Andrew Hill Dusk CD

Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Marty Ehrlich (alto saxophone); Greg Tardy (tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet); Ron Horton (trumpet); Scott Colley (bass); Billy Drummond (drums).
Recorded on September 15 and October 27, 1999. Includes liner notes by Howard Mandel.
Personnel: Andrew Hill (piano); Greg Tardy (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Marty Ehrlich (alto saxophone); Ron Horton (trumpet); Billy Drummond (drums).
Liner Note Author: Howard Mandel.
Recording information: Maggie's Farm, Buck's County, PA (09/15/1999/10/??/1999).
Andrew Hill's first album since 1990's But Not Farewell is also his first for Palmetto, a daring indie label for which his unorthodox music is perfectly suited. A fascinating song cycle inspired by Jean Toomer's 1923 book Cane, Dusk finds the veteran pianist at the helm of a phenomenal new sextet comprised of Ron Horton on trumpet, Gregory Tardy and Marty Ehrlich on saxophones, Scott Colley on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums. The somewhat lengthy title track, built upon a repeated bassline, has the horns executing thick harmonies and darting unison passages. "Sept" and "15/8" are extended, frenetic forays into odd meter. "Tough Love" and "Focus" are unaccompanied piano solos that offer new insights into Hill's unpredictable musical language. "ML" and "Ball Square" are two relatively brief selections: the former a waltz, the latter an uptempo swing with a half-time interlude that strongly evokes Charles Mingus. "T.C." is a tribute to the late saxophonist Thomas Chapin, featuring Tardy and Ehrlich on dueling bass clarinets. (No bass clarinet credits are given on the CD jacket.) With Dusk, Andrew Hill makes it plain that his uncompromising musical vision is intact, undiluted, and perhaps more advanced than ever. ~ David R. Adler
Known for his adventurous leanings in his younger years, pianist Andrew Hill continues to compose challenging music in the later part of his career. Though the material hearkens to the time of his groundbreaking POINT OF DEPARTURE, it is with more burnished colors that Hill paints irregular abstractions on this session. Several New York post-bop veterans, including multi-reedists Marty Ehrlich and Greg Tardy, join Hill on this release.
The opening title track is a meandering piece that sets the tone for the disc with its free-flowing pulse that slowly builds in intensity underneath creative horn passages. Later, "Ball Square" presents a fiery Hill whipping up some Monk-ish lines while drummer Billy Drummond keeps the cauldron brewing with some very intense solo work. A high point is Hill's rare solo spot "Tough Love," which finds the pianist in a somewhat reflective mood. Another stellar sextet piece is the wickedly exciting "15/8," easily one of the pianists most raucous works. Finally, Hill returns with another solo venture, the incredibly brief "Focus."Q (10/00, p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A sparkling, playful tumble....making thorough use of the trumpet-and-two-reeds frontline..."
The Wire (6/00, pp.50-1) - "...Evidence that [he] is still much in his prime. The success of the album is largely due to the quality of the group he has assembled....Hill's long-delayed return marks an important new point of departure in his career."
Down Beat (7/00, pp.69,72) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Snippets of melody slide past like fragments of a half-remembered dream, thin block chords create odd punctuation, and compositions resolve unexpectedly but perfectly. Welcome to Andrew Hill's world - always an interesting place to visit."