and I think (perhaps) he could have brought a little more fire to this gig. Just speculation, of course. History can't be changed, and I'm still very eager to pick up this set. Other feelings about the music?

When Andrew Hill turns 66 this June 30th, I will be exactly half his age. I don't know what it is about sharing a birthdate with someone you admire ... you just feel (sound of Fred Rogers' voice) "special." Wasn't Hill born in Haiti? I'm trying to imagine that country in the 30's.

I was listening to Freddie's Blue Spirits yesterday — what a marvelous session. Very glad to see it receiving the (J)RVG treatment. I hope the two bonus tracks ("The Melting Pot" and "True Colors," both from 1966) make it onto the upcoming Japanese remaster! Here's what I stumbled upon. Listening to "The Melting Pot" on headphones, I noticed a third horn (an alto saxophone) just under Freddie's horn on the left channel. Joe Henderson's on the right channel on tenor. Now ... Cuscuna makes special mention of this track in his 1987 liner notes for the album's initial reissue on compact disc. And he calls it a quintet track. The third horn doesn't solo at all, so I can see how "quintet" would come to mind right away, but I'm 99% sure that this is actually a sextet session. The question is ... who's on alto? My immediate response would be James Spaulding, not only because he was a Hubbard regular, but because the alto (which blends exceedingly well into the ensemble, and is easy to miss) actually has Spaulding's tone. Can anyone with a discography do a check to see if Spaulding was at (or was listed as being at) the session? The cd liners don't list him as being there. Hosea Taylor (on bassoon), however, was there, and I wonder if perhaps he doubled on alto just for the ensemble passages. The actual date of the recording session is March 5, 1966 — apparently Freddie's last studio session for Blue Note (before he came back in the 80's). Only two tracks were completed, according to Cuscuna's note. "The Melting Pot," as I'm sure a lot of you already know, is a wonderful track (and composition), and I wish there had been more from this session! Bertrand? Kevin? Others?

Had to go with The All Seeing Eye. Ten years ago I lived in London (only for three months, but it seemed longer), and, for whatever reasons, had only five albums to listen to. One of them was The All Seeing Eye. For me, it's not only the most progressive Shorter album from the 60's, but it also contains his most expressive soloing ... though my favorite Shorter solo will always be the title track from "Speak No Evil" — a complete short story in that improvisation. Fitzgerald, Joyce ... would have been proud.

First post to this board! (After four years at the BNBB, I finally reached the hallowed 1,000 post mark. A few days later — of course this old news — the board went tumbling down. Now it's back to square one.) I voted for Involution. This album, along with Andrew! has always been my favorite Hill. Rivers seems to have an intuitive sense about Hill's music, and the compositions seem to me to contain some of Hill's most poignant, while perhaps less complicated, writing. The titles also seem to add a lot to the session's overall feel. In addition, the rhythm section (with Richard Davis noticeably absent) is a nice change of pace. This particular quartet session, more than any other Hill session I've heard, continues to pay the most handsome dividends. There's always something new to explore. Even the occasional moments of harpsichord begin to feel essential. I'd love to hear others' perspective on this one. Now ... what I really want to hear is that unissued trio session with Ron Carter. Glad to have joined the group, Late