Lisa Hilton/piano, J.D. Allen/sax, Sean Jones/trumpet, Gregg August/bass, Rudy Royston/drums

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H O R I Z O N S startles with sheer beauty of sound, melody and improvisation. Lisa Hilton’s ‘new’ classic jazz features her shimmering piano with exceptional performances by trumpet savant, Sean Jones, and the soulful tenor sax of J.D. Allen, with strong support from Rudy Royston on drums and Gregg August on bass. Top sound engineers Al Schmitt, Gavin Lurssen, and James Farber have done a exceptional job sure to please audiophiles.

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Hilton writes in her liner notes, “Every single day there is beauty in nature…” and it is that natural beauty that informs and inspires these twelve tracks. From the classic straight ahead Nocturnal and Count 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.

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It is the thrill of the melody though that enlightens The Sky and the Ocean and the Southern charmer 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.

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These pieces shine with Jones’ clarion flugelhorn and Allens’ seductive tenor alongside Hilton’s silky tones. 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 also includes the impressionistic, When It Rains as a solo piano soundscape.

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“What I see in nature informs and inspires my life,” Hilton muses. “When I look out to our horizon, I always see something positive and I allow the outdoors to become a metaphor for what we’re doing musically and compositionally. We try and communicate a sense of expansiveness, depth, hope and clarity while improvising on life.”

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Considered one of the most distinctive composers and pianists in jazz today, Lisa Hilton’s compositions 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 style influences extend beyond jazz legends Thelonious Monk, Count Basie or Duke Ellington, to include bluesmen Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson, minimalists like Steve Reich, modernists Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Bartok or current rockers The Black Keys.