Grass Roots [Original recording remastered]

Andrew Hill | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00004GJVQ
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,813 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #32 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Avant-Garde
  • #81 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Modern Post Bop

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very accessible, February 24, 2000

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grass Roots (Audio CD)

Nice to see this finally released on CD. This was a mainstream effort for Hill, and if you want more challenging Blue Note releases, try, for example, "Point of Departure," "Judgment" or "Black Fire." (The latter two may be difficult to find. The best single source for his music is the seven-CD Mosaic boxed set. "Grassroots" is not included in that collection.)

Still, the change of pace makes this one appealing. Any band that includes Booker Ervin and Lee Morgan is going to swing, and the two manage to make Hill's playing less dark and introspective than usual. On the other hand, the compositions themselves, especially "Mira" and "Soul Special," are mostly bright and upbeat, so maybe the material helped to determine the players. Hill's comments on the original liner notes indicate that he was ready with this release to dip more than a toe into the mainstream.

In any event, Booker is particularly joyful on the title cut and propels the album along throughout with his powerful, bluesy tone. It's a mark of Hill's keen musicianship that he brought in this criminally underrated player for the session. Lee Morgan rarely missed a note throughout his career and this date was no exception. He delivers solidly throughout.

One is generally best rewarded by careful, repeated listening to Hill's music. "Grassroots" is unusual in that it grabs immediately. In my opinion, it isn't as deeply and consistently satsifying as the other releases I mentioned, but it's well worth having if you're a fan of his or if you simply want an easy introduction to his music.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2 albums for the price of one, November 21, 2002

By 

G. M. Jenkins "musician, music teacher, and m... (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grass Roots (Audio CD)

Let me start off by saying that this album is comprised of two sessions with completely different personnel with the first session being tracks 1-5 and the second 6-10. The first session which was the one that was released back in 1968 is an all-star line up with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Booker Ervin on tenor sax, Andrew Hill of course on piano and who wrote all of the compositions, Ron Carter on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums.
This of course is an album with Hill covering a bit different ground than usual as this album is a lot more appealing to mainstream audiences than some of his other masterpieces of the 60s. But, the album still has that unmistakable sound of Hill.
So the first five tracks, as you would expect from the lineup, is great. There is passionate soloing by Ervin and somewhat more restrained but equally powerful soloing by Morgan. Hill as always never disappoints and never sounds in the least bit cliched or generic. My favorite of the first five tracks happens to be the most accessible, "Mira", which has a great melody and solos. It will stay in your head for days.

The second five tracks feature three of the same compositions and two new ones by a different band featuring Woody Shaw on trumpet, Frank Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Reggie Workman on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. As you would expect, the drumming is propulsive and funky, and the bass lines are tasteful and technically advanced. This was my first exposure to Mitchell and i wasn't that impressed with his playing, although his solo on Bayou Red is quite good. Shaw brings his signature sound to the table which works well with Hill's. "MC" is a pretty uninspired reading and really drags on for nine minutes with not much going for it except Hill's solo. "Soul Special" sounds completely different from the other version and is different in a really pleasing way. The tempo is taken much slower and everyone gets into the groove. "Love Nocturne" is a nice tender piece which has an interesting melody and some good soloing by all.
So even though the second part isn't quite as good as the first, if you put it into the context of when it was released, all you got was the first five tracks anyways, so you can just think of the second five as a bonus. All in all, a great purchase and a great addition to any serious 60s jazz collection.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Music from the sixties that is as fresh as today, June 19, 2000

By 

Ian Muldoon (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grass Roots (Audio CD)

"Lick" or "cliche" is not in Andrew Hill's musical vocabulary and this "new"release is no exception. I say "new" because four of the tracks have never before been released including the nine minute MC, and the seven minute Love Nocturne. When I think of the musical dross we were subjected to in the sixties when jazz players were scuffling to get a gig, washing dishes, or filled with despair when they saw their real talent count for little, like Woody Shaw, one can only thank heaven the likes of Michael Cuscuna are around to rescue their legacy. Examples of the quality and variety of this include the solo by Woody Shaw on Love Nocturne, the groove set up by Idris Muhammad, Reggie Workman, Jimmy Ponder and Reggie Workman on MC over which Frank Mitchell, Woody Shaw and then Ponder solo; Soul Special with its propelling groove and its typically fabulous piano solo by Mr Hill. But begin with the title song for a close listen: a majestic joyous solo by Booker Ervin and a conversational restrained masterful one by Lee Morgan, a typically sensitive and interesting solo by Mr Hill ending with the sole sound of the woody bass of Mr Carter. Apart from the exceptional players( I mean dig Lee Morgan's solo entrance on Bayou Red!) this CD has Mr Hill's writing to bring it to a level above just another gig. His guiding genius is all over this release and it's mainly for this reason that this reissue in the Blue Note connoisseur series is worth your attention. It is engineered by Mr Van Gelder with quite clear separation in the stereo which was the standard of the day. The programme of music has enough variety and intelligence to reward many, many listenings.