egroj world: Andrew Hill • Grass Roots

Friday, May 6, 2022

Andrew Hill • Grass Roots

Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As the '60s drew to a close, Blue Note spent less time than ever with adventurous music, since it didn't sell as well as soul-jazz or mainstream hard bop. So, it may seem a little strange that the label invited Andrew Hill back to record in 1968, two years after he last cut a session for the label. Hill's work for the label stands among the most challenging cerebral post-bop of the '60s, but there was another side of Hill that wasn't showcased on those records: He also had a knack for groove and melody, as indicated by his composition "The Rumproller," a hard-grooving hard-bop classic made famous by trumpeter Lee Morgan. That was the side that Blue Note wanted to showcase on Grass Roots. Hill and his band were working from the basic template of making a commercial hard-bop album, but nevertheless pushed themselves to challenging territory. Blue Note sat on the session however, and Hill went back to the studio four months later with a new group of musicians: trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Freddie Waits. This group was every bit as adventurous as the last, but they laid down a solid groove without compromising the music. The end result may not be as bracing as Hill's earlier works, but it's a pleasure to hear him in such a genial, welcoming mood. Furthermore, the record is hardly insubstantial musically -- the songs have strong melodies, even hooks, to bring casual listeners in, but they give the musicians the freedom to find a distinctive voice in their solos. It's the best of both worlds, actually -- accessible, just like Blue Note wanted, without compromising Hill's integrity.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/grass-roots-mw0000603739

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Reseña
por Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A medida que los años 60 se acercaban a su fin, Blue Note dedicó menos tiempo que nunca a la música aventurera, ya que no se vendía tan bien como el soul-jazz o el hard bop dominante. Por ello, puede parecer un poco extraño que el sello invitara a Andrew Hill a volver a grabar en 1968, dos años después de que realizara su última sesión para el sello. El trabajo de Hill para el sello se encuentra entre los más desafiantes post-bop cerebrales de los años 60, pero había otro lado de Hill que no se mostró en esos discos: También tenía un don para el groove y la melodía, como indica su composición "The Rumproller", un clásico del hard-bop que se hizo famoso por el trompetista Lee Morgan. Ese era el lado que Blue Note quería mostrar en Grass Roots. Hill y su banda estaban trabajando a partir de la plantilla básica de hacer un álbum comercial de hard-bop, pero sin embargo se empujaron a sí mismos a un territorio desafiante. Sin embargo, Blue Note no aceptó la sesión y Hill volvió al estudio cuatro meses después con un nuevo grupo de músicos: el trompetista Lee Morgan, el saxofonista tenor Booker Ervin, el bajista Ron Carter y el batería Freddie Waits. Este grupo era tan aventurero como el anterior, pero estableció un ritmo sólido sin comprometer la música. El resultado final puede que no sea tan vigoroso como los primeros trabajos de Hill, pero es un placer escucharle en un estado de ánimo tan genial y acogedor. Además, el disco no es insustancial desde el punto de vista musical: las canciones tienen melodías fuertes, incluso ganchos, para atraer a los oyentes ocasionales, pero dan a los músicos la libertad de encontrar una voz distintiva en sus solos. Es lo mejor de ambos mundos, en realidad: accesible, como quería Blue Note, sin comprometer la integridad de Hill.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/grass-roots-mw0000603739

Colaborador / Contributor: Pierre

Tracks:
1 - Grass Roots - 5:39
2 - Venture Inward - 4:44
3 - Mira - 6:17
4 - Soul Special - 8:20
5 - Bayou Red - 7:43
6 - MC - 9:08
7 - Venture Inward (First Version) - 4:31
8 - Soul Special (First Version) - 8:48
9 - Bayou Red (First Version) - 5:55
10 - Love Nocturne - 7:33

Credits:
    Bass – Reggie Workman (tracks: 6 to 10), Ron Carter (tracks: 1 to 5)
    Design [Reissue] – Patrick Roques
    Drums – Freddie Waits (tracks: 1 to 5), Idris Muhammad (tracks: 6 to 10)
    Engineer [Recording] – Rudy Van Gelder
    Guitar – Jimmy Ponder (tracks: 6 to 10)
    Liner Notes [Original] – Nat Hentoff
    Mastered By [Transferred Using 24-bit Resolution] – Ron McMaster
    Photography By [Cover Photograph] – Jordan Malek
    Photography By [Liner Photograph] – Francis Wolff
    Piano, Composed By – Andrew Hill
    Producer [Original Sessions] – Francis Wolff
    Reissue Producer, Liner Notes [1999] – Michael Cuscuna
    Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin (tracks: 1 to 5), Frank Mitchell (tracks: 6 to 10)
    Trumpet – Lee Morgan (tracks: 1 to 5), Woody Shaw (tracks: 6 to 10)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 5, 1968 (#1-5) and April 19, 1968 (#6-10)
Liner photograph © Mosaic Images

#1-5 originally as Blue Note BST 84303. #8 originally issued on "Rare Grooves" B2-35636.
#6-10 are bonus tracks

Label: Blue Note – 7243 5 22672 2 4
Series: Blue Note Connoisseur Series
Released: 2000
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop, Free Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/release/3045490-Andrew-Hill-Grass-Roots