Lisa Hilton (musician)
| Lisa Hilton | |
|---|---|
|
Hilton live at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood Photo: Ron Hall | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lisa Kristine Hilton |
| Origin | San Luis Obispo, California |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz standards |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Years active | since 1997 |
| Labels | Ruby Slippers Productions, EvoSound, Ltd. |
| Website |
www |
Lisa Kristine Hilton is an American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, producer and writer[1] based in the greater Los Angeles area. Hilton's post-bop compositions are considered to be highly impressionistic,[2] which she expresses in an evocative playing style.
Early years
Hilton was born in a small town on California's central coast. At approximately the age of six, she began playing piano; later she was inspired by stories of her great uncle (Dutch pianist, Willem Bloemendaal [1910–1937). Though her early years were dominated by classical music and 20th-century music study,[3] in her teens she became interested in jazz standards and blues compositions.[4] Seeing the classic blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in concert had a lasting impact, as did the music of jazz pioneers Jelly Roll Morton, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters.
As a college student exposed to conceptual art and other art forms, she put music aside for a time to complete a degree in art and design. Upon returning to music, Hilton was drawn to the creative possibilities of jazz.
Return to the piano
In 1997, Hilton's interest in music was reignited by a neighbor: Grammy award-winning producer/composer David Foster.[5] Hilton resumed her studies in theory and composition with composer Charles Bernstein, and other professors at UCLA. She has made jazz composition her full time endeavor, composing and recording about one album a year. The recordings include a combination of her original compositions and her arrangements of jazz standard tunes. As a bandleader, Hilton taps inventive jazz players of great renown, including bassists Christian McBride and Larry Grenadier, drummers Nasheet Waits and Lewis Nash, and saxophonists J.D. Allen III, Steve Wilson, Brice Winston, and Bobby Militello.[6]
Staying true to her influences both as a player and composer, Hilton remains driven by the quality of musical impression, a unique characteristic that is most often noted in her reviews:
“A deeply expressive style . . . rich melodies and improvisations . . . and an appealing impressionism.” – Philip Booth, Downbeat Magazine[7]
"Although Lisa Hilton has been compared to some of the best pianists in history, such as Bill Evans and Brad Mehldau, her sound and style are of her own." – Cicily Janus, The New Face of Jazz[8]
"[Hilton's compositions] almost always demand your deepest investigation, concentration.” – Giovanni Russonello, Capitol Bop, A Complete D.C. Jazz Guide[9]
Hilton cites Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Horace Silver as compositional influences.
Work with the blind and visually-impaired
Acting on her belief that young musicians will build a new generation of jazz traditions, Hilton works to support music programs for children and teens, particularly those that are blind or visually-impaired. She has performed benefit concerts, conducted workshops and played with young musicians at the historic Perkins School for the Blind,[10] near Boston, The Chicago Lighthouse[11] for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, the Junior Blind of America and their Camp Bloomfield in Malibu, and Berklee College of Music in Boston, among other youth-oriented programs.
Discography
- Seduction (1997, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Playing by Heart (1999, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Cocktails at Eight... (2000, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Feeling Good (2001, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- In the Mood for Jazz (2003, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Jazz After Hours (2004, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- My Favorite Things (2005, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Midnight in Manhattan (2006, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- After Dark (2007, EvoSound, Ltd.)
- The New York Sessions (2007, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- So This Is Love (2008, EvoSound, Ltd.)
- Sunny Day Theory (2008, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Twilight & Blues (2009, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Nuance (2010, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Underground (2011, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- American Impressions (2012, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Getaway (2013, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- Kaleidoscope (2014, Ruby Slippers Productions)
- H O R I Z O N S (2015, Ruby Slippers Productions)
References
- ↑ "Lisa Hilton to Release New Album "Nuance" June 8th". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ↑ Stober, Karl. "Twilight & Blues by Lisa Hilton". Jazz Review. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ↑ Plourde, Brenton. "Lisa Hilton, Twilight and Blues". JazzTimes, Inc. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Mullikin, Patrick Timothy. "malibu's music corner: ‘Twilight & Blues'". Malibu Times. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ↑ Stober, Karl. "Between Sets with Lisa Hilton... A Diamond Sculpted from Ivory". Jazz Review. Retrieved February 1, 2006.
- ↑ Lush, Brian. "ALL i HAVE iS BLUE". Rockwired Media LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ↑ Booth, Philip. "Lisa Hilton: Twilight And Blues". Downbeat. Retrieved December 2009.
- ↑ Janus, Cicily (2010). The New Face of Jazz. Random House. p. 352. ISBN 978-0-8230-0065-4.
- ↑ Russonello, Giovanni. "Lisa Hilton, a pianist who builds thick harmonic textures, flies solo at Twins on Thursday". CapitolBop. Retrieved March 2011.
- ↑ Archer, Carol. "Composer, Jazz Pianist Lisa Hilton To Perform at Perkins School". Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
- ↑ Walseth, Brad. "Jazz Pianist shows big Heart in Working with Blind Musicians". Jazz Chicago. Retrieved January 8, 2007.