Andrew Hill - Lift Every Voice (1969) [2015 SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster]

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. A rare and beautiful Andrew Hill session, and one of the classic Blue Note entries into the "jazz and voices" sound that the label pioneered with Donald Byrd and Eddie Gale. Hill leads a core jazz group that includes Woody Shaw on trumpet, Carlos Garnett on tenor, Richard Davis on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums – and the group is backed by a vocal ensemble with a very spiritual vibe – a chorus who soar out soulfully, and really augment the jazz instrumentation of the album! The sound is a lot more hip than the Donald Byrd & Voices albums, and the playing of the core jazz group is very very soulful – along the lines of Hill's Grass Roots album, which was also from the same period. The record's similar to the Max Roach/Billy Harper vocal work around the same time, and titles include "Ghetto Lights", "Hey Hey", "Two Lullabies", and "Love Chant". CD reissue features 6 unissued bonus tracks, including "Blue Spark", "Drew's Tune", "Mother Mercy", "Natural Spirit", and "Such It Is".

Tracks:

01 - Hey Hey
02 - Lift Every Voice
03 - Two Lullabies
04 - Love Chant
05 - Ghetto Lights
06 - Blue Spark (bonus track)
07 - A Tender Tale (bonus track)
08 - Drew's Tune (bonus track)
09 - Mother Mercy (bonus track)
10 - Natural Spirit (bonus track)
11 - Such It Is (bonus track)

Personnel:

Original LP (1-5):
Andrew Hill - piano
Woody Shaw - trumpet
Carlos Garnett - tenor saxophone
Richard Davis - bass
Freddie Waits - drums
Joan Johnson, LaReine LaMar, Gail Nelson, Antenett Goodman Ray - vocals
Lawrence Marshall - vocals, conductor

Bonus tracks, 1970 recording (6-11):
Andrew Hill - piano
Lee Morgan - trumpet
Bennie Maupin - alto flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Ron Carter - bass
Ben Riley - drums
Benjamin Franklin Carter, Milt Grayson, Hugh Harnell, Ron Steward, Lillian Williams - vocals
Lawrence Marshall - vocals, conductor