Hi There

Hi there,



This is a performance shot from my recent tour. It's been a lot of fun, and I've met a lot of great people too. Tomorrow though, I leave for a FUN trip as a FAN to the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. I went last year for the first time. It's quite a trek from Malibu, CA: a plane, car and boat trip is what is entailed, but it was worth it. For me, the performances are like a wish list of artists I'm interested in seeing, and you get to spend the day outside watching boats float by on the water as well. It's really well worth the trip and expense to get there - really my treat for the year. My bassist, Larry Grenadier is playing with his band Fly and my sax player, JD Allen is playing with his trio there, so there will be plenty of familiar faces. If you go, please come up and say "hi" if you see me.

I still have a few more tour dates upcoming: August 31 in Hollywood, CA with JD Allen, Rudy Royston and Gregg August, Sept 30 I'm at Buddy Guy's in Chicago, Oct 1 & 2 Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton, LH and the Oct 23 in Dover Delaware at the Schwartz Center for the Arts. Please come by a performance if you can. I'll also be giving a talk in Agoura Hills, Sept 11, 2010 at 10:30 am on "Composing, Arranging and Finding your Musical Voice". More info is on my website under tour dates.

"Nuance" my recent solo piano CD is doing very well, and I thank radio as well as my fans for your support. A pleasant suprise: last summers' "Twilight & Blues" CD is STILL doing well - that is wonderful! Thank you! Besides traveling and performing, I am composing for another release with the band for next spring/summer. Please with me luck!

I hope your summer is going well - it's been very cool in California this year - I look forward to sun in Rhode Island!

Take care,

Lisa

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Hi!

I hope you are looking forward to the Official Start of BBQ Season this weekend! Summer is right around the corner, so there's always a bit of excitement and anticipation when Memorial Day weekend arrives. And speaking of arriving - yep, my latest release, "Nuance", is officially out June 1st, so I'm proud and excited about that. I've got a great CD release planned Monday May 31st at Yoshi's/SF (www.Yoshis.com) and then on June 1st two shows at the Herb Alpert's gorgeous Vibrato Jazz Club in West L.A. ( www.VibratoGrillJazz.com ), and the icing on my very fun week is a program for the Junior Blind of America at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, where I will perform for their visually impaired students, (www.GrammyMuseum.org). If you you happen to be around SF or L.A. for the week, please come by and say "Hi!", and enjoy the show. I'm really looking forward to sharing some of my favorite music ever. "Nuance" has been about looking at many of the great songs that I performed with my, (awesome) band, and developing the music for solo piano again, which is the way they originally were written, and allowing the music to grow and transform as good compositions have a way of doing. New compositions are like new friends, children, or lovers - new, exciting, and lots to learn. But a tune that holds your interest for a long time, is like a strong relationship - it gets better with time, and becomes even more interesting. I think Monk recorded some of his best compositions over twenty times, so I felt free developing new arrangements of my catalog, as well as writing some new pieces as well. "Stars" is a new favorite for everyone, and if you like bluesy pieces, try "Blue Reflections". For covers, everyone likes the GreenDay song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which is, I agree, an unusual choice, but I like great songs, and that is one. I also perform Monk: "Off Minor" - always like his upbeat attitude, and a blues piece I've wanted to do for a long time, "The Thrill Is Gone". "Twilight" is a new favorite of mine off my last recording, "Twilight & Blues", but I wanted more time with it, and love how it came out - same with "Melt Down" which was featured on NPR's "Morning Edition" when it was first released. "Malibu", was the #1 Jazz Track in the World on some radio chart when it came out originally, so that was fun to return to, and "Warm Summer Night" has been really popular on iTunes, and holds good memories for me too. "Just for Fun" was the first song I ever heard of mine played, and it was when I was at "House of Blues" in Hollywood. I had just seen a jazz pianist play there, and at intermission, they played... ME. I was so surprised, and thrilled. One of my most popular songs is "So This Is Love", which KKJZ Los Angeles is already playing and getting positive audience response on immediately. Lastly, I wrote a very impressionistic piece, "Early Morning Impressions" that utilizes different piano techniques - after all, I like to explore my instrument. If I sound a little overly excited to share the new music, I am. I hope you LOVE it - "Nuance" is a direct answer to requests from fans, and people in radio that I have responded to - it is a gift to you. :)

I happy that I will also be at the JazzWeek Summit in Rochester, NY playing Friday June 18, 2010 at 11:30am. PLEASE say "hi" if you see me, and please try and make the show - I'd love to share the new music!

Take care and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Wow!

Hi there,

You've probably seen on the news the big storms here in Malibu. We actually haven't had too much rain but the waves and surf are HUGE. Those homes directly on the sand are in fact possibly in danger, but there really aren't that many homes in the entire community that are on the sand - it is a luxury problem really. But it is exciting, as are the rocks that tumble off the mountains around here. So far I am safe and sound and cozy, as I hope you are too. The winter storms are perfect for catching up after my trip to NYC last week, and for listening to the new music I recorded.

The news this last week out of Haiti has been very difficult and has touched us all. Like many, I am making a donation. Paul Farmer at Partners in Health is an extremely dedicated humanitarian I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago, along with several others in his organization. At a time when most companies didn't want to get involved in Haiti due to the extreme instability of the island nation, Farmer moved there to work with those most in need. His expertise is what is needed at this time.

I have been pleasantly surprised that "Twilight & Blues" has been doing so well 5 months after it's release, and it continues to improve even, rising up to # 33 this week on JazzWeek and being nominated at ZMR for three categories including Best Album for 2009. Great! (That news also perks up a winter day!) It really nourishes my soul that listeners continue to enjoy the album over time - this was our original goal: thank you!

Hope your winter week is going well too!

Take care,

Lisa

Happy New Year and update from NYC

Hi there and Happy New Year too!

It's been a whirl-wind around here. I just got back from a week in NYC. I recorded a new album, (due out in late spring), and attended the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference, (APAP), at the NY Hilton. "Presenters" book jazz and other entertainment for clubs, festivals, and theater settings. This year the theme was Jazz, so there were several special interest discussions on how to attract jazz audiences, the challenges, and new ways to connect with the audience. It was very interesting, and promising too. I heard some good ideas, that give me hope for our future! I also got to meet, and hang with Ramsey Lewis, Vijay Iyer, Gerald Clayton, Stefon Harris, Kenny Barron and others. And I got my fill of music too: since all the jazz "buyers" were in town, there was LOTS of jazz to be heard. I saw Kenny Barron with Stefon and the great flutist, Anne Drummond at Jazz Standard, Ravi at Irridium, an all night rave type event at Le Poisson Rouge with Jenny Scheinman/Jason Moran, Lionel and others - with 1,000+ people /SRO that went on till the wee hours of the morning, Geri Allen with a multi media show, and Maria Schneider and her orchestra at a very cool event at Blue Note which included improvised bird calls from the audience via small wooden South American musical blowers. I played a solo event too that went well. My favorite evening? Kenny Werner at Small's showed up with Ari Honig and their long time bassist, and I was blown away by their very intuitive and creative playing, to a SRO crowd. I think that The Wall Street Journal, and others who think jazz is dead should spend a week with me! I assure you, jazz is very much alive - try standing for a couple hours in a crowd of 1400 and you'll agree with me!

I have more good news: Our August 10th release, "Twilight & Blues" just showed up #40 on the JazzWeek chart, right above some well known names with good sized marketing budgets, demonstrating that we have what we call, "legs". THANK YOU! We love that support. We also continue to get great reviews, most recently in DownBeat, "Appealing impressionism... rich melodies and improvisations" and in All About Jazz/NY, "A definite West Coast cool vibe clings to a lot of pianist Lisa Hilton's Twilight & Blues... an impressionist intent on creating and sustaining moods." Wonderful! I also noted that my bassist, Larry Grenadier's release with his band Fly, and my tenor sax player's release, "Shine" received top marks for 2009. All good.

Wishing you the best in 2010,


Lisa Hilton

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving....

Hi there,

I hope you enjoyed the Holiday weekend. It was a much needed break from moving for me. The week before I had moved to a "new" remodeled home here in Malibu, and I'm still dealing with a lot of boxes, but the time with family, friends, food, and great weather here was just what I needed. I had an unconventional meal: pasta, mashed potatoes and chocolate cake, but I wasn't cooking so it was perfect! Hopefully the boxes will be gone soon; moves are hard, but I do feel inspired on the piano with the new location.

I do have good news, and thank you's too: Twilight & Blues got a very nice review in DownBeat magazine, and a recent editorial page in Jazz Times magazine, #2 on one radio chart, currently, just popped back up on another radio chart, and holding steady on yet another. THAT'S GREAT NEWS coming three months after it's August release. I know a lot of people are considering Holiday music right now, but there's no need to stop listening and playing Twilight & Blues, in fact I think tracks like, "What's Going On" are perfect for Holiday: if you take away the religious element of the Holidays, I think it's a time for peace and generosity of spirit which is at the heart of that track, as well as many others that I play. The message of that song is one that should continue to be heard as long as possible.

I will be doing a showcase in Manhattan for the APAP booking conference if you will be around for that: 4:00 Saturday January 9, 2010 at the New York Hilton/Gibson Showroom. Please come if you can.

Well, I'm planning a big CD sale soon, and I'll keep you posted on that, but for now, it's back to composing, and the rest of the boxes!

Take care and enjoy the day,

Lisa

thank you everyone!

Hi there!

I can't believe it's November with Turkey Day around the corner! Whew! A year ago we voted in a new president, a new era, and were struggling with an economic melt down. What a year it's been! Before I go on, that's me with Bubba Jackson from local KKJZ/Long Beach/LA and a writer from our local Malibu Times newspaper just after my CD release event at Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood. Don't they look happy? How nice - Bubba has an early morning show, and he still drove up - over an hour to see the show. How great is that? I love ANY support, but when it's at home, it's very cool, but then Bubba, IS cool. Click the YouTube link below to watch the City Streets video from the evening.

Well this is really a BIG thank you to everyone! Radio continues to be very supportive of "Twilight & Blues" - we are on 2 or 3 charts currently - # 2 on one of them (!), and stations keep coming on. THANK YOU! I spoke with the band just today and conveyed to them how big our support is, and they are really appreciative too,(Lewis is in Madrid, and Larry on a 6 week tour with Brad Mehldau in Europe. They're having fun!) I hope to be back in the studio with them late 2010 again, and I can tell they are looking forward to it too.

Media continues to applaud Twilight & Blues too: DownBeat is giving it a very nice review in the December issue, JazzTimes had me write an article for the October issue, and JazzReview, and Wind & Wire just recently published incredibly supportive reviews. As a musician, so much of what you do is a solitary pursuit. To get this kind of support, and for it to continue, just touches us all very much. Fans have been lovely too - both digital and retail sales are going well.

I'm working on the next round of music, and preparing for a local move, so it's busy.

Thank you, thank you, everyone - we all really appreciate your love and affection!

Take care,

Lisa

Newport Jazz Festival Photos

Hi there!

Summer finishes up with a heat wave here in Malibu. My album "Twilight & Blues" is out at radio and doing really well! In two weeks it is on way over 100 stations and growing, showing up on a couple of charts too. So I want to say a great big, THANK YOU to radio for the continued support and love. Especially nice is that here in Los Angeles, my friends are able to say, "I heard your music on the radio during Bubba's show" which is really fun. Thank you, thank you! I'm also getting lots of nice mails and support from fans, so THANK YOU TOO! Some are coming in from Chicago and Canada even for next week's performance at Catalina's Bar & Grill in Hollywood on September 3rd. It's just before the Labor Day weekend, so I think everyone will be in the mood for a great time. Please come if you can! Check out my website LisaHiltonMusic.com/tour or CatalinaJazzClub.com for a fun evening with great food.

These photos are by Connor Schultze, a bass player that I met at the recent CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival. Photos show: Hiromi, Esperanza Spaulding, Joe Lovano, and Roy Haynes with Ron Carter. What a wonderful event! I loved it! Got to go backstage for Dave Brubeck to say hi to my friend, saxman Bobby Militello and enjoyed the view there for Tony Bennett as well. What a great festival - I even got to meet the sponsors, Care Fusion and the long time founder, George Wein.

Stay cool!

Lisa