Search - Andrew Hill :: Change

Caveat emptor

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 06/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buyer beware, as always with a Blue Note reissue. This brilliant CD has a fairly typical history for the label. This session was recorded on March 7th, 1966 about five months after Compulsion. It features my beloved Mr. Hill on piano and harpsichord, Sam Rivers on (inspired) tenor, Walter Booker on the bass and J.C. Moses on drums. According to the notes by Michael Cuscana, Alfred Lion originally intended to release this under Hill's name and with the current title, Change. This was to refer to the change in direction that Hill's music had taken toward freer and longer pieces that had begun with Compulsion.

For whatever reason, Blue Note did not issue this until the mid-70s as part of a Sam Rivers twofer and the session was entitled Involution. If you have that session, then you already have tracks 1-6. Tracks 7 and 8 were released as part of Mosaic's Complete Andrew Hill Sessions 1963-1966.

I have a copy of the Mosaic Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions but I do not have it in front of me at the moment. It should contain this session as well. Thus my title- if you own any of the above titles, you already own all or part of this CD.

The other part of my title refers to the fact that not everybody likes this phase of Hill's career. I love it but there are those who thinks it is too cerebral or chaotic or some such. The samples on this page should let you know what to expect. But make sure to listen to Pain which is a sweet little Monkish trio piece.

For those of you who like the free stuff, I suggest the following Hill titles: Point of Departure, Compulsion, Strange Serenade, this title and the Mosaic Select Box 16 which includes a couple of late-60s unreleased Blue Notes sessions that are outstanding. For those of you that prefer the more In the Tradition side of Hill, I suggest Black Fire, Judgement, Dance with Death or Time Lines for something more recent. I also have a Listmania List entitled A Guide for the Perplexed: Andrew Hill's Lifetime of Achievement that is a fairly complete listing of his recorded work as a leader.

Hill was one of the great composers and pianist of recent jazz history. It is nice to finally have so much of his earlier work available again. Peruse and enjoy."

Great session. All tracks on Hill Mosaic.

Cale Fanatic | Land of Enchantment | 09/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just a clarification on prior availability of this amazing session: All 8 tracks are on the Andrew Hill "Complete Blue Note Sessions (1963-66)" Mosaic set. They are NOT on the Sam Rivers Mosaic. Master takes first issued on the Rivers vinyl two-fer "Involution". Alternates first issued on the Hill Mosaic (also first CD reissue of the masters). A very "emotional" Hill/Rivers collaboration. Great stuff!"

May be more for Sam Rivers' fans than Hill's

Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 03/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is right up there as 1 of the 2 best Blue Notes with Sam Rivers. It's THE best, depending on my mood. Recorded on 3/7/66 with Andrew Hill piano/compositions, Sam Rivers tenor, Walter Booker bass and J.C. Moses drums, this is simultaneously a great album and one that will probably be alot of people's least favorite Hill album if they're not so much into outside/freer music. Also, make sure to read previous reviews detailing the where, why and how you may already own all or part of this cd on previous repackagings.



Moreso than any of Sam's other Blue Note appearances, this one is like Fuchsia Swing Song 2.0. It's as if Fuchsia went outside. Still, I think Change also shows that Sam's inclusion in an Andrew Hill band would probably only work so well in exactly this sort of context... these more outward musical goals. Andrew... my god he had gifts. He was clearly a step or 2 ahead of everyone else. Aside from his compositional skills, he also usually knew who could best service a given set of compositions. This is the perfect album for Sam to be part of, but I don't think Andrew!!! or Compulsion would have been nearly as good with him. For the compositions that clearly have angles and fragments, and seem to demand clear, memorable, brief statements, John Gilmore is God-like on those 2 albums.



With Change being a heck of an album, I also feel it probably sounds different than what alot of people hear in their mind when they think Andrew Hill. If you love him but you don't love Sam Rivers (not just his playing, but also the general angle of attack of his music overall), beware. I also wish the bass were more prominent in the mix.

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