Newspaper Page Text
The Augusta News-Review - January 22,1976 -1
Playin’
The Changes
By Stan Raines
ANDREW HILL: Keyboard Wizard
Andrew Hill comes to mind
when I think of those who are
truly playing the most modem
of Jazz changes on piano. Hill
was bom June 30,1937, in Port
Au Prince, Haiti, to William
and Hattie Hille (the original
French spelling was
Americanized by the dropping
of the final “e”). Hill’s brother,
Robert, was a talented
musician. He was, in addition,
to being a fine singer, an
excellent violinist, whose
performance in playing classics
was breathtaking.
Being in Haiti where music is
away of everyday life and
having a brother who was such
a musician led Andrew to
become very, very serious
about music. There were many
friends and people that he
knew who were good musicians
but Andrew wanted to be
better than anyone whom he
knew. At the time he decided
this, he was only four, but he
was determined to play some
sort of instrument when he got
old enough and to play it well.
The Hill family came to the
United States in 1941 and
settled in Chicago. Once in the
States, everything was different
because, here, the main
instrument was not the drum
as it was in Haiti. His heritage
was all derived from the drum.
He often thought of how his
brother played classics and in
most classic music, there is an
absence of drums, so he
decided that instead of playing
an instrument, he would sing,
so he started out singing and
dancing.
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Page 2
' Sr-
IT
He made up a little act and
did quite a few talent shows
around town in 1943 and until
he was about 10 years old. In
fact, he won two turkeys at
Thanksgiving parties at the
Regal theatre, sponsored by
The Chicago Defender
newspaper. He finally became
interested in piano and pursued
it with all of his musical
interest. He learned the blues
changes from a friend, Pat
Patrick, who played quite a bit
of piano, but preferred playing
the saxophone. These changes
really got him interested in the
Blues and he practiced them
over and over and
experimented with his own
ideas in playing the blues until
he was considered a very good
piano player by all who had
witnessed his playing.
The first job that Andrew
got as a professional was with
Paul Williams’ rhythm and
blues band. He was 16 then, a
product of the University of
Chicago Experimental School.
He had listened to Bud Powell,
Art Tatum, and Thelonious
Monk and copied almost all of
their solos note for note. In the
mid-fifties, he met Barry Harris
who showed him some new
directions in modem piano.
Later he gained a tremendous
amount of experience when he
worked with musicians such as
Gene Ammons, Johnny
Griffin, Roy Eldridge and Ben
Webster.
Hill did stints on the road
"4th such singers as Dinah
Washington, Johnny Hartman
and Al Hibbler. It was after
working for Dinah in 1961, that
he settled in New York for a
while. The following year he
went to Los Angeles where he
worked at The Lighthouse in
Hermosa Beach and played
with the Roland Kirk Quartet.
Andrew married the talented
organist, Laverne Gillette, and
in 1963 again planted roots in
New York.
One of his closest friends
was and is tenor saxophonist
Joe Henderson. Joe has always
been an inspiration to Andrew
and the two of them would get
together and ”"»rk things out.
The most unique thing
about Andrew Hill is his ability
to come up with the most
unusual but fresh ideas on
piano that anyone has ever
heard. In the case of most
musicians, one can hum along
and figure out parts of the solo,
but not in Andrews case He
is different, definitely
different. Having played with
many, many artists has
enchanced his playing. And
today, on his own, he is doing
things that no one can imagine.
Many of you probably haven’t
heard him or maybe never even
heard of him, but Andrew Hill
is here to stay and there is no
doubt that he will continue to
grow musically into the giant
that he wants to become- A
name that will forever be equal
with Tatum, Powell and
M0nk....1, for one, believe that
in time he will be the Mr.
PIANO Andrew Hill, he is
definitely different and one of
the most modem of the
modem.
Paine College Gets
New Board Members
Dr. Julius S. Scott, Jr.,
President of Paine College,
Augusta, Georgia reports that
Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit, Miss
Emma I. Darnell and Dr. John
H. Graham are recent
appointees to the Board of
Trustees.
Dr. Nabrit, a native Georgian
has served in the field of higher
education as instructor, in
various administrative
positions, and as the second
president of Texas Southern
University. Dr. Nabrit has
published several scientific
papers. He was appointed by
President Dwight D.
Eisenhower to a six year term
on the National Science Board
in 1956 and was nominated by
President Lyndon B. Johnson
and confirmed by the Senate
to a four year term on the
attomic Energy Commission in
1966. He presently serves as
Hill Elected Chairman
Atlanta Life Acquires Control
Os Oldest Black Insurance Firm
I k
JESSIE HILL JR.
RICHMOND, VA.
(NNPA)-- —The Atlanta
Executive Director of Southern
and National Fellowships
Funds with offices in Atlanta,
Georgia
Miss Darnell is a graduate of
Fisk, Columbia and the
Howard University School of
Law. She has been the
recipient of many honors,
among them “Bronze Woman
of the Year” by lota Phi
Lambda Sorority. Miss Darnell
is a member of the Board of
Trustees of Mississippi
Industrial College and Fisk
University. She resides in
Atlanta, Georgia where she
serves on the Board of
Directors of the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Center for Social
Change. In her position as
Commissioner, Department of
Administrative Services for the
City of Atlanta, her
department has responsibility
Life Insurance Company,
second largest Black-owned and
managed such firm in America,
has acquired controlling
interest in the Southern Aid
Life Insurance Company
located here.
The board of directors of
the 83-year-old Southern Aid,
the nation’s oldest Black
insurance company, last week
sold 120,000 of its shares to
Atlanta Life and elected AL’s
president and chief executive
officer, Jesse Hill* Jr., as
its chairman. Hill was already
serving as president of two
other Atlanta Life subsidiaries.
These are Peoples Life of
Louisiana, largest such firm in
that state; and Keystone Life
also of Louisiana.
Southern Aid has assets of
approximately $4,000,000.
Atlanta Life’s assets are placed
at S9O million. And it has
offices in Alabama, Florida,
for a purchasing budget of
approximately SBO million
dollars and the administration
of a Civil Service System which
includes more than 6,000
employees.
Dr. John H. Graham, is a
staff member of the national
division Dr. John H. Graham,
is a staff member of the
national division, Board of
Global Ministries, United
Methodist Church and field
worker in the Office of
University World of Young
Adult Ministries. A native of
Mississippi, Dr. Graham has
served in the pastorate of the
United Methodist Church, as
Professor of Sociology at Rust
College, Holly Springs,
Mississippi and as Professor of
Religion at the former
Gammon Theological
Seminary.
Georgia, Illinois, Kansas,
Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri,
Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.
The transaction and
agreement through which
Atlanta Life acquired
controlling interest in Southern
Aid was consummated with Hill,
who represented the purchaser
of the stock, and E. S. Thomas,
president of the Virginia
company.
Thomas stated, “The joining
of forces of Southern Aid and
Atlanta Life is of great value
and significance to all Black
Americans, especially those in
the state of Virginia. A major
consideration in our decision
to sell two-thirds of our stock
to Atlanta Life was the
concern, assistance and interest
of Atlanta Life in Southern
Aid Life for several years; and
the fact that Atlanta Life will
continue the operations of
Southern Aid Life as an
independent company and
Notice Os Public Hearing
The Board of Commissioners
of Richmond County, Georgia
has been notified that, under
the provisions of Title 1 of the
Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 (PL
93-383), they may be eligible
to receive up to $750,000 in
Community Development
Discretionary Block Grant
Funds for the fiscal year 1976.
The initial step in the
process of seeking these funds
is the preparation and
submittal of a preapplication
for funding to the Department
of Housing and Urban
Development. The
preapplication is reviewed by
the Department and the
County could then be
requested to prepare and
submit a final application for
funding.
In compliance with the
requirements of the Housing
and Community Development
Act of 1974, the Board of
Commissioners «f Richmond
County will hold two (2)
public hearings in order to
afford every citizen of
Richmond County a maximum
opportunity to participate in
the development of a program
and selection of the project(s)
to be funded from the list of
eligible activities.
The first public hearing will
be held at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday,
January 27,1976, in Room 603
of the City-County Municipal
Building, 530 Greene Street,
Augusta, Georgia.
The second hearing will be
held at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday,
January 28, 1976, at the same
provide management support
in agency and home office
operations, in addition to
infusing much needed capital
into our company.
“Southern Aid Life will be
able now to pursue a vigorous
program of growth and
development as envisioned by
our founders and provide
greater opportunity for all our
employees and encourage
economic development for
blacks in the state of Virginia,”
Thomas added.
location.
Dayton L. Sherrouse
Executive Director
Augusta-Richmond County
Planning Commission
Jewish
Leader
Pledges
Continued
Support
NEW YORK-The American
Jewish Congress last week
marked Martin Luther King
Day with a call by its
president, Rabbi Arthur
Hertzberg, urging adoption of
Federal full employment
legislation as “a fitting tribute
to the life and work of a great
American.”
In a statement recalling Dr
King’s “leadership in the
struggle for freedom and
equality for all mankind,”
Rabbi Hertzberg declared:
“The American Jewish
Congress, on this day of
remembrance, pledges itself
anew to the building and
strengthening of the coalition
of committment that Dr.
Martin Luther King
symbolized.”
Noting that he served with
Coretta Scott King as a
member of the National
Committee for Full
Employment, Rabbi Hertzberg
said:
“The present level of
unemployment in this country
is intolerable.
“Blacks and other
See “Jewish Leader’’
Page 5
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Mondays
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