I got myself a couple of original Andrew Hill LP’s on Blue Note. This is one of them, “Black Fire”. Great album and great line-up consisting of some of the very best of the later Blue Note roster: Andrew Hill on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Richard Davis on double bass and Roy Haynes on drums. The music is very interesting, like many other later Blue Note titles. It’s post bop, which I really love. Andrew Hill is a wonderful pianist. Has his own unique style. A very inventive and progressive player. I’ve dived into Joe Henderson’s stuff lately and he has quickly become a favorite of mine. I really need to bolster the collection with his outstanding albums as a leader on Blue Note.
I have explored the later Blue Note 4000 series for some time now. It’s a lovely part of the catalogue and many superb titles and different artists that I haven’t listened to a lot has popped up. I have found some outstanding music there which I’m very excited about. Artists like Andrew Hill, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Grachan Moncur III, Joe Chambers, Herbie Hancock, Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter and so on, are featured on these great Blue Notes. I’m searching for a plethora of titles from this period and the search has really just begun. I’ve been after Blue Note titles specifically lately, cause I feel there are so many great albums there, that I need to go after. So many artists that I’ve discovered and enjoy are featured very heavily in the 4000 series. They always sound great and a lot of the cover art is of course fantastic. Also, I’ve been concentrating on other labels for quite some time now and the lure of the Blue Note label just came calling I guess. So, as a result I’ve been able to add a few Blue Notes to the collection which I’m very happy about.
Back to “Black Fire”. If you haven’t listened to this album and you enjoy a bit more challenging tones and rhythms than you get from your standard hard bop stuff, then give this a try. It’s quite accessible I think. It’s one of those great titles from the later 4000 series for sure.
Some questions: I wonder what my readers think of this title? Do you have any other favorite titles that feature Andrew Hill? Let me know.
I’ll try to post a bit more often, so stay tuned for more great LP’s from the collection coming up. Stay safe everyone. Cheers!