Thank You Notes: The Music Of Gregg Hill
Cold Plunge, 2026
9/10
Listen to Thank You Notes: The Music Of Gregg Hill
The string bass player, Paul Keller, brings a long a large cast for these 10 Gregg Hill tunes, where a fresh coat of paint makes already great tracks even better.
“Bopportunity” starts with Keith Kaminski’s bright alto sax amid the bright horns and frisky drumming via the infectious energy, and “Dollah Hollah” follows with Adam Mosley’s mesmerizing keys before Paul Finkbeiner’s animated trumpet enters.
Arriving in the middle, “Cadillac Club” enlists Pete Sier’s adaptable drumming and Cary Kocher’s dreamy vibes that suit the busy brass, while “The Speckled Frog” benefits from Steve Wood’s rich tenor sax to complement the textured and thoughtful album highlight.
“Lay Playa” and “Sister Sue” exit the listen. The former allows for Terry Kimura’s elegant trombone to shine amid the cozy melodies, and the latter highlights Mark Kieme’s baritone sax, Lucas Stickley-Miner’s trumpet and Chris Smith’s trombone in a Big Band sort of way that you won’t soon forget.
There’s no lack of Hill tribute records coming out these days, but this one’s among the best, where Keller’s vision is never short on melodies, harmonics and grooves.
Travels well with: Brad Schrader- LateNights; Paul Litteral- The Litteral Truth