About

When Blue Note founder Alfred Lion first heard Andrew Hill he knew he had discovered another pianist and composer as unique as Thelonious Monk and set about documenting Hill’s music with a fervor. Recorded in January 1964, Judgment! was the third classic album that Hill would record in a five-month period that also produced Black Fire, Smoke Stack, and Point of Departure. With a quartet of modern jazz visionaries featuring vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones, Hill presented a program of six beguiling original compositions including some of his most playful inventions — “Flea Flop, “Yokada Yokada,” and “Reconciliation” - along with the inquisitive ballad “Alfred.”

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. — (via Label)

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Augmenting his rhythm section of bassist Richard Davis and drummer Elvin Jones with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Andrew Hill records an excellent set of subdued but adventurous post-bop with Judgment!. Without any horns, the mood of the session is calmer than Black Fire, but Hill's compositions take more risks than before. Close listening reveals how he subverts hard bop structure and brings in rhythmic and harmonic elements from modal jazz and the avant-garde. The harmonic structure on each composition is quite complex, fluctuating between dissonant chords and nimble, melodic improvisations.

Naturally, Hill's playing shines in this self-created context, but Hutcherson equals the pianist with his complex, provocative solos and unexpected melodic juxtapositions. Jones shifts the rhythms with style, and his solos are exceptionally musical, as is Davis' fluid bass. The combination of the band's intricate interplay and the stimulating compositions make Judgment another important release from Hill. It may require careful listening, but the results are worth it. — (via Stephen Thomas Erlewine // AllMusic)

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This second album by Hill is in some ways even more remarkable than his first (Black Fire, Blue Note 4151). Because tenorist Joe Hender­son and drummer Roy Havnes are replaced by Bobby Hutcherson (vibes) and Elvin Jones, there is a more complete dedication to ‘the new thing’.

Not that all connection with the post-bop movement has been severed: Hill is still a very melodic player, and can still sound (comparatively speaking) conventional. His work on Yokada for example, a blues in B-flat, brings to my mind McCoy Tyner’s early playing, with splattering, skittering single note lines and characteristic ascending phrases. From Hill’s point of view, this is perhaps the least success­ful track, but it would serve as a good intro­duction to those unfamiliar with his work, and who cannot face plunging straight in at the deep end.

Compositionally, Hill’s writing (he wrote all six tunes) is as interesting and varied as it was on his first album. Perhaps the most interesting track is "Siete Ocho" (which means 7/8 time in Spanish) with its repeated vamp figure and unusual time signature. Alfred, dedi­cated to Blue Note’s Alfred Lion, has a gentle, lyrical quality which contrasts well with the turbulent playing on the other tracks.

This is not a record for casual listening. But if the listener cares to concentrate, he will find it a rewarding and worthwhile experience. — (via Jazz Journal)

Vinyl Tracklist
A1: Siete Ocho
A2: Flea Flop
A3: Yokada Yokada
B1: Alfred
B2: Judgment!
B3: Reconciliation

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Label: Blue Note
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g
Reissued: 2025 / Originally Released: 1964
Genre: Jazz
Style: Post Bop

File under: Blue Note
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