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News Fri Apr 20 2007
Black Fire Quenched
News has been circulating that jazz pianist Andrew Hill died this morning, passing away at the age of 75 at his home in Jersey City. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Hill grew up on the Southside of Chicago. He recorded some of his earliest work for the Chicago-based Vee-Jay label in the 1950s, but first came to many people's attention via the recordings he made, both as a ensemble leader and sideman, for Blue Note in the decade that followed. Frequently working with such like-minded adventurous souls as Roland Kirk, Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers, Ron Carter, and Bobby Hutcherson, Hill became know as one of a new generation of "out," avant-garde jazz musicians and composers. He faded from the public view (and from the memories of many) for years thereafter, even though he continued recording and performing the entire time. A delayed renewal of interest in his work came about in the 1990s after Blue Note reissued many of his stellar recordings from the his early stint on the label, including such essential titles as Black Fire, Point of Departure, and Judgement.