Composer, pianist, and band-leader
Lisa Hilton has completed her 18th release, Nocturnal, with her most impressive
band to date featuring tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, trumpeter Terell Stafford,
bassist Gregg August and drummer Antonio Sánchez. The 11-track album shows
remarkable emotional depth and clarity from all band members, exploring the
reactive emotions that follow an ill-fated night of events. "It comes from
having something not go your way, and what that means to you as you explore the
natural reactions to an event in your own personal manner," explains
Hilton. Personal is the key, as Hilton hopes to use musical exploration and
improvisation to connect with the listener on a person-to-person basis.
"We were trying to explore the multiple layers of human emotions
musically."
These
emotions - anger, confusion, love, desire, hope and sadness - are extensively
explored throughout the album, reflective in the titles of each song. The
feelings demand certain questions to be asked - Where is my mind? Am I going
crazy? Is there hope? - with each composition offering a deeply profound answer
to life's greatest dilemmas.
For lovers
of tradition, the title track "Nocturnal," "Whirlwind," and
the classic "Willow Weep for Me," allow for Stafford's fluid trumpet
and flugelhorn as well as Allen's deep tenor tone to shine. The Latin flavored,
"A Spark in the Night," showcases Sánchez and August's extensive
Latin backgrounds in a catchy and appealing manner, while "Twilight"
is impressionistic.
A surprise
choice is a cover of The Pixies' "Where is My Mind" which is so
simply stated in true form and turns in another direction by the finale. It's
on the bluesy "Seduction" and the tender "An August
Remembered" that Hilton's flowing lines and melodic ideas are highlighted.
"Midnight Sonata," written for a trio consisting of piano, bass and
drums,merges the classical form with the freedom of American jazz and blues in
a trans-genre style. Inspired by iconic American composers such as George
Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck - who also composed in classical
forms - Hilton lands on a composition that is appealing to both jazz and
classical fans alike. "Midnight Sonata" was also written to
communicate an emotional depth not normally found in sonatas. While the sonata
form is intact, Hilton and her trio use improvisation, blues, modal washes,
shifting key centers, free jazz, impressionism and extended technique to create
a refreshing yet familiar vibe.
As a
distinctive and thought provoking composer/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.
Originally
from a small town on California's central coast, Hilton studied classical and
twentieth century piano formally from the age of eight, where she was inspired
by her great uncle, Willem Bloemendall, (1910-1937), a young Dutch piano
virtuoso. In college though, due to the lack of creativity in the program, she
became a music school drop out, switching majors and receiving a degree in art
instead. "I approach music as art now," Hilton explains; "I
build the composition with musical elements then 'paint' texture and color
through improvisation and other concepts."
Hilton has
produced a total of 18 albums to date, 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.
Upcoming
Lisa Hilton Performances:
* January 17
/ Weill Hall At Carnegie Hall / New York, NY
March 4 /
Smothers Hall Pepperdine University / Malibu, CA
March 10 /
Junior Blind of America / Los Angeles, CA
March 12 /
Classic Pianos / Portland, OR
March 24 /
SFJazz / San Francisco, CA
April 13 /
Chicago Lighthouse / Chicago, IL
* Album
Release featuring J.D. Allen, Ingrid Jensen, Ben Williams and Rudy Royston
No comments:
Post a Comment