Theo Hill

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.^[1]

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. Hill’s effort did not go unnoticed: In the The New York Times Nate Chinen^[2] described ‘Live at Smalls’, as a fine album.^[3] 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.”^[4]

Hill is based in New York and frequently appears at popular jazz clubs including: Smalls Jazz Club,^[5] Mezzrow, and Fat Cat.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

References