The Best Candidate for Remix and Re-release
Darryl Dickson-Carr | Dallas, TX USA | 09/18/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Andrew Hill's _Judgment_ is easily one of his masterpieces. Like the long-deleted _Andrew!!!_ (finally being released on CD in October '05), its disappearance from Blue Note's CD catalogue in the early '90s was the source of considerable bewilderment for Hill's devotees. (I was fortunate to get that earlier release in the short period it was available.)
That bewilderment was heightened by the relatively poor remastering of the earlier CD release. For years, I was frustrated by the low recording levels and the whispery opening bass figure of the first track, "Siete Ocho." Considering the way that figure anchors the performance, it was disheartening to hear it fade into the mix. Now Rudy Van Gelder has given it some punch, thereby restoring all the power to the track as a whole.
The rest of the CD has brightened as well. Overall, this is not a dramatic improvement over the earlier release, save for the aforementioned "Siete Ocho," but it certainly beats it, hands down.
This is truly one of the essential recordings of any genre. I have played it nearly every month for the last dozen years or so. You won't regret it."
Brilliant!!!
Jakob Hellberg | Gothenburg, Sweden | 01/31/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Blue Note had a knack for discovering off-kilter piano players. First it was Monk who was initially ridiculed and sold badly but after a decade or so people began to understand that he really was something else and he is now (rightfully) considered one of the most important composers and improvisers in jazz ever. After that it was the underrated Herbie Nicols, who like Monk, initally suffered total public indifference. Nowadays however, Nichols is namechecked by tons of musicians and an "underground" legend. Unfortunately, he never lived to see this. Last in this line was Andrew Hill. Frank Lion loved his work and let him record no less than 5 records in approximately 6 months. unfortunately they sold very bad and, with the exception of Point of Departure, has been mostly out of print in the latest 40 years. This, along with the fact that most of Hills later records have been on smaller european companies and in solo-settings, has meant that not many people have heard him. Now, however, Blue Note have no less than 4 of these masterpieces in print (the only one missing from this initial bunch of records is the somewhat weaker "Smokestack"). Hopefully this means that Hill will finally get the recognition he deserves. That he will have a new record out on Blue Note soon (featuring Charles Tolliver, another forgotten great!!!) doesn't make matters worse.
About this record, it doesn't have any horns on it which may turn some people off but the compositions are uniformly brilliant (arguably my favourite Hill record in terms of the written material)and the interplay between Hill, Hutcherson and the always wonderful Richard Davis is incredible. The added bonus is that the drummer on this record is Elvin Jones. Hill usually recorded with drummers like Roy Haynes, Joe Chambers and Tony Williams who all have a more quirky, "skittery" way of playing drums compared with Jones muscular and extroverted style. The contrast between Jones (who doesn't overplay at all, he sounds really sympathetic to the other musicians) and the others more introverted stylings gives this record a unique sound compared with Hills other records from this era. It arguably also makes the record more accessible for newcomers to Hills music which makes this a great introduction!!!"
Landmark "Judgment!"
Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 08/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Andrew Hill's "Point of Departure" is an undisputed modern jazz masterpiece, but in the last twenty years, the average fan would have been hard pressed to locate a second Blue Note album by the pianist. Yes, many of his albums have been available as limited edition titles in the Connoisseur Series, or via Mosaic Records, but only with the recent reissue of "Black Fire" (see my review) and "Judgment!" in the RVG Edition Series, have more Hill discs finally received a permanent place in the EMI catalog. This glorious January 8, 1964 session features Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Richard Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums performing six of the pianist's original compositions (including an alternate take of "Yokada, Yokada"). While not as densely layered as the multi-horn stylings of "Departure" (made just two months later on March 21 by the way), this material is just as exploratory and enjoyable. Hutch and Hill have chemistry right from the start, and they would build on this success many times in the following decades, the next being the still out-of-print "Andrew!" from June of '64. Needless to say, frequent collaborator Davis and Jones are both in top form. Judge for yourself, but I certainly wouldn't pass on "Judgment!""
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
