Point of Departure

Recording history and tape provenance

Andrew Hill arrived in New York in the early 1960s as, in Blue Note co-founder Alfred Lion's estimation, a pianist and composer of the same singular stature as Thelonious Monk. Lion first heard Hill contributing to Joe Henderson's 1963 session Our Thing and signed him almost immediately; between November 1963 and June 1964, Hill recorded four leader albums for the label in a period of roughly eight months – a pace of productivity almost unheard of even by Blue Note's standards.

Point of Departure assembled a genuinely unusual sextet for the occasion. Hill had seen Eric Dolphy playing with Charles Mingus at the Five Spot Café and pitched Blue Note on a session together; Joe Henderson stepped in on tenor after original choice Charles Lloyd couldn't make the date; bebop veteran Kenny Dorham rounded out the horn section; and Richard Davis and Tony Williams – both fresh off Dolphy's own Out to Lunch! session a month earlier – anchored the rhythm section. All five Hill compositions (a sixth, "And What If?", went unused) received their final titles only after recording: "Refuge," a 12-bar theme with a triplet-based waltz feel; "New Monastery," an explicit tribute to Monk; "Spectrum"; "Flight 19," built on a two-tone modal framework; and the closing "Dedication," a funeral-march elegy that Hill later said was written to convey a general sense of loss rather than any specific person – though by the time of the session and certainly by the album's release, its meaning had taken on unintended weight. Dorham reportedly said the take brought him to tears.

Ten days after the session, Dolphy departed for Europe with Mingus; he died in Berlin on June 29, 1964, from an undiagnosed diabetic condition, months before Point of Departure reached shops in 1965. DownBeat's Pete Welding gave the album four stars on release, praising Hill's compositions as providing "very stimulating frameworks for extended extemporizing" and singling out Dolphy's "searing force." AllMusic's Thom Jurek calls it "a stellar date" that "still points the way to the future for jazz" in the 21st century, and it's widely regarded as Hill's masterpiece – the record against which his subsequent career was measured. Reid Miles designed the cover from a Francis Wolff photograph.

The master tapes remain with Blue Note/Universal and are reported to be in good condition; both Music Matters and the Blue Note Classic Vinyl series confirm working from the original tapes for their respective mono and stereo cuts.

Stereo note

Van Gelder recorded genuine two-track stereo alongside the mono mix for this 1964 session – there is no fake-stereo issue with this title. One point of trivia for mono collectors: LondonJazzCollector notes that the original mono pressing appears to carry a different take (or at least a different opening) of "Refuge" than later reissues, a detail worth checking if you're chasing sonic completeness rather than just a nice-sounding copy.

Original Blue Note pressings (1965)

Mono: BLP 4167 (Discogs) / Stereo: BST 84167 (Discogs), both on New York USA labels with the Van Gelder stamp in the deadwax. NM originals of either are collectible, with stereo generally commanding a modest premium over mono.

Liberty and United Artists-era pressings (1966–73)

Later pressings on Liberty ("A Division of Liberty Records, Inc.") and United Artists labels retain the Van Gelder stamp and are widely regarded as sonically close to the originals, since they're cut from the same metalwork.

Japanese pressings

Toshiba-EMI issued this title in Japan with Japanese liner notes and an obi (Discogs); a King Records pressing (catalog GXK 8139) is also referenced by collectors, though with less-documented audiophile reputation than the Toshiba-EMI edition. Typically found with obi.

The reissue hierarchy

Music Matters 33rpm (2014) – a distinct, fresh mastering from the 75th Anniversary series

Cat. 33BST-4167 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, stereo, gatefold. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original Van Gelder master tapes, pressed at RTI. Released as part of Music Matters' 2014 75th Anniversary campaign, this is not simply a slower cut of the same 45rpm lacquer above – Music Matters described undertaking a significant studio upgrade (new front-end electronics, new cabling) specifically to make the 33rpm format a fully credible standalone alternative to their 45rpm series, rather than a compromise. Now out of print.

Music Matters 45rpm 2LP (2015) – the audiophile benchmark

Cat. MMBST-84167 | Format: 2×180g LP, 45rpm, stereo, gatefold, limited to 2,500 copies. Mastered by Kevin Gray at AcousTech, from the original master tapes. Owners consistently call this the best-sounding version available: "This is the best sounding version of this post bop/avant classic available... worth every penny," with several reviewers noting the extra resolution of the 45rpm format makes the wide stereo separation between Dolphy/Dorham (left) and Henderson/Williams (right) especially vivid. Out of print. Discogs

Blue Note Classic Vinyl (2022) – the recommended modern pressing

Cat. 4535330 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, stereo. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original master tapes, pressed at Optimal in Germany. This title has not been issued as part of the Tone Poet series; the Classic Vinyl edition is the only current in-print option and reviewers rate it highly – "wonderfully well balanced... Kevin Gray has, once again, done a sumptuous job" – though as with other titles in this series, some buyers report pressing defects (warping, distortion on one side) alongside many trouble-free copies; a thorough cleaning has resolved apparent defects for at least one reviewer. Discogs

Pressings to avoid

No specific bootleg or notably compromised pressing of this title is widely documented. Various 1970s–80s European reissues and budget compilation-series pressings (Planeta DeAgostini, etc.) circulate; these are legitimately licensed but not analog-sourced audiophile pressings, and are fine as budget listening copies rather than collector targets.

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): The Blue Note Classic Vinyl (2022) – Kevin Gray mastering, an easy recommendation at the price.

$$$ (Mid-range): A Liberty or United Artists-era pressing with the Van Gelder stamp intact, for an affordable period-metal copy.

$$$$ (Premium): The Music Matters 45rpm 2LP on the secondary market – the definitive listening experience for serious collectors.

$$$$$ (Grail / Rare): A clean original BST 84167 stereo, New York USA label for the genuine 1965 pressing.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/140559-Andrew-Hill-Point-Of-Departure
• LondonJazzCollector, "Andrew Hill: Point of Departure (1964) Blue Note": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/andrew-hill-point-of-departure-1964-blue-note/
• AllMusic, Thom Jurek's review: https://www.allmusic.com/album/point-of-departure-mw0000243448
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original BLP 4167/BST 84167, Music Matters 33rpm and 45rpm, Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Japanese Toshiba-EMI pressing, Liberty/United Artists-era pressings)
• YouTube, Ten-Minute Record Reviews, "Andrew Hill - Point Of Departure (Episode 347)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tCMyJ_kdx4

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