Point of Departure

Andrew Hill recently passed away. His album Point of Departure is worth a listen if you haven't heard that one. I originally bought it because I wanted to hear even more of Eric Dolphy, but I ended up appreciating Hill's sparse style. He is rather influenced by Monk to an obvious degree but his compositions usually seem less grouchy or funky than Monk's stuff. Hill's perspective is more cerebral and spacey, from what I remember, and my only criticism of what I ever heard by him was that some of what he wrote seemed nearly *too* formless. I was left hoping that his songs would start to groove a little more, even if only for a few bars. Dolphy on Point of Departure is his usual absolutely original self.

Speaking of Eric Dolphy, I did listen to my Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot again the other day. Dolphy paired with Mal Waldron I think is a better combination for whatever reason. I think Mal Waldron's meditative and somewhat repetitive musings are a needed counterpoint to Dolphy's wild pyrotechnics. And on the Five Spot recording you also get Eddie Blackwell and Richard Davis providing rhythm and you can't get better than that. I've always loved Blackwell playing alongside Ornette Coleman--they both had kind of an undercurrent of humor to what they did. Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison leap to mind as another great rhythm duo that provided a foundation for another legendary improviser. Coltrane was on a spiritual journey that was deadly serious, though.