Andrew Hill (pianist)
A jazz pianist and composer whose harmonically daring and structurally complex work formed a unique bridge between post-bop and the avant-garde.
1931–2007 (age 76)·American jazz pianist and composer·Birthday: June 30·The Silent Generation
Biography
Andrew Hill’s music existed in its own atmospheric space, a world of oblique melodies, shifting rhythms, and chords that seemed to breathe. Born in Chicago in 1931, he was a prodigy encouraged by Earl Hines, but his sound was unmistakably his own. Moving to New York in the early 1960s, he entered the fertile Blue Note era. Albums like 'Point of Departure' and 'Judgment!' are now revered classics, featuring titans like Eric Dolphy and Joe Henderson, yet they never quite fit the free-jazz or hard-bop molds of the time. Hill’s compositions were intricate puzzles, demanding deep listening. This intellectual density, combined with a period of academic focus, kept him somewhat under the radar for years, a musician's musician. A late-career renaissance, including a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master fellowship, brought him wider acclaim. Until his death in 2007, Hill continued to lead ensembles that explored the shadowy, beautiful corners of his imagination, leaving a catalog that feels both timeless and perpetually new.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Andrew was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2007Died at 76
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
Key Achievements
- Recorded a seminal series of albums for Blue Note Records in the 1960s, including 'Black Fire', 'Point of Departure', and 'Judgment!'.
- Received the Jazz Master fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1997.
- Served as a professor and artist-in-residence at several universities, including Portland State University and Wesleyan University.
Did You Know?
As a teenager in Chicago, he was discovered and mentored by the pioneering jazz composer Paul Hindemith.
His 1964 album 'Point of Departure' featured a legendary sextet including Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, and Kenny Dorham.
He battled tuberculosis for much of his youth, which limited his early touring but focused his time on composition and theory.
“I try to play what I hear, and I hear something different.”
