Andrew Hill - Andrew!!! (1964) {2015 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster}

Andrew Hill - Andrew!!! (1964) {2015 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 328 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 174 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit 192 kHz remaster

© 2015 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5115

Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Quite possibly our favorite album ever from pianist Andrew Hill – a really unique outing that features the vibes of Bobby Hutcherson and a rare non-Sun Ra appearance by tenorist John Gilmore! The presence of Hutcherson brings a real "new thing" energy to the album – a feel that's similar to Bobby's classic Dialogue album, of which Hill was such an important part. But the searching tenor of Gilmore also brings a striking new level to the session as well – and his solos open up with a raw, earthy quality that really shades in the album with a great deal of feeling. Gilmore's role here is a bit like that of Joe Henderson on his freer Blue Note material – but his sound still undeniably unique, at a level that really makes us wish he'd recorded more albums like this at the time. The tracks are all originals by Hill, and include the titles "Duplicity", "Black Monday", "The Griots", and "Le Serpent Qui Danse". CD features 2 bonus alternate takes too!

Andrew Hill - Dance With Death (1968) {2012 Japanese BNLT Series Remaster}

Andrew Hill - Dance With Death (1968) {2012 Japanese BNLT Series Remaster}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 275 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 109 Mb

Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar

© 2012 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50282

Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Andrew Hill's Dance of Death, recorded in 1968 with a stellar band, was not issued until 1980. In the late 1960s, Blue Note was no longer the most adventurous of jazz labels. While certain titles managed to scrape through -- Eddie Gale's Ghetto Music did but only because Francis Wollf personally financed it -- many didn't. The label was firmly in the soul-jazz groove by then, and Hill's music, always on the edge, was deemed too outside for the label's roster. Musically, this is Hill at his most visionary. From hard- and post bop frames come modal and tonal inquiries of staggering complexity.

Andrew Hill - Blue Black (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

Andrew Hill - Blue Black (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 221 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 149 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering

© 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9159

Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

A really great session from pianist Andrew Hill – and one of his few post-Blue Note sessions to feature a horn player! The style of the set draws from a few strands of Hill's career – in that Hill is playing in some freely exploratory piano modes, yet also manages to swing soulfully with the rest of the group, especially sax player Jimmy Vass – who makes a rare appearance here on soprano, alto, and flute. In a way, the album probably most closely resembles the Andrew LP on Blue Note – which is great by us, as it's one of his best sets! Titles include "One For", "Remnants", "Blue Black", and "Golden Spook".

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti (1976) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

Andrew Hill - Nefertiti (1976) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 233 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 157 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering

© 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9162

Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Reissue with DSD remastering. Originally recorded for the Japanese East Wind label and only made available domestically on a 1979 Inner City LP, this trio outing by pianist Andrew Hill also features bassist Richard Davis and drummer Roger Blank. Hill performs six of his unpredictable originals ("Nefertiti" is his tune, not the more famous composition by Wayne Shorter) and, although the music seems slightly more conservative than usual for a Hill set, the music is consistently stimulating; too bad it's so difficult to locate.

Andrew Hill - Hommage (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

Andrew Hill - Hommage (1975) {2015 DSD Japan East Wind Masters Collection 1000}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 151 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 91 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 140 Mb | 5% repair rar | DSD Mastering

© 2015 East Wind Music / Universal Japan | UCCJ-9147

Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Piano

Reissue with DSD remastering. An obscure set of solo tunes from modernist Andrew Hill – originally recorded for the Japanese East West label in 1975, and a very different side of Andrew's music than his Blue Note work of the 60s – but one that's equally great!. Hill's playing a grand piano – with a complex approach to chords that's really compelling – this sense of flow and majesty that we really love, as Andrew tries out some sharp edges at points – but still retains some of that soulfulness he rediscovered as the 70s approached. There's a darkness to the material that we didn't always hear in Hill's other sides – and the intimacy of the recording shows that his talents are still extremely rich at this point in his career. Titles include "Naked Spirit", "Rambling", "Vision", "Clayton Gone", and "Insanity Riff".

Andrew Hill - Passing Ships (1969) {2003 Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series 24-bit Remaster}

Andrew Hill - Passing Ships (1969) {2003 Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series 24-bit Remaster}

XLD rip | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 300 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 113 Mb

Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar

© 2003 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 5 90417 2 8 | Connoisseur CD Series 24-bit remaster

Jazz / Modal Music / Progressive Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Now this is more like it. In its Connoisseur Series, Blue Note is making available a completely unreleased Andrew Hill date from 1969. Passing Ships wasn't even included in the Mosaic box because the master tape wasn't found until 2001. The band Hill employed on this session was a nonet, featuring Woody Shaw and Dizzy Reece on trumpets, Joe Farrell on reeds, woodwinds, and English horn, Howard Johnson on tuba and bass clarinet, Ron Carter on bass, Lenny White (on only his second recording date) playing drums, trombonist Julian Priester, and French horn player Bob Northern. The music here is ambitious.