‘Alfred’, by Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill (1931-2007) made his reputation by his Blue Note recordings as leader from 1963 to 1970, which featured several other important post-bop musicians including Joe Chambers, Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard. His distinctive compositions accounted for three of the five pieces on Bobby Hutcherson’s classic ‘Dialogue’ album, which I wrote about earlier.
Hill rarely worked as a sideman after the 1960’s, preferring to play his own compositions, which may have limited his public exposure, and he spend most of his later career teaching.
On the 1964 album ‘Judgment!’, Hill placed Hutcherson’s vibes, rather than a horn player, in the front line and used Richard Davis, his favorite bassist, appearing on seven sessions between 1963 and 1965. Drummer Elvin Jones had ended his six-year run with John Coltrane, rejecting Coltrane’s total transition away from defined structure.
What stands out, listening to this music, is the lengths the group go to push the boundaries. All four players are pushing hard, there are no ‘sidemen’ here. The interplay between them all is what drives the session.
I suppose the song ‘Alfred’ is dedicated to Alfred Lion, the co-founder of Blue Note Records.
Andrew Hill - Piano
Bobby Hutcherson - Vibraphone
Richard Davis - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums
