Theo Hill
Introduction
Theo Hill (born May 23, 1982; Albany, New York) is an American jazz pianist.
Biography
Theo Hill was born and raised in Albany, New York. He began playing piano at age five, and graduated from the Jazz Conservatory of the State University of New York at Purchase in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude.
Hill’s first album, ‘Theo Hill Quartet: Live at Smalls’ (SmallsLive), was released in January 2015 and features Dayna Stephens on saxophone, Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums, Joe Sanders on bass, and Rodney Green on drums. In The New York Times, Nate Chinen described ‘Live at Smalls’ as a fine album and characterized Hill as “a painterly young pianist with a chamber-like approach to composition”.
His sophomore album Promethean Posi-Tone Records was released in May 2017 featuring sidemen Yashushi Nakamura on bass and Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums. Brian Zimmerman of DownBeat Magazine gave the album received an Editors’ Choice review lauding Hill’s “formidable piano chops and probing arrangements make [the] album such a winning statement.”
Hill is based in New York and frequently appears at popular jazz clubs including: Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, and Fat Cat.
Discography
As leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Theo Hill Quartet: Live at Smalls | SmallsLive Records | Dayna Stephens (saxophone), Mark Whtifield, Jr. (drums), and Rodney Green (drums) |
| 2017 | Promethean | Posi-Tone | Yasushi Nakamura (bass) and Mark Whitfield, Jr. (drums) |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | David Gibson | BOOM | Posi-Tone Records |