trio Archives - Lisa Hilton Music

Happy July

July 8, 2013 by Lisa Hilton

hilton, jazz, lisa hilton, Patrick Nuo, trio

Lisa Hilton and German singer Patrick Nuo
at Catalina’s Jazz Club in Hollywood

Hi there – hoping that your holiday weekend was full of fun!

I love the summer and the 4th of July represents the best of it all: great weather, time with friends & family, extra hours for hiking and beaching, and even getting some clean-up in as well as piano time! I am going to say that I also have been on a bit of a digital holiday too – as an artist/composer, I need that quiet time away from the business world to nurture new music and ideas, so I’ve taken time for that as well. I have a new CD in the very beginning stages, and I also have new little embryos for compositions. Summer fun indeed!

A super big thank you, again, to radio everywhere for your continued support of our CD, “Getaway.” Currently #9 on the international ZMR chart, it also appeared at #11 on the college CMJ chart, and #17 on the JazzWeek charts so far. For an indie artist, this represents tremendous support. Thank you for the “Love.” Supporting artists helps to create a future for art in this world!

Great new CD reviews –
This one from New York compares my compositions to Monk and Brubeck – how nice!
CD Review: Lisa Hilton “Getaway” | Music Reviews | City Newspaper
“It’s become an unusual thing to say in the context of a jazz album, but Lisa Hilton is a great songwriter. There is no doubt that Hilton is a superb jazz pianist.”

From a radio station in Spain: NoSoloSmoothJazz.com

And two more:
Improvijazzation Nation
Leo Weekly

Thank you, thank you!

The photo above was taken after a performance with my trio in Hollywood – you never know who will stop by there to watch – we’ve had some surprises over the years. Besides being a great singer with several hit songs in Germany, Patrick Nuo is an ambassador to Hear The World. Hearing is something I have always been very aware of – so many engineers I work with have lost some of their abilities from the long, loud hours they log, and it seems to parallel the work that I do with the visually impaired: Check out Hear the World for more photos and tunes, too.

I did manage a family trip to Scandinavia that included perfect weather and very friendly people, and I’ll squeeze in a jazz fest or two, but otherwise it’s a great season for me to compose and produce and play piano.

Wishing you a great July!

Lisa

Happy Summer Time!

June 1, 2013 by Lisa Hilton

Jazz

Getaway, Gregg August, Jaimeo Brown, jazz, radio, summer, The Smith Center, tour, trio

June_blog
Live at The Smith Center: Lisa Hilton, Gregg August & Jaimeo Brown

Summer started here with a BBQ last weekend after finishing up a fun tour with my trio. VERY enthusiastic audiences and a wonderful time performing with two terrific musicians. We were fortunate to get great reviews for our performances:

– Lisa Hilton is at her best when she is guiding us down the back roads of our own emotional geography. Sure, she can riff heavy on traditional jazz, swinging with …Vegas Seven

– Jazz Weekly

–Examiner.com

And a nice, new CD review: eJazzNews, as well as one in the new issue of Jazz Times.

We will tour again starting Oct. 21 in Chicago at The Green Mill and ending at Dizzy’s NYC Oct. 28th, 2013. We hope to add some more dates too. I’d also like to thank the schools that asked me to perform for their students at The Junior Blind of America, The Transfiguration School, and Viewpoint School.

We want to say THANK YOU RADIO FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT for the new release, “Getaway.” We are so appreciative of the warm response: last week #17 on the JazzWeek Radio Chart, and #10 on the ZMR Radio Chart, and a few weeks back #11 on the CMJ college jazz radio chart – with over 200 stations around the world playing our recording. Thank you very, very much. Please continue… tunes like “Getaway” and “Stepping Into Paradise” really set the mood for summer, don’t you agree? In fact the Lisa Hilton Getaway sounds like a vacation right there doesn’t it! It’s always a lot of work to produce a CD, but the many, many great reviews and strong radio play have been wonderful.

So what’s up for the summer? I do have a family trip planned starting later this week, and when I return I will be “exploring” on the piano – my favorite thing to do in the summers musically – I like playing different composers and trying new ideas out. I do have two different directions for new releases, so we’ll see what pops out from those ideas. My first week off, I just needed to get my studio back in order – lots of music to organize after the last five months of hard work, so for now it just feels good to have everything cleaned up! A luxury with our busy lives these days, isn’t it? I also hope to get to one or two jazz festivals as a fan this summer – my favorite way to spend a day!

Take care and I hope your summer plans will be fun as well, and filled with great music.

Lisa

Getaway Reviews and Quotes

June 1, 2013 by Lisa Hilton

All

composer, Getaway, hilton, jazz, lisa, lisa hilton, pianist, reviews, trio

“Getaway” is pianist/composer Lisa Hilton’s fifteenth CD as a bandleader. Here she’s joined in a powerful trio effort featuring bass icon, Larry Grenadier and the creative genius of Nasheet Waits/drums.

Current reviews include:

“Hilton proves often enough that she is a pianist of considerable ability, capable of depth and a wide emotional range….a surprisingly edifying listening experience.”
Jeff Tamarkin/ JazzTimes 2013

“Hilton has a way of taking a basic idea and stretching its conceptual fabric…Hilton is a conjurer of musical spells, moods and magic.”
Dan Bilawsky/ All About Jazz/ April 2, 2013

“One of the uniquely individualistic performers on the contemporary music scene… continues her quest for new musical territories for her to explore.”
Don Heckman/ International Review of Music 2013

“Lisa Hilton is a great songwriter – there is no doubt that she is a superb jazz pianist. Like Monk and Brubeck, Hilton’s tunes have a distinct style to them – deliciously bluesy, but decidedly contemporary flair.”
Rochester City Newspaper

“What makes Hilton’s music so impressive is that she is one of the few pianists around that actually has her own unique style and sound. Having a past career in the visual arts, Hilton uses her palette to create music and sounds.”
The Jazz Messenger/ May 2013

“A sophisticated blend of blues and adventurous band intermingling… full of fiery jamming and soloing.”
L.A. Jazz Scene

“Lisa Hilton’s most charming and beguiling CD to date.”
Linda Yohn/WEMU

“13 songs offered up for your aural pleasure – a taste of what joy sounds like.” ImproviJazzation Nation/ Dick Metcalf

“Expressive pianism…dramatic, fluid lines lend a sculptural identity. Hilton blends different cultural and musical sources in a respectful yet unconventional manner… giving her piano jazz new color, new textures and new time signatures. Her variations and ideas seemed to emerge from an inner voice.”
Paula Edelstein/ The Examiner/ May 17, 2013 (live review)

“Smoking, cooking stuff … one winning wild ride.”
Chris Spector/The Midwest Record

“A wonderful melding of musical worlds.”
George Harris/ JazzWeekly

“Hilton has been one of my heroes since I discovered her. I consider her the best jazz pianist and composer in the world.” Hugh Carson/KVNF Retrospective of Lisa Hilton Music April 2013

“Lisa Hilton’s trio came to Catalina’s on Thursday on the throes of her most recent album, Getaway. She delved into her own compositions that felt like audible paintings, with each touch on the piano feeling like the stroke of a brush.”
JazzWeekly concert review May 17, 2013

“She’s a worthy jazz composer as is lavishly proven here.”
Jeff Simon/ Buffalo News/ March 31, 2013

“I received “Getaway” about 3 weeks ago & thoroughly enjoy it — great original compositions, inspired & imaginative interplay. Awesomely mesmerizing in my humble opinion.”
Richard Haggerty/ WRUV May 26, 2013

“Impressive…intoxicating…fantastic….”
Kathy Parsons/ Mainly Piano/ April 14, 2013

“Stunning piano music… a kaleidoscope of color.”
Dana Wright/ Muzik Reviews/ April 8, 2013

“Hilton expands her approach to traditional jazz with original compositions and her unique voice on the piano.”
Kim Linzy/ KUNV Las Vegas/ 2013

“Hilton is at her best when she is guiding us down the back roads of our own emotional geography…. a meteorologist of the soul, playing the length of the eighty eight like a rain-dancing shaman.”
Kurt Rice/ Vegas Seven (live review)

“The interplay between these three virtuoso instrumentalists is impressive.”
Music & Media Focus/ 2013

“Hilton is a distinctive composer and player…and a unified artfulness here.”
Martin Kasdan Jr./ Leo Weekly 2013

“Lisa Hilton is a flawless and brilliant pianist.”
Javier Garcia Escamez/ NoSoloJazz.com/ Madrid, Spain 2013

“Lisa Hilton is an artist furthering herself into the jazz pantheon as a composer, and also an intriguing, sometimes mesmerizing instrumentalist. No wonder such luminaries as bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Nasheet Waits are along for the ride on “Getaway,” which travels to some scenic, to the ear, places…an entertaining journey.”
Steve Monroe/ JazzAvenues.com

“With her power trio with Larry Grenadier and Nasheet Waits, Hilton enthralls listeners on these thirteen refreshing and wide ranging jazz & blues tracks.”
Accent on Tampa/ Melissa Wolcott Martino

“Unbridled passion… Hilton is a force to be reckoned with in the world of jazz piano.”
Bill Binkleman/Wind & Wire

“Pianist and composer Lisa Hilton is a painter with sound, offering an array of beautiful tunes whose melodies vividly capture the mood.”
JazzNotes/ Ken Franckling/ May 2013

“We at KSDS have always liked Hilton’s playing. As usual she has a great band with her.”
KSDS Radio

“Hilton hits another one out of the park with this fine, elegant CD featuring snappy, original compositions.”
Rajman Reviews

“Hilton believes in tradition expressed with modern means honoring classical music, music of the twentieth century, and American jazz & blues. She considers the twenty-first century as a new musical age.”
Radio France Musique Open Jazz

“This collection of extraordinary, simple yet complex compositions reflects on years of in-depth scrutiny into the innermost sense of craft.”
eJazzReview/ Karl Stober/ May 2013