Lisa Hilton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Hilton_(musician)

One of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable composer and pianist in jazz today, Lisa Hilton has honed her evocative, individualistic and impressionistic “sound paintings” for over a decade as a leader. Like Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans, her imagistic compositions draw as deeply on jazz greats like Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, as well as the classical tradition and the avant-garde. A lifelong passion for music and art informs the pianists’ sonic tableaux. Hilton's approach is nuanced, and expressive, her compositional style thorough and painterly, her touch on the keyboard alternately tender, brooding, playful or cerebral.

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, 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’ in texture and color with harmony, improvisation, density and other concepts. The final composition is then sculpted to life through emotional identity, phrasing and nuance. I believe in creating art that touches our soul and connects us as humans everywhere – to me music is the original Social Network”.

Over the course of her creative career, the "Lioness of Jazz," (JazzReview), has played with many of this era's jazz luminaries, notably Igmar Thomas, Luques Curtis, Larry Grenadier, Nasheet Waits, Luques Curtis, Antonio Sanchez, Mark Whitfield Jr., J.D. Allen, Terell Stafford, Christian McBride, Steve Wilson, Jeremy Pelt, Lewis Nash Sean Jones, Rudy Royston, Igmar Thomas and Bobby Militello of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. As a producer and bandleader Hilton will has produced a total of over twenty albums, representing 200+ iTunes tracks. A leading advocate for 21st century composition, Hilton notes, “Composers today must create a body of work that represents the sound and energy of our lives in this century while embracing our inheritance. I’ve only seen the New York that inspired Gershwin in movies – today's world looks, sounds and feels different, and music today must fit our current experiences”. Hilton’s post bop style influences extend beyond jazz legends to include blues man Muddy Waters, minimalists like Steve Reich, current rockers Green Day or modernists Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Bartok, while others have compared her to impressionists Debussy and Satie.

Known for her warmth and leadership on the stage, Hilton has played major jazz venues coast to coast, both as a solo pianist and with her band, and been heard on hundreds of radio stations around the world – including syndicated programs like NPR’s popular Morning Edition. 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 California, and has also helped The Berklee College of Music in Boston and their adaptive music lab for visually impaired musicians. “Music is for everyone,” notes Hilton.