Andrew Hill, who died on April 20 aged 75, was a jazz pianist and composer of great originality and dedication.

Although often lumped together with the “free jazz” movement of the 1960s, Hill pursued a stubbornly individual path. His roots clearly lay in the work of bebop pioneers such as Bud Powell and, in particular, Thelonious Monk, but he sought constantly to extend the jazz vocabulary in new directions and succeeded in creating an eloquent and highly personal style. He never achieved great popularity, but his recordings, especially those for the Blue Note label, are highly praised by critics and jazz lovers alike.

Andrew Hill was born in Chicago on June 30, 1931 into a family of Caribbean origin. He taught himself the accordion from the age of seven and in his early teens busked on the streets of Chicago’s South Side. At the same time he began composing his own music, writing on stray scraps of paper. By sheer chance he was noticed by the German composer Paul Hindemith, then a refugee in America. Surprised and impressed by the boy’s talent and commitment, Hindemith took to passing by regularly and giving him informal lessons in musical theory.

Hill also taught himself the piano, by following the bobbing keys on the family’s player-piano and copying their movements with his fingers. By his mid-teens he had become a competent pianist and was sitting in with professional jazz musicians. Before long he was working in Chicago clubs and accompanying singers, including Johnny Hartman and Dakota Staton. In 1961 he moved to New York to work as accompanist to Dinah Washington.