The American jazz pianist Andrew Hill was born in Illinois, Chicago in 1931. He began learning the piano from the age of 13 and was mentored by the well-known pianist and bandleader Earl Hines. Whilst still a teenager, Hill made appearances with touring musicians who passed through Chicago and these included artists such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.
His first professional gig came when he was invited to join Paul 'Hucklebuck' Williams's band in 1953 and over the next few years Hill would play with many rising stars from the world of blues and jazz. Many consider the period between 1963 and 1970 to be Hill's golden era, he was signed to Blue Note records at the time and recorded 13 albums, many of which are still revered by jazz enthusiasts to this day.
He continued recording into his 70s and his last album 'Time Lines' was produced in 2005 when he was 74. During the final years of his life Hill battled with lung cancer before eventually succumbing to the disease in 2007.
