Trombonist
Tyrone Hill remains best remembered for a three-decade stint as a member of cosmic jazz pioneer
Sun Ra's Arkestra. Born in north Philadelphia in 1949,
Hill first played the trombone in his middle school band. A neighbor of fledgling jazz greats including
John Coltrane,
Odean Pope, and Middie Middleton, he also harmonized in a local doo wop group. After four years studying trombone at the Combs School of Music,
Hill tenured with the Uptown Theatre Orchestra, supporting headliners ranging from
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles to
James Brown. In 1969, he auditioned for
Sun Ra but played only a handful of dates with
the Arkestra before joining Philly soul hitmaker
Billy Paul in 1971.
Hill spent eight years touring and recording as
Paul's musical director before returning to Philadelphia to rejoin
the Arkestra on a permanent basis. In the years to follow, he played on more than three dozen
Sun Ra LPs, and continued with the group following its founder's 1993 final departure from the terrestrial plane. In 1997
Hill recorded his first solo date, Out of the Box, for the Creative Improvised Music Projects label; a sequel, Soul-Etude, followed two years later.
Hill left the planet on March 11, 2007, at the age of 58. ~ Jason Ankeny