Home » Member Page

Allan Hill

Artist

About Me

Jazz has always been of intense interest to me—the music, the musicians, the history. In a live performance, there's a certain electricity in the air; there's an aura of tremendous energy surrounding a musician—who's in the deepest concentration—that can only be felt. As an abstract artist, my approach to express this elusive “aura”, or other dimension, is to add—along with paint, collaged pieces of sheet music and typography—the use of unexpected materials and textures that opens up another path or layer of excitement. My goal is for the work to have an intensity in its presence, and aggressively attract viewers...giving them something to dig into and contemplate.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because...It's as expressive and intense as painting. I was first exposed to jazz...In the 40's, as a kid, I would play my uncle's, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey records at my Grandmother's house. I met [musician name]... The best show I ever attended was...1955, Academy of Music, Philly...Dizzy Gillespie big band with Billie Holiday. The first jazz record I bought was...Gerry Mulligan, Mainstream of Jazz. My advice to new listeners...Learn a little of the history and the great jazz that came before. Some of the jazz today decends from that, but it comes, I feel, with a somewhat different approach to creativity. Or whatever else you have in mind.