Holidays Archives - Lisa Hilton Music

lisa hilton wearing a white top and a beige hat

FREEDOM

July 1, 2021 by Lisa Hilton

My entire body seems to exhale right now when I say the word f r e e d o m in my mind: FREEDOM…. yes………freedom. It has more emotional significance on July 4^th this year than it did in 2020. This year we can go to the beach, we can see family and friends safely, and yes, we will BBQ festively and maybe even boisterously, right? We are shedding the restrictions of last year and stepping into new memories now – thankfully. We can all feel the intensity of these moments – whether it’s a restaurant meal, travel, or family filling our home again: returning to these freedoms is important for America on Independence Day this year.

So maybe this is the year to really Let Freedom Ring…. bring a guitar on that camping trip, grab a wooden flute or a kazoo, create a Independence Day playlist maybe, or just sing along while you wait for fireworks to America the Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner, You’re a Grand Old Flag, My Country ‘Tis of Thee… it feels like a good to sing them loud and clear after everything that we went through last year! I’ll start the holiday with my Patriotic Muffins, (blueberry muffin recipe with both frozen blueberries and raspberries), we’ll walk on the beach, (last year the beaches were closed), then have a full table at our family BBQ. July 4^th, 2021 is a day we can be thankful for all the freedoms and independence we now enjoy again.

Wishing you good weather, a fun weekend and clear skies ahead!

– Lisa

Isn’t It Romantic? 💗

February 12, 2021 by Lisa Hilton

Antonio Carlos, Bill Evans, Cole Porter, Holidays

Performing with my band last year in Santa Cruz, California, at the cool Kuumbwa Jazz Club, I mentioned to the audience that I didn’t think we’ve been romantic since the 60’s, and I got a big warm laugh in response. What I really meant was that I don’t think music has been very romantic for decades.

Consider this: the 1963 hit by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Close To You, as well as the John Lennon & Paul McCartney tune I Want To Hold Your Hand… also written in 1963, are maybe the last tunes of the romantic song era that began about 1930. What happened? No more Dancing Cheek to Cheek (Irving Berlin/1935), Misty (Errol Garner/1955), or Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love (1961). Romantic songs began to fade when folk music brought social issues into lyrics like Bob Dylan’s 1962 Blowin’ In The Wind. Dylan, along with artists like Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, began writing lyrics with a completely different tone – no more Three Coins in a Fountain (Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn/1955). Times changed, and music changed as well. Today’s love songs should, and do sound different.

Now when we listen to jazz standards from the 30’s to the early 60’s they do sound almost overly romantic in a warm nostalgic way – they are of another era and time.

In 2005 I was talking with actor Tony Danza at our local gym and he suggested that I should “play standards.” This was a smart idea, but being a composer, I really prefer to write my own, so instead I decided to compose a tune in the general form of a romantic standard, which I called, So This Is Love. For years we’ve enjoyed playing it as a band, so last February when I got the urge to write another romantic song for Valentine’s Day, I figured it would be pretty simple, right? I loved delving into a bunch of romantic tunes – especially Cole (I’ve Got You Under My Skin) Porter, and Antonio Carlos (Girl From Ipanema) Jobim as well as the intimate playing style of composer/pianist Bill (Waltz for Debby) Evans. Well, I was wrong!

Romantic songs may sound very simple, but they proved to be trickier than I thought. I consider the tunes I hoped would be romantic – No Sleep Until… and Today I Looked At Love off our latest album, to be more in the ballad range, just a bit short of romantic. So what makes the perfect love song? After a couple months I just gave up on romance, and recorded a new version of So This Is Love!

Whatever you play or do this week, wishing you a sense of joy and hopefully romance too!

Take care,

Lisa

Valentine’s Day Favorites: roses, lattes, hydrangeas, beautiful Malibu sunsets, pastries from Dominique Ansel Bakery, the film Top Hat featuring Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek, the sheet music for So This is Love, which you can buy on my website, and my beloved piano.

lisa hilton holds white roses alongside a quote

A New Year… 💫🎉

December 30, 2020 by Lisa Hilton

Holidays, New Year, Q&A

More Than Another Day Q&A PART II with Lisa K. Hilton

Q: Happy New Year!

Lisa Hilton: Thank you – and to you too!

Q: Your new album More Than Another Day, is quite upbeat, which is really nice to hear right now, but I’m curious how you composed this music during the first few months of the 2020 lock down?

LH: Our tour had to quit in March of course, and that was troubling – actually everything in March was troubling – remember? My intuition told me that I needed to stay home, so I just started composing and the creativity flowed. Originally though, yeah, there were honestly, some dark tunes from those dark times. But I knew the album would be out in December and we’d be all healthy and enjoying life by then, right? So I tried to focus on the everyday beauty in life: despite any pandemic in our world the sun rises and the sun sets with majestic beauty. I tried to focus on what is good, right, and freely available everywhere. Of course I was completely wrong about that timeline: the pandemic was much worse in December than it was in March! But that upbeat vibe we recorded is translating to people everywhere. We are collectively all adapting and it’s nice to have music to keep our spirits up, so I’m happy with the results even if my assumptions about the pandemic were completely wrong!

Q: Now that 2020 is now behind us, how are you feeling looking back on the music, recording during a pandemic and the year in general?

LH: I’m glad to see 2020 in the rear view mirror like everyone else. More Than Another Day, was probably the easiest album I’ve ever done, yet the most difficult too. The year was extremely challenging yet the outpouring of positive response the last month on the new music has been a wonderful gift to us coming as the year has ended. There’s just a big mix of emotions on this one.

Q: It has been an unusual time, but what do you mean by the “easiest, yet the most difficult?”

LH: Trying to arrange a recording session is always difficult with everyone’s conflicting schedules and busy studios too. It takes about two months to finalize a date. When I started setting up the sessions, the east coast was being hit hard by Covid, so we made the decision to record in West Los Angeles, but by the time the August date arrived, California was in bad shape! I booked a studio, and then lost a studio – that kind of thing. Everyone was really thankful, and proud too, to be working again, but we were nervous to be in a work environment after five months at home. When we record an album the hang is one aspect we all enjoy, but we had to eat our meal at separate tables and it felt awkward and isolating. We all had to create workarounds too – like creating a video from existing photos rather than have a photographer in the studio. Ryan Nava has been photographing us for a couple years, and did a great job on the slideshow style video for the track More Than Another Day, and it was a much safer solution. Despite the difficulties, we all felt lucky to be there and emotionally we really needed to play. I think you can hear that good energy in the recording – there was a propulsive drive that we had in the studio, and that was captured.

Q: Are you planning to tour in 2021, or are you planning to live stream any shows?

LH: I am not planning to tour in 2021: I don’t think venues will be able to be at full capacity and although our band will be safe on stage, I don’t want to put anyone going to our shows, or working at our shows at risk. I have been asked a lot about live streaming and I’m not leaning in that direction yet. There are some artists that have really done cool things with this concept, and venues too that are stepping up here. But I always want to think about the “big picture” – a performance involves maybe 10-15 people working on that event. If I were to live stream, I don’t feel I’m being supportive of the venues, the ushers, the box office personnel, the lighting and sound engineers, the maintenance staff – everyone that works every day for musicians. It doesn’t seem fair to me that I can perform, but the support team is on furlough. I want to be supportive of the people who support artists, so it doesn’t feel right to live stream for now.

Q: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I understand what you’re saying. Ok, so what are your hopes and plans in 2021 then?

LH: I hope in 2021 our music continues to lift spirits around the world day after day after day. It’s cool to hear about how the album touches lives around the world – we love hearing these encouraging words! This is also an amazing time for creativity, and I’m excited what will emerge next musically. We have a new year, a new president, new health vaccines, a new decade, new music, (and I’ve got a birthday this week too), so we can all feel optimistic. Happy 2021 to us all!

collage of sunrises and sunsets, playing at carnegie hall, and getting ready for a new decade

Top Row: sunrise in Big Sur, Jan 5th, sunset in Malibu
Middle Row: Luques Curtis, myself and Rudy Royston will miss playing Carnegie Hall this year
Bottom Row: getting ready for a new decade!

pianist lisa hilton sitting at her piano in a white lace blouse

Wishing You… 🎄❄

December 20, 2020 by Lisa Hilton

Holidays, Julliard, Sheet Music

Anyone feeling merry or bright yet?

It has been truly an epic year as we know. Now the end of 2020 has arrived, and we have hope for 2021. So we might not feel exactly merry or bright, but we do know that this year will soon be behind us and knowing that is a mood booster!

I’m not giving up on cheer though, and I’m aiming for merry. I’ll spend time viewing old photos from holidays past, Zoom meeting, wear an awkward holiday T, see friends on the patio, and of course, play the piano. I’ll bring out the piano books from my childhood and a couple new ones too. (I always plan to practice them a bit ahead of time, but I never seem to get around to it, so I assure you there won’t be a live stream!) Holiday tunes, like most music, lift our mood, and also touches the nostalgia in our hearts in a year of dramatic change. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

If you need any music books, I normally buy mine at The Juilliard Store, (your big retailers have them too), or individual sheet at sites like MusicNotes.com. Music itself is a great gift to yourself or others so I’ve included easy shop links below.

As December and 2020 come to an end, I wish you, and I wish everyone, a special time – a time of peace, a time for beauty in nature and a time for health as well as hope.

Happy Holidays,
Lisa

Apple Music: More Than Another Day

Amazon #1 New Release: More Than Another Day

The Juilliard Store

Music Notes

collage of lisa hilton's favorite holiday things

Top Row: With my Italian greyhound Ricky 2016, I love my poinsettias, my favorite holiday tune Middle Row: Healthy intentions, Christmas 2018, holiday fun in my ‘hood Bottom Row: My holiday FaceTime style, homemade latte, Holiday 2019

Thankfully… A Holiday Discount! 🥧

November 27, 2020 by Lisa Hilton

Gifts, Holidays, More Than Another Day

It is the week to be T H A N K F U L and like so many, I’m very thankful for my health this year and of course my friends, my family and as a musician, I am thankful for my followers as well. So at this time of year, there is a special discount for 2 weeks: all CD’s, (and my 1 vinyl album) are discounted to $5 (+shipping) at LisaHiltonMusic.com.

These are perfect gifts to share with co-workers, neighbors, and teachers as well as friends & family. The music is perfect for road trips or car pools, music while you are working or creating, and pretty fun to listen to whether you are want to relax or tidy! I hear every year our music goes well with holiday tunes and is great for dinners too. And don’t forget to order for yourself – our new trio CD, More Than Another Day is included in the discount too.

Pictured below are just some of our 23 CD’s that are my favorite and they range from solo piano (Nuance and Day & Night are 2 examples), trio (Oasis), quartet (Chalkboard Destiny) or quintet (Nocturnal and Twilight & Blues), but there’s more too!

‘Tis the season to be m e r r y, right? Our holiday DISCOUNT CODE: MERRY50 will be active from November 27^th through Dec 4^th which is our Official Release Day for More Than Another Day.

Enjoy!

Lisa

INDEPENDENCE

July 1, 2020 by Lisa Hilton

Holidays, Miles Davis, summer

Independence is an interesting concept right about now, don’t you think? Most of us are yearning for more than a day too – we like our freedoms and chafe at any idea of losing the liberty to go to a beach or a bar, to open our business for patrons or to visit our parents. This year Independence Day will be smaller and quieter. Fair enough. I might not make the fancy berry cheesecake for friends but a BBQ is still within reason, and I’ll go to the beach before they close for the weekend. Good enough!

Independence, and the feeling of freedom, always comes to me through creative pursuits. Whether it’s cooking, sewing, gardening, composing and playing the piano or listening to music, that is precious time away from earthly issues. Art, in all its forms, is a gift to our spirit – a lift from the ordinariness of life. So sing a song, write a poem, paint a picture, listen to Miles Davis, dance at dusk, or simply play your instrument and enjoy the freedom and fun this holiday weekend – and always.

Lisa