Willie Hill is the director of the Fine Arts Center at the University of Mass- achusetts Amherst, and he’s also an educator, a musician and an author.
Before coming to UMass, Hill was a music professor and assistant dean of the College of Music at the University of Colorado-Boulder for 11 years; and the director of education for the Thelonious Monk Institute in Los Angeles. He taught instrumental music for 16 years and served as instrumental music supervisor for four years in the Denver Public Schools.
He’s an accomplished saxophonist, and has performed with George Burns, Liza Minnelli, Lena Horn, Lou Rawls, Ben Vareen, Lola Falana, Johnny Mathis, Sammy Davis Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Jon Faddis, and many others, and is a national artist/clinician for Yamaha Musical Instrument Company. He’s a coauthor of “Learning to SightRead Jazz, Rock, Latin, and Classical Styles” (Ardsley House Publication), the author of “The Instrumental History of Jazz” (N2K, Inc.), “Approaching the Standards” (Warner Brothers Publication, 1999); and “Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator’s Handbook and Resource Guide” (Warner Brothers Publication, 2002). Hill is listed in the first edition of “Who’s Who among Black Americans,” “Who’s Who among International Musicians” and “Who’s Who in America.”
In February, Hill was featured on a CBS special about his role as leader of the entertainment for the halftime show at Super Bowl I, back in 1967, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
Full name: Willie L. Hill Jr.
Date and place of birth: July 29, 1946, in Mobile, Alabama
Town of residence: Amherst
Job: Director of the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst
Who lives under the same roof as you? My wife, Beverly Hill
Children: Byron Hill
Education: Undergraduate degree in music education from Grambling State University; master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Colorado, Boulder
Hobbies: Golf, fishing, chess
Book you’d recommend to a friend: “Priceless” by Robert K. Wittman
Favorite movie/TV show/musician: Movie – “The Godfather; TV show – “House of Cards”; musician – saxophonist John Coltrane
Things you can’t live without: Family, friends, golf clubs, saxophone, coffee, iPhone, iWatch, big screen TV, music
Last thing you purchased just for fun: An Apple watch
What’s at the top of your bucket list? Travel to all seven continents — only Antarctica remaining
Life-changing experience: Witnessing our son’s birth
Strangest job you ever held: Working at a ship-building company in Mobile, Alabama
Your current Facebook status: Having fun in Miami at the Dolphins and Patriots game in 2016
A littleknown fact about you: I’m a real movie buff and chess enthusiast
Dumbest thing you ever did: Eat strange foods in China
One product you’d like to see return: The old muscle cars
What really sets you off? People doing dumb things
If you could spend the day with a celebrity from any time in history, who would it be? Martin Luther King Jr. — he has had the greatest impact on civil rights in this country. A great mentor
Best advice you ever got: Always strive to reach your full potential and never forget the less fortunate
Favorite place to get a bite: Gil’s restaurant in El Paso, Texas. It’s the best Mexican food I’ve ever had.
Favorite team: New England Patriots — they’re the best.
What does your ideal weekend look like? Playing golf in a warm climate
One thing you would change about yourself: I’d be less impatient.
What gives you the creeps? Snakes — scary things
People who knew you in high school thought you were: Very studious, smart and ambitious
Whom do you most admire? President Barack Obama — exceptional leadership and charisma
Parting shot: Set high goals and expectations for yourself. Always have that “big adventurous goal” on your radar screen and make it come to reality. Never give up!
— Compiled by Brenda Nelson
To suggest someone for ID, send an email to bnelson@gazettenet.com.