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Lisa Hilton

A standing ovation with Luques Curtis, JD Allen, and Rudy Royston.

D I V E R S I T Y

June 22, 2020 by Lisa Hilton
Carnegie Hall, Diversity, J.D. Allen, Lisa Hilton, Luques Curtis, Rudy Royston

The history of jazz, born in America’s south, is also the history of race in our country, and the talented and determined individuals that contributed to our culture. Trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk were both attacked by police on different occasions, but unfortunately, I’m sure there were others too.

Pianist, composer, and band leader, Duke Ellington, was famous for having his own train to take his band on tour, but it was a necessity so that they had a place to eat and to stay since many hotels/restaurants were for white people only.

Yet Miles, Monk and Ellington still continue to be some of the greatest and most revered artists in the history of our country – Duke Ellington was even commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II to compose specifically for her, a lovely piece he entitled The Queen’s Suite.

Our jazz legends have enriched our culture and continue to inspire today. We are all familiar with their names: Miles, Monk and Ellington we easily recognize, but so are “Count” Basie, Nat “King” Cole, Louis “Pops” Armstrong, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, Charlie “Bird” Parker and Billie “Lady Day” Holiday: all household names today after fifty years or more. Their talents, as well as many others, have contributed not only to jazz worldwide, but to the culture and history of America.

These composers, performers and musicians create pride in our country’s cultural contributions in music, and are proof that Black lives have contributed and mattered throughout the history of America. Who are tomorrow’s legends? Hah, that’s a tricky one, right?

Since my first band, I have always reached out to today’s jazz luminaries to record and tour with, and I’ve been lucky they’ve joined me. I’ve always looked for great musicians from a variety of backgrounds because diversity of ideas naturally stimulates creativity. So today I’d like to share these modern day leaders – some of the most talented musicians and composers today – there are a lot of great memories we have shared over the years!

Thanks for letting me share some of my favorite musicians!

– Lisa

lisa hilton with her band members

I’m Thinking of You…

April 16, 2020 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton

Hello – wishing you good health and peace today,

It’s a bit tricky connecting with everyone right now, isn’t it?  We want to say “Happy Easter/Passover/Spring” yet that word “happy” might be a bit optimistic for this week.  I have been thinking of you – of course we all have been thinking of everybody: from medical workers, to grocery store staff, to friends, and family of course.

I think of musicians and artists everywhere and the theaters and services that support and present their talents.  I’ve been thinking of my sister, a college teacher – like teachers everywhere – adjusting to teaching online while rearranging course work and navigating new software. I’ve been thinking of the new little babies too – that must be kept safe so they don’t even get to meet their grandparents in person.

I send my greetings here to everyone because we are all thinking of everyone around the world right now.  This Sunday, like many, I won’t be able to gather with family, but through FaceTime I’ll share brunch in the morning, and Zoom in the evening with family members throughout California and in Italy.  As always, I walked in nature this morning enjoying the beauty that always surrounds us.

Despite the current turmoil we are experiencing, I continue to compose.  Spring has always been a great time for creativity to germinate – first as little ideas, (or as I like to call them, embryos), and then I begin to shape them as I’m doing now, into full compositions.  It’s similar to the flowers that bud and then bloom or the little starts of my lettuce and squash seeds – the compositions start very small then quickly take shape as I nurture them.

While I’m looking for solutions for my composition, I often play on my piano music of the great composers I admire – this week Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Paul Simon too.  So many great songs between them! I always seem to have lots of ideas, but I am never sure what the final product will be – it is always a surprise and a part of the mystery and joy of creation.

Enjoy your day, and know that I am thinking of you, and hoping that our our lives will all be blossoming again soon.

– Lisa

a grid of springtime photos

aerial shot of lisa hilton at the piano looking at sheet music

You Might Feel Better If You Were Practicing Right Now!

March 18, 2020 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton, piano

Huh? Uh… yeah… that’s what I said, and what I believe: on most days, and especially during a stressful week (yes we all had one) playing your instrument is a R E L I E F. It’s really a gift to yourself to take the time to think about something else – anything other than what is actually happening in your life.

Playing an instrument takes focus, allowing you to switch off those pesky emotions that come along with turbulent times, an overburdened schedule, or say a Chutes & Ladders kinda world. Pull out some old tunes – the ones your mom or grandfather used to play – who cares what it is, just get out some music that mildly interests you and have a go at it.

Or play the most beloved pieces in the world – that’s always a lovely time playing masterful compositions, or jazz favorites are reliably fun, too. Especially if you, or someone, can sing along. If you’re like me, I actually like to sight read the most difficult pieces ever written – that’s fun for me and there’s no room in your brain for fears when you’re caught up in Beethoven’s classics!

You name it: movie themes, love songs, Disney tunes, lullabies, and nursery rhymes! Rock guitar, video game themes, pop, EDM, holiday tunes, Motown, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Green Day, Lady Gaga! Let’s face it – Stevie Wonder is always a winner!

It’s relaxing and FUN to take your mind off of whatever else is going on in the world, it really is. Just start, and see where it takes you and leave your judgements and perfectionism behind, because that never feels good, right? If you’re really on a roll, maybe finish off with some scales if you feel like it. You’ll be surprised at what a nice time you can have – just you and your instrument. I don’t know what else in the world can uplift the spirit better than music, and creating your own, in your own way – whatever level that is – is really cool.

– Lisa

I’ve never seen a better example of music lifting spirits in these tough times. Italians come together to sing to each other from their balconies.

image grid

Lisa Hilton and her band

We Had A Great Time!

March 10, 2020 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Category 1, Lisa Hilton, piano, Radio Jazz Charts

Hello, hello!

As you can see we had a great time this weekend performing in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.  It was great playing with Luques Curtis, JD Allen and Rudy Royston again – the music from Chalkboard Destiny really comes “alive” in a performance. As usual, JD was his volcanic self – he really is a master isn’t he? Rudy is Mr. Detail – captivating an audience with a single tap on his drum. And Luques is everything you would want in a bassist! Wonderful audiences too!

We want to thank everyone for the support for Chalkboard Destiny – hope I’m not forgetting anyone??
ACTUAL JAZZ/Uruguay, ACTUEL JAZZ/Canada, ACUSTICA GLOBAL /Argentina, ARTSOUND/Australia, BBC GLOBAL RADIO 1/UK, BBC RADIO GLOUCESTER/UK, BBS RADIO LAFAYETTE/CA, CAIRNS FM/PLANET JAZZ/Australia, CFBX/Canada, CHLY/Canada, CIBL, CILU/Canada, CIWS/Canada, CJUM/Canada, CKIA/Canada, CKSJ/Canada, COTE SUD 90.3FM/France, COULEURS JAZZ RADIO/France, FMR RADIO/France, FRESH 104.8/New Zealand, GAIA PRIME RADIO/MA, GEOFF FM/France, HPPR/HI, JAZZ FROM GALLERY 41, JAZZ HEART RADIO/S.Korea, JAZZ RADIO DC, JAZZ 24/7/MA, JAZZ ZONE/Canada, KKRW/CA, JOLT CAST PODCAST, JUST JAZZ/Australia, K107 KIRKCALDY COMMUNITY RADIO/JAZZ LOUNGE/Scotland, KANU/KANH/KANV/KS, KBEM/MN, KBOO/OR, KCCK/IA, KCSB/CA, KCSM/CA, KDSU/ND, KDTN/SDC DIGITAL/CA, KEDM/CA, KEWU/WA, KFAI/MN, KIOS/NE, KKUP/CA, KLASSIK RADIO/Germany, KMNO/HI, KMUW/Night Train/KS, KNOM/AK, KPBX/WA, KPFT/TX, KRSC/KY, KRTU/TX, KSCR/CA, KSDS/CA, KTEP/TX, KUBU/CA, KUNM/NM, KUSD/SD, KUVO/KVJZ/CO, KVNF/CO, KVSF/CA, KYGT/CO, GUIDO’S LOUNGE/Netherlands, KZFR/CA, L’AUTRE RADIO/France, LOCOS POR EL JAZZ RADIO /Dominican Republic, Lubeck FM/Germany, MAX FM/Canada, MGZC “B Side Gourmet”/NC, MUSIC BOX RADIO/Belgium, MUSIK REDACTEUR/Germany, OUTSIGHT RADIO, PACJAZ/HI, RADIO 90FM/Netherlands, RADIO ARC EN CIEL/France, RADIO ART/Greece, RADIO BOSSA JAZZ/Brazil, RADIO DOMELDO/Romania, RADIO KANSAS/KS, RADIO 90FM/Netherlands, RADOP LOTTE/Germany, RADIO MOVIMENTO/Portugal, RADIO PALAFRUGELL/Spain, RADIO MUZKOM/Russia, RADIO RICK ALL THAT’S JAZZ/Netherlands, RADIO TUNES/FL, RADIO VIDEO/Ireland, RADIO Z/Germany, SOLAR RADIO/UK, SOUL POWER RADIO/UK, SOUND FUSION RADIO/UK, SUNMUSIC.NET, SUN-NET That Jazz with Tessil Collins/MA, STINGRAY/Canada, SWISS GROOVE RADIO/Switzerland, TAINT RADIO/NC, THE GLOBAL VOICE/WQNA/Canada, THE NETWORK RADIO/online, UBUNTU FM/ S. Africa, URBAN JAZZ RADIO/UK, URQUIZA FM/Argentina, VILLA BOTTA RADIO/Belgium, VOICE OF AMERICA/NWDVR/NJ, WCSF/IL, WECI/IN, WESM/IN, WESS/PZ, WFDU/NJ, WFIT/NY, WFIU/IN, WFSU/FL, WFWM/MD, WGMC/NY, WGVU/MI, WHPC/NY, WHRV/VA, WICR/IN, WJKR/OH, WJSU/MS, WKNH/NH, WLNZ/MI, WMBH/ME, WMNF/COLORS OF JAZZ/FL, WMPG/ME, WMUA/MA, WMUH/ME, WNMC/MI, WNMU/MI, WNTI/NJ, WPKBWO. WORLD JAM RADIO/UK, WORLD OF JAZZ PODCAST, WOWD/MD, WPRB/KVMR/MA, WRIR/VA,WRPI/NY, WRTI/PA, WSSB/SC, WUCF/FL, WUMR/TN, WUSF/WUSR/FL, WUWF/FL, WWSP/WI, WWUH/CT, WXNZ/ME, WXOJ/WMCB/MA, WXUT/WXTS The H Factor Jazz/OH, ZMR/LA, 2 BACR/Australia, 3MBR/Australia

Take care and enjoy your week!
Lisa

C R A Z Y W E A T H E R

February 21, 2019 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton
#jazz, #LisaHiltonMusic, #music, Carnegie Hall, Creative, lisa hilton, zipper hall
Lisa K Hilton photo by Ricky Chavez

Hi there!

I hope you are making it through our  C R A Z Y  W E A T H E R winter! We’ve had a lot of rain in SoCal, but everything is fine where I live and the plants and trees have never looked healthier.  Years of drought and now above average rainfall makes for lush green foliage – something we haven’t seen for a while.  There should be a lot of wildflowers very soon too.

I had a GREAT TIME performing at Zipper Hall in dtla (you can tell by the smile in the pic!) and had a little birthday celebration afterwards that was fun.  Carnegie Hall was wonderful with my trio – I always enjoy playing there, and performing with Luques Curtis and Mark Whitfield Jr. was a highlight!  Here are the UPCOMING PERFORMANCES…. please see if you can come:FEB 28 / THURSDAY / SF JAZZ/ JOE HENDERSON LAB /8PM  https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/lisa-hilton-new-music-from-her-album-oasis/  A terrific club near great restaurants in Hayes Valley.

MARCH 30 / SATURDAY / KERRYTOWN CONCERT HOUSE / 8PM Ann Arbor, MI 48104 http://www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com/index.php/events/event/lisa-hilton/  My first time performing in Ann Arbor, Michigan

APRIL 2 / TUES/BUDDY GUY’S LEGENDS / CHICAGO/IL / 5:30 PM  https://chicagolighthouse.org/event/jazz-night/  ALWAYS fun here – it’s an early show, so there’s time to go to another show afterwards – the club is right off Michigan Ave.

For those of you who like to plan ahead….January 9th/ 2020 at Carnegie Hall/NYC if you haven’t gone to a performance there yet, maybe next year? 

Wonderful news:   OASIS was #1 at Amazon for New Release for a while: Amazon.com – quite a nice surprise to see that. (If you’ve got a moment please leave a review at Amazon)  OASIS is currently in the Top 14 at  JazzWeek Radio Charts – down a bit from #6 recently.  So we’ve been very happy with the response to the new music. And we’re always happy for praise: “Hilton’s artistry never waivers: her compositional skills and classically informed arrangements are uniformly smart and her playing has never been less than inspired… a master of melodicism and dynamics.” Jazz Times/ Jeff Tamarkin and “Reliably exceptional – that is how I would describe Lisa Hilton. … Her composing and performance could be described as existing between impressionism and expressionism, but the one thing all her performances have is a heartbeat.  Swinging-ly grounded in the beat she establishes is where Hilton’s charm shines the brightest.”C. Michael Bailey/All About JazzSomething new

Lastly…I’m kind of excited about -if you have a moment here is the new project I’ve been working on – a website where I will begin music licensing for film/television/websites or other needs: Ruby Slippers Productions 

Take care and hope to see you this spring at a concert!

Lisa

IT’S BEEN HOT…..

August 13, 2018 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton, piano
jazz, lisa hilton, piano

Hello from the beach!
If the weather’s hot, and the water’s warm… better be sure your music matches!  Here’s a few selections to take your mind off the thermometer:
HEAT WAVE
HOT SUMMER SAMBA
TOO HOT
I’ll be in the studio very very soon…. new music coming before the end of the year….
Stay cool!
Lisa
Award winning jazz composer/pianist
Photos by David Oscar Flores
LisaHiltonMusic.com
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Jazz everywhere!

May 10, 2018 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton, Luques Curtis, Rudy Royston, twenty first century jazz
composer, jazz, lisa hilton, piano

Hello, Hello,

I hope all is going well for you.  I just got back myself from a bit of travel – a meeting at Berklee College in Boston for the Presidents Advisory Committee, a solo show in Chicago and then a trio show with Luques Curtis and Rudy Royston (see photos above), at the Smithsonian in Washington.  Great shows and audiences – and TERRIFIC warm weather in DC – hot even!  Then a vacay in Japan and a short trip to Santa Barbara, but I’m home and cozy in Malibu again. I loved the shows and it is always great to play with Luques and Rudy, (JD had a show at Dizzy’s the same night and couldn’t make it).  What really inspired me in Japan, was that I heard American jazz EVERYWHERE – in restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, vintage shops – every place I went -imagine jazz everywhere! It felt like the soundtrack to my life!
We are very very thankful for the hundreds and hundreds of radio stations, streaming services, playlists, and podcasts that have supported ESCAPISM – still on two radio charts after 4 months – thank you!  So wonderful!  I got to do interviews for radio from London to Atlantic too.  Hoping  Hot Summer Samba becomes a theme song for this summer!
We have been very happy about all the nice reviews and encouragement for ESCAPISM too. Lots of photos here from my Los Angles show: “Hilton unlocks dreamy transcendence… “  and a very thoughtful review here on page 53 …”The First Lady of Jazz Piano…” ,  and from Aiding & Abetting – Cruising Underground Culture  “Hilton is a font of creativity, finding almost endless ways to wring new ideas out of the piano, and her band is the perfect combination of side players and solo partners. The grooves here are almost endless.”  
So what’s up now after this busy month?  Setting up Carnegie Hall – January 10th 2019 and SFJazz February 28th 2019 as well as others.  Now is the time to set shows up, so please contact me if you have any good ideas for performances and who to contact, K?  I still have some “music-keeping” tasks – updating my song and copyright lists for my publishing company and online sources – that kind of thing.  But mostly this is the opening of my OFFICIAL COMPOSING SEASON, so I’m back doing what I love to do and wondering what will appear this year?
 
Wishing you a great end of spring!
 
Lisa

It’s been really nice….

April 4, 2018 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Lisa Hilton, piano jazz
composer, jazz, jazz and piano, lisa hilton

Hi there!

Hope you had a nice holiday weekend – I feasted and, I suppose, “Fested” a bit with family and friends but still got a big hike in the Santa Monica Mountains near my home.  Our Spring weather in Cali has been a bit erratic, but we are getting some nice days after all the rain we had. Hope your spring is coming too!

 
Thank you to the artists at Junior Blind of America/WayFinder Family Services for the nice oversized card!  How kind – it was fun to be back on their Los Angeles Campus after a terrific show at San Francisco Jazz – I love that venue!  Thank you to all my Malibu friends, family and followers who showed up at Pepperdine University for my performance too – it was so nice to see you there!  You can read about it here. “At the hands of pianist and composer Lisa Hilton, the piano is anything but black & white….”  
I’m heading out quite soon to donate my time to Berklee College of Music in Boston then I head to Chicago to play at Buddy Guys Legends Club a week from today – 4/10 @ 5pm.  PLEEZE come – it’s really fun – and great food too – I always have the grilled chicken salad.  That is my last solo piano show of the season, but you also get to hear the jazz vocalist Nikki George who will open the show at about 5pm.  (Come early for best seats!)  Then off to DC for my last show with my trio with Rudy Royston and Luques Curtis on 4/12 at the Smithsonian and it’s….. FREE!  Yep! THE SMITHSONIAN/ Nan McEvoy Auditorium Washington DC 6PM  FREE!   Who can resist a FREE show during cherry blossom season?  If you can’t come to one of these shows, please forward this info to your Chicago friends and family and anyone in the DC area or who might be in town for the cherry blossom festival. btw, if there’s a radio station or other media in the Chicago or DC areas that is interested, I’d love to do a quick interview for the upcoming shows, so please let me know if you’re interested – I just did one today actually.
 
For those of you who like to plan ahead… Carnegie 2019 has a date: 1/10/ 2019/ Thursday at WEILL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL/ 8PM/ NYC .  I have already heard that people want to attend that one, so mark your calendars so you can plan your weekend tickets for shows ahead of time.  Just in case you need them, here are easy links for ESCAPISM:
iTunes and Amazon
I want to also thank everyone around the world for your support of ESCAPISM from A-Z: All Jazz Radio to ZMR!  Hundreds and hundreds of radio stations, internet radio, syndicated radio, streaming, and playlists have supported my 20th release – so it’s a real “overnight success!”  ESCAPISM has spent almost 3 months right around the Top 10 on two different radio charts.  And great reviews from everywhere: Russia, Spain, Argentina, Australia, Africa…  and all over the United States and Canada.  Thank you all!  We are all really thankful for your continued support – we very appreciate it very much.
I’m looking forward to whatever will come next in my upcoming creative season…. stay tuned and take care,
Lisa
Lisa Hilton
Award winning jazz composer/pianist
LisaHiltonMusic.com
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Time for some ESCAPISM, right?

March 14, 2018 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Escapism, Lisa Hilton, piano
composer, FREE, jazz, lisa hilton, Luques Curtis, piano, Rudy Royston

It’s  A L M O S T Spring!

Not quite, but it’s almost here!  I know we have needed the rain and cooler weather, but I’m literally thinking about ESCAPISM, (or maybe it’s Spring Breakism), right now!  Doesn’t a warm, sandy (dry) spot sound good today?   But for now, I’m just about ready to spend time at my beloved piano, thinking about the upcoming nights of ESCAPISM – the performances that is – that are coming up for our release.  We are NUMBER 8 on TWO radio charts!  YIPPEE!  We love that!  Please try and come out to one of these last 3 shows – I really can’t promise any sandy beaches, but I definitely can guarantee you a Hot Summer Samba!  Come on, you deserve an little ESCAPISM don’t you?

ENJOY A NIGHT OF PURE ESCAPISM:

3/23 RAITT HALL/PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY/ Malibu, CA/ 8PM   This is a solo piano show in an intimate space with great acoustics on my “home court” – the first theatre I performed – in so it should be a really nice show.  Come early and have a bite or a drink locally at: Ollo, Tradinoi, Taverna Tony, Cafe Habana or Bui Sushi – all close by and delicious.  If you can get to the theater before 8:30 you can stop by the very nice Weissman Museum next door too:  I’m very excited about this show and would love to say hi to everyone after and you never know who might show up!

4/10  BUDDY GUY’S LEGENDS/ 5PM 700 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL This is a fun, casual yearly event to benefit the Chicago Lighthouse for People who are Blind or Visually impaired. And let’s not forget, that we have run into Mr. Buddy himself on more than one occasion there which is always a thrill too!  This starts early with jazz vocalist Nikki George, and then I will come on a bit later.  It’s over by 8 so there’s still plenty of time to head out after to your next spot, right?  A nice club right off Michigan Avenue makes it an easy stop too.

4/12  THE SMITHSONIAN/ Nan McEvoy Auditorium/Museum of American Art, Washington DC 6PM  FREE!   with Luques Curtis/bass, Rudy Royston/drums  I highly recommend this show too – the last of the tour and with an awesome band too!  THIS IS COMPLETELY FREE because it’s the Smithsonian, so come on, and come out!  Or come for a long weekend as it’s Cherry Blossom Festival time!  Come early and enjoy the beauty of our nations capital and the finest museums along with a free show.

Just a couple of great reviews here – we love the encouragement and support!  “A Great Escape.”  Jazz Weekly “The cure for winter blues.” WDCE Radio “Escapism is a beautiful recording project”. Anima Jazz/Italy  “A bit elegant, a bit adventurous, very clear and crisp sound, a good good release”. WUWF/Florida  “Lisa Hilton is amazing!” BONDI RADIO FM Australia  “Hilton’s music is picturesque and impressionistic…the pianist has excellent technique.” Downbeat  “Hilton is a pure original… she has a magical ability to make her piano tell compelling stories. Certainly on Escapism her facility for make her instrument talk and sing and wear its emotions on its proverbial sleeve is immense and you can hear this almost immediately as the recording begins. There is so much drama in her playing that one finds oneself constantly at the edge of the seat…  She seems to be able to make her instrument a living, breathing thing.  This is an album to die for.”  Jazz da Gama/ Canada “Truly unique compositions, flawlessly played.  Hilton & company are relentlessly in search of excellence, while achieving it with a frequency that leaves one in jaw-dropping awe.”  Hugh Carson, KVNF Radio

Be sure to look for our music on SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, YOUTUBE, AMAZON or any other source you use for listening at home/work/car or shop @ iTunes:    or most online stores. Whenever you can, share the show info with friends, or a YouTube Video or write a nice review on Amazon or follow on the links below – these small acts are very kind and encouraging.  Art, culture, music and live music are all important to our community, our country and our world, and your support is always appreciated!

Where ESCAPISM began….

March 13, 2018 by Lisa Hilton
Blog, Escapism, Jazz, Lisa Hilton
jazz, JD Allen, lisa hilton, piano, Rudy Royston

Hello Hello,
I am thrilled at the support this week for our album, ESCAPISM!  #8 on the JazzWeek chart (that posted March 8/Women’s Appreciation Day!), and #8 on the ZMR chart too!  That is so wonderful!  Thank you very much!  We are appreciative of this encouraging news.  Thank you!
The photo above is of my new studio in the breakfast nook of my new (but vintage) home a short walk from the beach in Malibu, and close by hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains – this is where all the ESCAPISM music was composed and developed from May-August last year.  Just before I moved in May, I already had done the little embryos of the tunes, but the actual development of the compositions, and all the coloring, happened in a fairly short time last summer.  You can barely make out the iconic shot of Miles Davis on the left in a photo by my friend Ken Franckling, and you can’t quite see another classic shot of Monk at Monterey Jazz fest at the top of the bookshelves, (filled with music books and jazz musician bios).  Miles is my muse that represents soul, innovation, and perhaps perseverance. Monk is my muse of hard work (since he’s sweating at the piano), creativity, and someone I consider to be a piano giant.  You also can’t quite see photos of me with the classical giants of today: pianists/friends Yuja Wang and Lang Lang. All the books and music books represent the greatest composers in the world from Bach to Bartok to Basie. On the right is a painting by an ex of mine, and 2 black & white photos (nudes) I took in college when I was an art student.  It looks a bit messy because it’s a work day and I had just moved in.  You can see the ferns and tropical foliage that influenced Hot Summer Samba – originally that tune was going to be a slow blues, but it was a gorgeous summer day, the AC wasn’t working and somehow, the song just moved itself into a hot Latin number!  The view that I have in the opposite direction inspired Zero Gravity – just this feeling of summer at it’s best – a floating feeling inspired by palm trees.
Sitting in my new studio, filled with the lightness of summer, I wanted to create music that would lift spirits around the globe – to remember that beauty is still everywhere if only we can remember to look.  That by lifting listeners energy maybe we can communicate the strength and goodness that cannot ever be taken from us.  This is where the tracks from ESCAPISM were developed.   I wanted a way to capture the great energy I was feeling and communicate it to others, so they can feel uplift too and bring that into their lives.  It’s just amazing and really cool that so many people have embraced the album.  (In fact, I am hoping that ESCAPISM will be the OFFICIAL JAZZ ALBUM of SPRING BREAK this year!  Hah!)  To me, sitting there at my piano IS Spring Break – it’s ESCAPISM or the ultimate vacay even.  I start with a little melody, or perhaps a groove and then add a little bit and a little more, and a few hours later I return from what feels like a visit far, far away – all while sitting with my piano in a breakfast nook!  In August I took the music to Avatar studio with my long time friends Gregg August, Rudy Royston and of course JD Allen.  I explained each tune and the energy and inspiration and then we recorded – no rehearsal ever – a la Miles Davis.  But I’m always a bit nervous – what will they think of these new tunes – my new “babies”?  (And I am asking them to play a waltz on Zero Gravity even!)  Of course they are professional and won’t comment, but ….??  A recording studio is not the place for indecision or insecurity though, it’s the place for committing to the ideas and creating the leadership to create great music, while hoping for the best. When we where done, what was their favorite piece?  Zero Gravity – yep – the waltz!
 
Thank you for the support and wishing you a great week!
Lisa
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