(Pre Order) Andrew Hill - Andrew!!! - Tone Poet LP *

Blue Note founder Alfred Lion considered Andrew Hill to be a pianist and composer who was every bit as strikingly original and important as Thelonious Monk and began recording Hill with a fervor in 1963. Hill, for his part, did not disappoint. The pianist burst out of the gate with a torrent of creativity that produced five remarkable albums in just eight months: Black Fire, Smoke Stack, Judgment!, Point of Departure, and Andrew!!! Perhaps overshadowed by its predecessor Point of Departure, which is widely regarded as Hill's masterpiece, 1964's Andrew!!! has remained an unfairly underrated entry in Hill's magnificent Blue Note discography. With a quintet featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonist John Gilmore along with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Joe Chambers, Hill presented six of his mercurial inside-out compositions including "The Groits" and "Black Monday."

The Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was' admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. Was brought Joe Harley, a.k.a. the "Tone Poet," on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels.

Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the jacket graphics and printing quality to superior LP mastering (direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180g audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology, Inc. Every aspect of these Tone Poet releases is done to the highest possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version. This is IT.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Andrew!!! is just as adventurous and challenging as any of his other albums...Often, the music has a floating, hypnotic quality, which only makes Hill's dissonance, unusual voicings, and complex arrangements more compelling than usual. Andrew!!!, if anything, is even less accessible than the previous Point of Departure, but its restless, searching quality and endlessly provocative music makes it just as successful.