Andrew Hill (pianist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrew Hill
Background information
Born	June 30, 1931 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died	April 20, 2007(2007-04-20) (aged 75) Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Jazz, avant-garde jazz, bebop, hard bop
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader, composer
Instruments	Piano, celeste, harpsichord
Years active	1954–2007
Labels	Blue Note, SteepleChase, Soul Note, Palmetto

Andrew Hill (born June 30, 1931 – died April 20, 2007) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was known for his unique and creative approach to jazz music.

A jazz critic named John Fordham said Andrew Hill was a "uniquely gifted composer, pianist, and teacher." Even though he was very talented, many people in the wider jazz world didn't know about him for a long time.

Andrew Hill recorded many albums for Blue Note Records, a famous jazz label. He made about a dozen albums with them over almost ten years.

Andrew Hill's Life Story

Growing Up in Chicago

Andrew Hill was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were William and Hattie Hill. He had a brother named Robert, who was a singer and played the classical violin.

Andrew started playing the piano when he was thirteen years old. A famous jazz musician named Earl Hines encouraged him to play. As a child, he went to the University of Chicago Experimental School. He also studied music informally with Paul Hindemith, a well-known composer, until 1952.

When he was a teenager, Andrew played in rhythm and blues bands. He also performed with famous jazz musicians who were touring, like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

Andrew once shared a fun memory from his childhood. He said, "I started out in music as a boy soprano, singing and playing the accordion, and tap dancing." He had a small act and won prizes at talent shows. He even won turkeys at Thanksgiving parties!

Starting His Music Career

In 1950, Andrew learned his first blues changes on the piano. He learned them from a saxophonist named Pat Patrick. His first professional music job was in 1953 with Paul Williams' band. At that time, he played both the piano and the baritone saxophone.

Over the next few years, playing piano helped him meet many musicians. Some of them, like Joe Segal and Barry Harris, became important influences. In 1961, he moved to New York City. He had been traveling as an accompanist for singer Dinah Washington. In New York, he worked with Johnny Hartman and Al Hibbler. Later, he briefly moved to Los Angeles County. There, he played with Roland Kirk's quartet and at the Lighthouse Café jazz club.

Andrew Hill first recorded as a sideman (a musician who plays with a band leader) in 1954. But he became famous for his own recordings as a leader. These were the Blue Note albums he made from 1963 to 1970. On these albums, he played with many other important jazz musicians. Some of these included Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, and Tony Williams.

After the 1960s, Andrew Hill rarely played as a sideman. He preferred to play his own music. This might have meant fewer people knew about him. He later taught music in California. He was a professor at Portland State University from 1989 to 1996. He also led a Summer Jazz Intensive program there. He performed and taught at other schools too, like Harvard University.

Andrew Hill's album Dusk was named the best album of 2001 by two jazz magazines. In 2003, he won the Jazzpar Prize, a big award in jazz. Many of his older recordings from the 1960s were also released later. One important one was Passing Ships, which featured a large group of musicians.

In 2004, he appeared on a show called SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions. Because he was becoming more well-known again, he released a new Blue Note album. It was called Time Lines and came out in 2006.

His last public performance was on March 29, 2007. It took place at Trinity Church in New York City.

Andrew Hill's Personal Life

Andrew met his first wife, Laverne Gillette, at the Lighthouse Café. She was an organist there. They got married in 1963 and moved to New York.

Laverne passed away in California in 1989 after a long illness. Andrew married Joanne Robinson Hill, a dancer and educator, in 1992. They moved to New York City in 1995. From 2000, Andrew and Joanne lived in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Andrew Hill passed away at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey, in April 2007.

In May 2007, he received a special honorary doctorate degree. This was from Berklee College of Music, and it was given to him after he passed away.

Andrew Hill's Playing Style

Andrew Hill was mainly influenced by three famous pianists: Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Art Tatum.

He said that Monk was like composers Ravel and Debussy. He felt that Monk put a lot of his own personality into his playing. Andrew believed that the personality of music is what makes it special.

He also felt that Bud Powell was a very important influence. However, Andrew thought that if you copied Bud too much, you would always sound like him. Andrew Hill called Art Tatum the best example of "all modern piano playing."

Discography

As Leader

Compilations

• Mosaic Select 16: Andrew Hill (Mosaic)
• Mosaic Select 23: Andrew Hill-Solo (Mosaic)
• The Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66) (Mosaic)
• One for One (Blue Note, 1975)

As Sideman

With Walt Dickerson

• To My Queen (New Jazz, 1963) – recorded 1962

With Roland Kirk

• Domino (Mercury, 1962)

With Jimmy Woods

• Conflict (Contemporary, 1963)

With Hank Mobley

• No Room for Squares (Blue Note, 1964) – recorded 1963

With Joe Henderson

• Our Thing (Blue Note, 1964) – recorded 1963

With Bobby Hutcherson

• Dialogue (Blue Note, 1965)

With Russel Baba

• Earth Prayer (Ruda Music, 1992)

With Reggie Workman

• Summit Conference (Postcards, 1994) – recorded 1993

With Greg Osby

• The Invisible Hand (Blue Note, 2000) – recorded 1999

See also

In Spanish: Andrew Hill para niños