Customer Reviews

Passing Ships

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According to the liner notes written in 2003, Andrew Hill recorded a number of sessions for Blue Note which never went to press, so to speak, due to questionable sound recording quality. In the case of "Passing Ships" - which sat undisturbed in Blue Note's vault since it was recorded in 1969 - a second stereo tape was discovered in which the sound quality was preserved. Thankfully, Blue Note decided to bring this recording to disc after all these years. The compositions on this recording are what one would expect from Hill: colorful orchestration, ingenious use of poly-rhythms, and an almost dialectical development of ideas underneath solos. The players assembled here - Joe Farrell, Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Julian Priester, Bob Northern, Howard Johnson, Ron Carter, and Lenny White - provide excellent work, turning out some ferocious solos in many places that surprise the ear. The recording is excellent and sounds as if it could have been recorded yesterday. Hill's solos do not disappoint either, as "horizontal" and percussive as they have been in other Blue Note dates. It is interesting to listen to this music which is over 30 years old and compare it with similar ventures from the likes of Rodney Kendrick, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, or, in some ways, Dave Holland. While some of these ventures have been successful in their own right, it is amazing how far ahead of the curve Hill was and the extent to which his writing 30 years ago supersedes that of those writing today, particularly Mr. Marsalis, who would be wise to revisit this music. Having said as much, there is continuity here too, as one can hear the echo of Mingus inplaces. All in all, this is an amazing recording.

From the opening notes of Mr Farrell's robust tenor solo after the chorus of horns, interjections by trombone, and tuba, all backed by the groove of Lenny White, then a sterling quirky but swinging solo by leader, composer of all originals, and piano, on Track One we KNOW we are in good company. What resonates a little longer are the bass lines. We relisten to track one and envelop ourselves in the wonder of Mr Carter who must have have been at the height of his considerable powers at this time. Absolutely stunning bass playing. PASSING SHIPS the second track has echoes of works by Mr Hancock - such as Canteloupe Island - in terms of the rhythmic figures and features some wonderful solo work from Mr Shaw. But enough. Those who have any of Mr Hills' works can rest assured that this CD is up there with his very best from one of his most creative, productive and under-appreciated periods featuring 7 original compositions given life by some masters of their respective instruments - especially noting Mr Woody Shaw, Mr Julian Priester, Mr Howard Johnson and Mr Ron Carter. But I have to say I cannot recall a stronger program of playing by Mr Joe Farrell on soprano sax, tenor, alto flute, bass clarinet and English Horn whose efforts among other things add amazing colour to the compositions. This is music "as serious as your life", which will reveal its considerable pleasures for a long time to come. Although I have no qualifications for saying so, I consider this a masterwork of American music, regardless of genre.

Andrew Hill's "Passing Ships" is a remarkable recording. It is hard to believe that such provocative, engaging music took so long to release. It is a glimpse into Hill's large ensemble pieces performed by a great group of musicians: Woody Shaw (tp), Dizzy Reece (tp), Julian Priester (tb), Howard Johnson (tu, bcl), Ron Carter (b), Bob Northern (French horn), Joe Farrell (sax, fl, cl), Andrew Hill (p), and Lenny White (d).

If you are a fan of progressive jazz, or generally enjoy Hill's thoughtful, well-crafted, occasionally angular compositions, this recording is one that will likely be hard to get out of your CD player. The disc opens with "Sideways" which swings like mad, with interesting cross-currents and fantastic solos by Farrell, Hill, and either Reece or Shaw (I'm not sure). The combination of Priester's trombone and Johnson's tuba are beautiful additions to the ensemble. The second track, "Passing Ships," is a slower, intricate piece that features White's skillful touches on the cymbals. There is also a nice solo by Priester. It is nice to see the trombone get a chance to share the spotlight, and Priester's playing is magnificent. "Plantation Bag" is a medium tempo, angular composition that is incredibly tight and features a great solo by Farrell. The players' execution of the piece is flawless and enthralling. The rest of the pieces on the disc are unquestionably of the same high standard in terms performance and composition.

Overall the music reminds me a little--though only a little--of some of the large ensemble work that would be composed by Anthony Braxton in the 70s (particularly the 50s series compositions that are on "Creative Orchestra Koln 1978" and "Creative Orchestra Music 1976"), or some of the large ensemble stuff by the JCOA such as Roswell Rudd's "Numatik Swing Band." If you like those recordings, "Passing Ships" will be something you will probably enjoy as well.

This is a limited edition recording, which is unfortunate because music this fantastic should be permanently available. Consequently, this is a disc that you will want to pick up relatively soon. Slowly but surely it looks as though Blue Note is starting to release some of Hill's work for the label domestically as RVG remasters (i.e., "Point of Departure" and "Black Fire"), and I sincerely hope they continue the trend to include recordings like "Smokestack" and "Judgment!" which are only available as over-priced Japanese imports. (Why Blue Note makes us pay import prices to obtain classic American music is beyond me. Get a clue, BN, and release his entire BN catalog domestically too. Mr. Hill is a very profound composer.) Nevertheless, it is great to see "Passing Ships" rescued from the vaults and finally made available to the public. Thank you Blue Note, and please keep up the good work with regard to Mr. Hill's impressive catalog.

Predating Hill's big band recording, Beautiful Day, by more than 30 years, Passing Ships explores similar musical territory, but is much more accessible to the average jazz listener. Balancing on the line between "inside" and "outside," Hill wrote intriguing melodies and employed outstanding soloists here. Julian Priester provides ample evidence for his membership in the jazz trombone vanguard. Joe Farrell is equally impressive on multiple instruments. Quite simply, Passing Ships is one of the top releases of 2003.

The mystery is: why did Blue Note sit on this outstanding date for over 30 years? According to Michael Cuscuna's liner notes, the sessions were held back due to Andrew Hill's dissatisfaction with them. This is completely confounding because to my ears, this recording easily ranks up there with his greatest Blue Note sessions. The most obvious comparison would be with "Point of Departure," due to the strong front line of horns here (Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Howard Johnson, Julian Priester, Joe Farrell, and Bob Northern). Overall, Hill's writing is superb here, full of the quirky harmonic, rhythmic, and formal twists and turns of his greatest work. The rhythm section of Hill, Ron Carter and Lenny White is also in top form. The recording is a revelation, another piece of the puzzle that is the brilliant 1960s work of Andrew Hill. If there are any rough spots, they are virtually unnoticeable, and I would recommend "Passing Ships" without hesitation, for any fan of Hill's music.

Recorded in 1969 and hidden in the Blue Note vaults for 34 years Hill's nonet album features the likes of Joe Farrell, Woody Shaw, Ron Carter and Lenny White. Using two trumpets, trombone, French horn, and a mixture of tuba, bass clarinet, English horn and various other reeds Hill's writing is as original and off-kilter as ever and the soloing shifts from earthy blues, to adventurous post-bop all placed in Hill's distinctive soundscapes.

This album may not be cut from the same jazz-funk cloth that Blue Note was stretching to the breaking point in the late '60's, but how they could have considered this unfit for release until recently is baffling. On the contrary, this may be one of Hill's most accessible and immediately engaging albums. The writing is both catchy and advanced, and the rhythm section smokes on a series of funky beats that were unlike anything Hill had done up to that point. Put another way, this is the sound of "Birth of the Cool," the modalism of "Kind of Blue," and the prime funk of late '60's James Brown being melded together, along with Andrew Hill's own angular talents, into something entirely new. Who knows what different routes jazz might have taken had this been released in its day? In any case, we're lucky to have available now.

I'm not sure how this session, recorded in 1969, was not released until recently. I can see only two possibilties. First, other than Hill, there aren't a lot of big name players here--Woody Shaw on trumpet is the most prominent--which may have led to concerns about marketing the album. Second, the compositions are significantly less avant garde than other Hill recordings, so maybe Blue note felt like it would not appeal to Hill's more sonically adventurous fan base.

As the other reviewers have said, those making the decision at Blue note were clearly wrong. As is common in his 60s sessions, Hill leads a rather large group of musicians--a nonet, in this case--that includes such uncommon jazz instruments as tuba and French horn. This large group allows Hill to layer rhythms and harmonies in a variety of interesting and diverse ways. However, for Hill, this is notably more straight ahead stuff than was typical of his output in the late 60s. While retaining all of the qualities that are inimitably his, Hill sounds as close to Herbie Hancock's early 60s Blue Note material than he has befor or since(and Hill and Hancock do not usually sound very similar to me). The track "Passing Ships" sounds a lot like Hancock's "Speak Like a Child" (one of my all time favorite tunes).

The playing here is uniformly excellent. Hill's rhythms are brilliant as always and the playing of the other musicians is uniformly excellent--emotionally resonant and delivered with the incredible precision required to blend such a wide variety of notes and timbres. The solos--mostly on trumpet, tenor, and flute--are all elegant (especially Joe Farrell's tenor solos!) and the interplay between the musicians is exciting to hear throughout. In addition, the sound quality here is phenomenal, as it is possible to clearly differentiate between all of the instruments, even when they play together. This is highly recommended not just to Hill fans, but also to beginning jazz fans and even those who may have been turned off by some of Hill's more avant garde recordings.

This is indeed a hidden jewel among Blue Note's massive catacombs. Andrew Hill recorded prolifically for the label in the late 60's, each project ambitious in its own right. What makes Passing Ships fascinating is that it combines Hill's tantalizing composing and arranging skills with a sizeable nonet, which seemed to be increasingly common in this period (also used by Hank Mobley and McCoy Tyner). Passing Ships is also the last collaboration between Hill and trumpet beast Woody Shaw; for some reason, Andrew Hill's compositions always brought out an absolute monster in Shaw, even more than usual.

Passing Ships has seven shimmering Hill compositions that sparkle with the radiance of trees under the sun, and the music is absolutely devoured by Hill's musicians. Woody Shaw and Dizzy Reece is a one-time-only pairing in jazz that is extremely intriguing; Shaw plays with amazing poise, evoking moods of fair gardens, while Dizzy Reece proves surprisingly adept at interpreting advanced postbop material and plays some blistering solos that ride the silver sea. Julian Priester adds light textures to the palette with his relaxed trombone, and Joe Farrell proves to be the main firepower of the ensemble, with his Trane-influenced improvisations and versatility to play any reed instrument he can think of. Tuba is added to the ensemble for some of the tracks, adding some auxiliary basslines and counterlines, reaching back to the days of New Orleans jazz, and French horn also supplies sweet and mellow notes to the texture to call forth the feeling of summer nights. Ron Carter was Hill's most sympathetic bassist (aside from Richard Davis) and simply doesn't miss a note, and Lenny White was a hot young drummer on the rise, ready to set the jazz world on fire. Best of all is Andrew Hill, the mastermind behind Passing Ship's music, who kindles bright, searching piano playing and music-making like silver lamps against the night sky.

"Sideways" starts the album in an odd, explosive way. Sus4 chords are played with tuba triplets and it almost feels like the "passing ship" has gunned out of its port rather than slowly emerged. Up-tempo jazz is a yawner in the hands of unprepared musicians, but Hill turns it into an exciting vehicle; "Passing Ships" is the title track and features an addictive, plaintive melody stated by Farrell's oboe. THIS is probably what the "passing ship" is, a slow, mournful vehicle along the calm waters. It's almost a twist on "So What" in that it is based on two Dorian modes, except the key change is down a half step rather than up a step. "Plantation Bag" dips into a quasi-rock and roll bag, except with the trademark Andrew Hill sus4 chords giving it a much brighter feeling. Farrell eats the changes to this song right up, using the diminished scale for almost the entire time! "Noon Tide" is an ominous venture into the music of the samba, except the melody is somber, minor, and played on the English horn by Farrell - the effect is doleful rather than the spritely music most people expect from Latin music. "The Brown Queen" picks up in the same key, and in the same minor mode, but dips right into the straight four swing; it's an intriguing set of chord changes and uses the melodic minor mode well. "Cascade" is a chaotic cacophony of more minor chord changes, the melody being stated by almost every horn, including a two-note riff from the French horn. "Yesterday's Tomorrow" is actually the catchiest melody of the bunch, being stated in half-time (basslines from the tuba) and features a trademark Andrew Hill solo - rhythmic displacement, beautiful chord voicings, and background figures from the horns.

Get this album for any of its hundreds of reasons - beautiful postbop, Andrew Hill's uniqueness, Joe Farrell - for me, it was Woody Shaw. For whatever reason, the late 60's were Shaw's peak in terms of virtuosity, solo tastefulness, and that gorgeous vibrato. Shaw embraces wide intervals and his crazy harmonic shifts into different dimensions, and it just sounds amazing when combined with the already-intriguing harmonic soundscapes present in Andrew Hill's music. But, like I said, "Passing Ships" is bright and searching, kindling bright white lights that are passed from musician to musician. It's recommended on every level possible.

While many jazz purists and historians overlook this disc when considering Hill's legacy, i would advise that you do not make the same mistake. This is a disc that stands up to some of the best modal works by Coltrane, Davis and others. Listen to "Passing Ships" with decent headphones, eyes closed and a glass of wine nearby and you will be treating yourself to a mini-holiday.