Andrew Hill followed his first Palmetto release, the widely acclaimed
Dusk, with this remarkable live album, which was recorded during a three-night run at New York's Birdland in January 2002. Whereas
Dusk featured a sextet,
A Beautiful Day boasts a large ensemble, billed at Birdland and previous gigs as
the Andrew Hill Sextet + 11. Despite a large regiment of horns,
Hill's reflective piano figures prominently. Trumpeter
Ron Horton relieves
Hill of the conducting burden by serving as musical director, managing an arcane system of cues and transitions and keeping all the players, quite literally, on the same page. The band's peculiar methodology yields a wonderfully complex and layered sound, by turns strident and melodious, driven by the sturdy rhythmic backbone of bassist
Scott Colley and drummer
Nasheet Waits.
Jose Davila reinforces the low end with his omnipresent tuba. Amid the fanfare of full band passages, contemplative interludes emerge, with varied and inspired instrumental colorings. Tenor saxophonists
Greg Tardy and
Aaron Stewart go toe to toe on the opening "Divine Revelation," an older piece, newly arranged by
Horton. "Faded Beauty" includes radiant solos by John Savage on flute and
Marty Ehrlich on bass clarinet.
Horton steps forward to deliver pointed witticisms on "Belleza," baritone saxophonist
J.D. Parron gets the floor on the exuberant "J Di," and
Hill weaves spiky piano harmonies into the dense structures of "5 Mo" and "New Pinnochio." The epic title track winds down with an enigmatic foray by trumpeter
Dave Ballou, who is joined in short order by John Savage on alto sax. With its wide array of available textures and juxtapositions, the big band proves an ideal vehicle for
Hill's powerful, unclassifiable music.