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AVAILABLE NOW:
Pianist/Composer LISA HILTON
Explores Evolution of Nature Through Sound, Melody and Improvisation on H O R I Z O N S
Featuring Performances by J.D. Allen,
Sean Jones, Gregg August, and Rudy Royston 
"Exceptional artistry.." - JazzTimes
"The sheer beauty of her playing... the rhythmic acuity,
those silky lines" - DownBeat
The view of any singular
horizon changes with each movement one makes, no matter how small. With
every step forward, backward, or side-to-side, a horizon evolves into a
new and unique view. On her upcoming release, H O R I Z O N S, pianist/composer Lisa Hilton aims to show that, much like a picturesque landscape, music is meant to evolve in the same fashion. Following last years Kaleidoscope, H O R I Z O N S
marks the seventeenth stateside album from the pianist/composer and is a
continuation of Hilton's exploration through sound, melody and
improvisation. With Hilton behind the piano, the record features
exceptional performances by trumpeter Sean Jones, tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, drummer Rudy Royston, and bassist Gregg August.
Hilton
writes in her liner notes, "I see so much beauty and truth in
nature..." and that has led her to be informed and inspired on these 12
tracks - nine that are composed by Hilton. From the classic straight
ahead "Nocturnal" and Basie inspired, "Surfer Blues" to the intrigue of
"Vapors and Shadows" or the playfulness of "Dolphins" and "Perfect Day,"
Hilton and her well - honed band bring a playlist of jazz styles. It
is the playful recast of the melody though that enlightens "The Sky and
the Ocean" and "Lazy Moon" as well as Hilton's elegant
arrangements of Duke Ellington's gem, "Sunset and the Mockingbird" and
the Mercer/Mancini classic, "Moon River." These pieces really shine with
Jones' clarion flugelhorn and Allen's seductive tenor. Royston and
August contribute well throughout especially on The Black Keys "Gold on
the Ceiling" and the thoughtful, "Currents". H O R I Z O N S includes the impressionistic, "When It Rains" as a solo piano soundscape.
"I
like to let what I see in nature inform and inspire my life," Hilton
muses. "We see the extremes of weather, as well as a myriad of
variations, but nature goes through severe change or challenge and then
recovers. If you take the time to look, there's always something
positive to be found - a sunrise or a sunset to lift your spirits every
day, so I like look at out to our horizon. What happens outdoors is
often a metaphor for what we're doing musically and compositionally -
hopefully a sense of expansiveness, depth and beauty along with
improvisations on life."
A a distinctive and thought provoking composer and pianist, Hilton
creates compositions that draw on classical traditions, twentieth
century modernists, and the avant-garde as much as they look back to
icons of American jazz and blues. Hilton's post bop style influences
extend beyond jazz legends Thelonious Monk, Count Basie and Duke
Ellington, to include bluesman Muddy Waters, minimalists like Steve
Reich, current rockers Green Day and The Black Keys or modernists
Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Bartok.
About Lisa Hilton:
Originally
from a small town on California's central coast, Hilton studied
classical and twentieth century piano formally from the age of eight,
but in college, switched majors and received a degree in art. "I
approach music as my art now," Hilton explains; "I build the composition
with the musical elements - melody, rhythm, form, then 'paint' texture
and color through harmony, improvisation, density and other concepts".
Hilton
has produced a total of 17 albums, representing over 200 compositions
to her name. She has worked with many of this era's jazz luminaries,
notably Christian McBride, Nasheet Waits, Steve Wilson, Jeremy Pelt,
Lewis Nash, Billy Hart, Bobby Militello, Larry Grenadier, and Marcus
Gilmore among others. Her releases regularly appear on radio charts.
Committed
to helping students who are often overlooked, Hilton regularly spends
time to help young blind musicians at the historic Perkins School for
the Blind in Boston, The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind or
Visually Impaired, The Junior Blind of America in Los Angeles, Camp
Bloomfield for the Blind in Malibu, California, or with The Berklee
College of Music in Boston and their adaptive music lab for visually
impaired musicians. "I enjoy extending help to those with physical
disabilities - music should be for everyone," Hilton explains.
Lisa Hilton · H O R I Z O N S
Ruby Slippers Productions · Release Date: April 7, 2014
For national media inquiries, please contact:
DL Media · 610-667-0501
Matthew Jurasek · matthew@
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Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios)
on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com
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