Big BandMosaic Select: Andrew Hill (MS-016)
Mosaic Select
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"Andrew Hill is a major figure and this is consistently remarkabkle work." - Stuart Broomer, Signal to Noise |
The 2003 release of Andrew Hill's Passing Ships on Blue Note set off a torrent of requests for more unissued Hill material. After some discussions with the artist, we came up with a solution: clean out the closet in one fell swoop.
With the release of these sessions, recorded between 1967 and '70, every piece of music from Andrew Hill's Blue Note recordings has been issued. This outstanding, unique pianist-composer is heard in a variety of contexts, and only six of the 31 selections on this set have ever been out in any form. Their common denominator is Andrew's brilliant improvisations and unique compositions.
The 1970 sextet with trumpeter Charles Tolliver and saxophonists Pat Patrick and Bennie Maupin features six challenging pieces played with drive and swing. Some of the best writing in the set comes from two 1969 dates that pair Hill's quartet (Maupin, Ron Carter and Mickey Roker or Carlos Garnett, Richard Davis and Freddie Waits) with a fully integrated string quartet. Three tunes from each of these projects were previously issued, but now the entire sessions have been newly remixed from the original eight-track tapes for release.
A February 1967 session with saxophonists Robin Kenyatta and Sam Rivers features Hill's recorded debut at the organ on two selections, an instrument to which he returns for two pieces on his May 1967 trio date with Ron Carter and Teddy Robinson. From October 1967 comes a powerful septet date with Woody Shaw, Kenyatta, Rivers and Howard Johnson in the front line.
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Track Listing, Personnel & Recording Dates »
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For Hill hardcore fans only |
| Quite frankly, as well as succintly, I must admit that particularly the drummer on the free jazz sessions - listed as sessions C, D and E -, Mr. Teddy Robinson, puts me off: I really cannot get to like his drumming, even though I like free jazz... And to top it off the most interesting of these sessions, 'E', is in Mono, which is a shame, because there are some nice textures there with the percussion, played by Nadi Qamar, and the presence of the great Cecil McBee on bass, both present in 'Compulsion', from october 1965... And last but not least, there are the 'tentative' dates with the string quartet, which are quite uneven, by the way. My advice: for Hill hardcore fans only. | |
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To the Previous Review! |
| After listing to discs #2and#3 of this set I couldn't disagree with you more. As a fan of Andrew Hill I for didn't get that "feeling" at all. My take was this is cutting edge jazz at it's best.I love every note and second on the vol.#2and#3 sorry.Maybe you give them a second or third listen. I for one got it on the first listen. | |
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Well... |
| I love Andrew Hill's music but aside from the first CD I hardly ever listen to the awkward 2nd and 3rd CD's. Awkward because the music sounds as if it is being read off the sheet for the first time, which it was mostly. Pity. | |
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Anything by Hill is worth hearing |
| I got this set a couple of years ago and have found that it has worn well. I agree that some of the recording is not as clear as a typical Van Gelder session, but most of it sounds pretty good. The playing of the sidemen is uneven in places, but to label these sessions as second hand slop does a real disservice to the man behind it all. Anything Andrew Hill did is worth hearing as he was essentially infallible regardless if his sideman were flubbing a note or two.Andrew's compositions, arrangements, comping and soloing were "beyond category" to quote Ellington and demand attention. Much of the sessions are performed very well indeed. The set is very enjoyable on many levels and that is not just due to contributions and vision of the leader. The strings session is very interesting stuff! | |
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Andrew Hill with strings -- a revelation! |
| This Select is worth it for the strings session alone. That music is fantastic! The rest is solid as well. | |
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| hkjhk | |
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Andrew Hill Anthology |
| The bands are excellent, the music is often exciting. There haven't been many jazz musicians that could arrange for strings and make them sound like they belong in jazz. Andrew Hill is one who did succeed. This is sort of like an anthology of Andrew Hill, lots of variety. There are more cohesive Selects, but few that are as interesting. | |
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Just a Note |
| Although the Anita O'Day set is in the Last Chance category I just was mailed one with a number in the 2100's (it's a 7500) run. Yesterday 8/29 I phoned Mosaic and ordered the Andrew Hill Select - I had planned on ordering it anyway. I asked them if the rumor was true that there are less than a thousand copies left. The guy on the phone said wait a second, checked, and came back and said not true. My conclusion is that Mosaic is not very consistent with their numbering or with selling them in order. But I do think that the Andrew Hill Select will move faster than most considering how popular his music has become over the past few years. Hey, I'm glad my order is in, and thanks for the nudge! | |
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is this realy all thats left |
| thats all there is left to complain about i have found this set as well as the passing ships release to be so enjoyable. that i wish this wasnt it i know there is still many reissues of other hill albums to come, my only issue is the last session on disc 3 being mono but it still sounds pretty good diddy wah and monkash are slick but still classic andrew. robin kenyatta and sam rivers kick ass and this set was more comercial in spots than i thought, but that should make avant shy people happy to take the risk. thanks for not releasing the last disc as two seperate issues, as you could have done, my copy was 4150 so i know it runnig low if you liked passing ships or any post bop with a twist of avant guard dont hesitate i had it 3 months and i am still digging through it. these sets are just so damn cheap and full of music absolutely no 37 minutes discs here 3 hours plus. | |
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A masterpiece |
| What a fantastic find -- highly adventurous, contrasting forms, and unusual instrumentation. One of the best recordings I've heard in years ! | |
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Mixed impressions |
| It is certainly a pleasure to hear "new" music (which is, of course, about 35 years old) from giants like Woody Shaw, Sam Rivers or Charles Tolliver but I have the impression that some of the music was left in the can for good reasons. Also, the audio quality is as poor as on nearly all of Van Gelder's recordings from the 1960s - the horns and the drums come out best while the piano and the bass are lost in a haze. To me it is one of the great mysteries why Van Gelder is usually being lauded for his engineering. | |
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Yes - it's that good |
| I just want to add to the chorus of praise for this set. It's surprisingly good - and surprisingly entertaining - given that it's almost all unreleased material. Yes, some ensembles aren't perfect, but the musical ideas on display are at least as compelling as many on Hill's released albums, and the solos are excellent. Hill's playing fits well into the more "out" sessions, and while a few of the more intense passages on disc three don't go much of anywhere, even these furtherest "out" sessions generally work well. Interestingly, the disc three material is not chronologically last, so my guess is Mosaic chose to put the more accessible material first. Don't hestitate: these aren't inferior leavings, but vital and pleasurable music for any Hill (or inside/outside) fan. | |
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Compelling |
| I'm still working my way through this set, but the tracks with strings are worth the price of entry alone. Elsewhere some of the ensembles are a little ragged, there are one or two audible mistakes on the written parts, but the standard of solos is very high with the leader setting the pace as ever. All in all an extremely worthwhile set, I'm glad that Michael Cuscuna changed his mind and released this. (Andrew Hill playing with Pat Patrick - what a treat!) | |
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Wonderful! |
| This is a very worthwhile set, while not as cohesive as the earlier Blue Notes and the recent reissues. Excellent writing and improvisations --- as you would expect from Mr. Hill. A must-buy for any of his fans. | |
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Best. Mosaic Select. Ever. |
| While Mosaic never does wrong, this set is absolutely perfect. Three CDs of Andrew Hill, almost all of it previously unheard by the public. While these sessions probably sat in the vaults to lack of commercial viability at the time, they are every bit as good as Hill's contemporary Blue Note releases that have been released. Some of the lineups are chock full of heavy hitter sidemen- Sam Rivers, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, etc. Overall the set is a good indicator of the diversity of Hill's compositonal ideas in the late 60s. He is heard in large group settings, trio settings, and most amazingly working with a string quartet. I find the string quartet sessions to be the most remarkable on the set. Even fronted with Carlos Garnet on tenor sax, the ensemble is tightly arranged and seamless sounding. Its just super cool. Bravo to Mosaic for getting this out. Its nice to finally say I own every session Hill ever recorded for Blue Note. | |
Mosaic Select: Andrew Hill (MS-016)
Limited Edition: 5000 copies
3 CDs - $44.00
