ANDREW HILL — Nefertiti (review)

ANDREW HILL — Nefertiti album cover Album · 1976 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Returning to a trio format, AH’s Nefertiti album shows him taking an interest in Egypt’s mythology some 8 or 9 years after the Impulse!’s “New Thing” wave. The present album sees the reunion of Andrew with his long-time collaborator Richard Davis on bass and also sees Sun Ra & Sanders collab Roger blank on drums. Anyway with its “n’importe-quoi” artwork, the present album is a bit of a pot-pourri,

It would certainly appear to a casual observer that the album’s foundation would lay in the opening 14-mins Blue Black, but Andrew takes a lengthy piano solo Blue intro, and the band finally enters around the 7th minute mark. From that moment onwards it seems that Andrew is thinking of McCoy while playing this extremely interesting second Black half. Just how interesting is the rest of this A-side is a matter of Relativity, but holding the distance is another thing, with a dissonant piece.

Certainly the album’s highlight is the 8-mins title track opening the flipside, were Hill’s spine-tingling’s piano tinkling plays to some stunning Davis bowed bass, while Blank’s drumming is anything but so. After the short clunky and drummy Hattie, Mindflower is a bit disjointed, as if the trio was playing different tunes and the unremarkable closer is more or less in the same mould.

An average AH album, one that would pass unnoticed if there wasn’t the fantastic title track to pull it out of anonymity, Nerfetiti is not an essential listen if you want to explore Hill’s discography, but it can be a worthwhile detour, if only for two 8-minutes passages.

Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Bow Code Post-Fusion Contemporary
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anthem For No Man’s Land Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ANDREAS SCHAERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Living Ghosts Post-Fusion Contemporary
MICHAEL WOLLNY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Live at Donte's, Vol. 1 Vocal Jazz
MIKE CAMPBELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 8 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 23 hours ago
Con Alma
GENE BERTONCINI
js· 1 day ago
Our Walk (Live)
BEN MARKLEY
js· 1 day ago
Solar (feat. Vicente Archer & Otis Brown III)
JERRY LÉONIDE
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed