Biography: Andrew Hill
Throughout his forty year career, pianist and composer Andrew Hill defied categorization with his enigmatic and sophisticated musical style. He was hailed by The New York Times as “one of the 1960's jazz heroes" and was alternately referred to as a genius and a master by critics and colleagues alike. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America (1997), received the JAZZPAR Award (2003), and was named Jazz Composer of the Year four times by the Jazz Journalists Association. A champion of Hill's music, the late Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion proclaimed Hill his “last great protg" and produced his early classics for the label, including Point of Departure. With over forty recordings to his name, Hill consistently astounded listeners with his unorthodox compositions. In 2000, after over a decade of silence, Hill released Dusk (Palmetto Records), winning Down Beat's Jazz Album of the Year. His nonet album, Passing Ships, recorded in 1969 for mixed winds, brass, and a rhythm section, enjoyed much attention and acclaim when it was rediscovered and released for the first time in 2003 (the music also received its first public performance at Merkin Hall in 2006). His final release, Time Lines (Blue Note 2006), was voted Best Jazz Album by Down Beat magazine. In the months following his passing he has been designated a NEA Jazz Master (2008) and has been the posthumous recipient of several honors, including an honorary doctorate of music degree from the Berkelee College of Music, induction into the Down Beat Hall of Fame, and three awards from the Jazz Journalists Association: Composer of the Year (2007), Pianist of the Year (2007), and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz. Just before his passing, Hill joined the ranks of such lauded composers as Stravinsky, Copland, Elliott Carter, as well as jazz luminaries David Benoit and Chick Corea by signing with renowned music publisher Boosey & Hawkes.
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