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

In the studio with Lisa

Hi there!

Hope you had a wonderful Holiday weekend - the official start of BBQ season around here! I've been working hard to finish up the new CD, but I included a light hearted moment from one of the two April sessions at Avatar in NYC. Pictured with me are J. D. Allen/tenor sax, my bass player Larry Grenadier, Jeremy Pelt/ trumpet, and of course, Lewis Nash my drummer. We had a good time, and all got along really well. Lewis and Larry are, of course the best, and very very nice people. It was great to play again with Jeremy - he has such a beautiful tone, and is a wonderful all around musician too. J. D. was new to me, but he fit in really well, and his tenor was perfect for the session. The music is now all done, the packaging just finished, and the manufacturing is now starting. It's really a lot of work, but it is such a deep passion for me, so I don't mind, although it's been nice to catch up on sleep and slow down the last week. More than ever, with the economy as it is, we hope the new music will do well. But the playing is incredible - and that is partly influenced by the track selection too. We recorded some iconic covers, and a couple of my tunes went over really well with the band too: nothing warms a composers heart as when players of this caliber really embrace a new song. The album has an August release date and is called "twilight & blues".

Putting together a new album at such a historic and difficult time for America and the world really made me pause and reconsider what and how I wanted to create music. I found I just can't play romantic standards right now: I need something that is more meaningful, and emotionally expressive. I think that this approach also resonated with the band too - so expect something unexpected! It's also more bluesy, which I think fits where we are today too. What we do is based on tradition, like the blues, but takes a new direction. I don't wish to live in the past or try and reproduce what the greats have done. We can take the influences of people like Miles, and Monk in creating new music representative of today. We hope you like it!

I had the chance to see Larry's band Fly in NYC, with his band mates Mark Turner and Jeff Ballard - a great sold out show, with a line of 50 outside for the late show! Saw Billy Childs Chamber jazz in Los Angeles this weekend - very nice, but very chamber music with a string quartet as well as a band. Nice compositions and playing though. Chris Potter sold out here too, with an audience of primarily twenty-somethings! It's good to see people going out to see live jazz, but it's sad that one of our few jazz clubs in SoCal is closing and/or moving: The Jazz Bakery. I hope they will reopen soon.

I hope that things are going pretty well for you - music is always so uplifting isn't it?

Take care,

Lisa

With Quincy Jones...

Hi There,

I hope you are making it through winter ok. Our perfect SoCal weather has now dimmed to our normal winter weather: cold and rainy around the time of the Grammy's. Congrats to all the Grammy winners!

The last date on my winter tour was at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood last week. Just as I was preparing to go on stage, I was told that none other than Mr. Quincy Jones, (and entourage) had arrived for my gig! I decided right then I better play my heart out, and I just hoped that he wouldn't leave too early so that I could introduce myself after. Well, he was the last man out the door - well after closing, graciously hanging with me and a small group after, and inscribing a book to me saying he loved the performance. Whew! What a great evening. Apparently the audience also loved the set too, so it was a terrific end to the tour.

Hope all is well with you,

Take care,

Lisa

Catalina Bar and Grill

Hi!

Hope you are doing well. I realize only one team can win the Super Bowl, but it was a great game - especially the last 3 minutes! I really don't know how your weather is going, but locally I don't think we are having a winter at all. I know, it sounds like a brag, but it's not. Malibu has been so warm and mild even for SoCal, that it's starting to seem almost spooky - a Dorian Gray season if you can imagine, but I'm not complaining at all! It's incredibly nice, and hopefully we won't have any repercussions.

Well it was bound to happen... I know someone who has made it onto American Idol. Anne Marie Boskovitch is sweet, naturally beautiful and has always been a great singer. Wonderful family too. How fun - she deserves to win, but what a challenge!

I was called to perform again at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood, CA on Tuesday, February 10th. If you are around and available, please try and come by. The show is at 8pm, but most people like to come at 7 for dinner first. It's the best club in L. A. - the food and even the parking are great. It should be a very nice evening: call 323.466.2210 for reservations. I played 2 weeks ago in San Francisco and had a wonderful time around Union Square. That city really is fun!

Nice reviews for my latest release, "Sunny Day Theory" continue, to come in. "Hilton is an excellent pianist" from Earshot radio report in Canada, and it has been nominated for the 2008 LifeStyle Awards, as the 2008 Roots Music Association Awards/Artist of the Year/Jazz. Thank you!

Take care,

Lisa

Live from Andy's in Chicago

Hi there,

I just got back from visiting The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and I also performed at Andy's Jazz Club there too. I'm telling you, the people in Chicago really like to have a good time. Sold out and happy crowd for a Thursday night. After my show ended I headed to the opening night at Legends to see the famed Buddy Guy for some real Cook County Blues. What an entertainer he is! Wearing a velvet coat and red patent boots he walked right out of the venue riffing the blues through the snowy Chicago street!

After Chicago, I headed to NYC to hear jazz - got to meet Lionel Loueke at The Jazz Standard. What a warm person he is. I stayed for 2 sets I was enjoying the music he played from his album, Karibou, and the cozy atmosphere of the club on a snowy January night. Also saw the Blue Train Revisited at Iridium, as well as Kurt Rosenwinkel and Aaron Parks at the Village Vanguard which I enjoyed. I also found time for the Broadway show, Billy Elliot - Elton John wrote the music for that, but I didn't find that either the show or music was particularly inspiring - especially considering how expensive theatre tix are now.

I will be playing in SF this Saturday night the 17th - two shows at Biscuits and Blues in Union Square. Hope you can come by. btw, the outlook on "Sunny Day Theory", our latest release, is turning out to be excellent - still on two radio charts and fan interest appears to be growing. How nice! After the SF show, I've got to buckle down on new music - hopefully recording in April again.

Take care,

Lisa

Happy New Year to you!

Happy New Year to you!

Hope you made it through the Holidays well with time for family, friends and yourself too. The new year inspires me, but it is also my birthday time - January 5th, so I feel especially energized by the start of the calendar year as well as a new personal year.

I'm off to Chicago to perform at Andy's on January 8th, and to stop by The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind to lend support for the great work they do for the visually impaired in their state. Please come by at 8pm for the show if you are around. I'll spend next weekend soaking up jazz in NYC, before heading back to perform in SF on January 17th at Biscuits & Blues - 2 shows to catch there if you're in the city.

"Sunny Day Theory" continues to do well, appearing on two radio play charts entering it's fifth month, and still receiving good reviews - so that's a great gift right there! Besides preparing for the tour, I am composing new music and feeling very creative. Hopefully I will be in the studio in April, but there's a lot of work to do before then!

Take care, and I hope that 2009 is a good year for you.

Lisa