Lisa Hilton

Lucky All Along

Ruby Slippers Productions

Here we are again. It is to the point now that we can mark the beginning of December on our calendars and know that we’ll have a new release from pianist and composer Lisa Hilton.  She returns with Lucky All Along featuring her mainstay bass-drum tandem of Luques Curtis and Rudy Royston, along with trumpeter Igmar Thomas who has appeared on her past three albums, and shines best here for whatever reason, perhaps due to the quartet’s interpretation of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.”  As we have consistently pointed out, Hilton’s approach is to bring her compositions into the studio and start rolling the tape. They do not rehearse, take only three takes, and never overdub, so you are listening to ‘in the moment” jazz. It is also pertinent to repeat (forgive me if using many of the same words as last time) the notion that  Hilton sometimes draws criticism for her music being “too pretty,” or “standard piano jazz.”  The adage ‘Don’t judge the book by the cover’ certainly applies. Surely hers is more accessible than some  but one need only look at the resumes of her bandmates to appreciate the collective talent.  And, if you like bluesy pianists, Hilton is all of that and more. Besides, having witnessed one of her live shows in the past year, the improvisational talents of her quartet members and Lisa alone, are quite impressive.

Hilton’s albums generally have a thematic thread or two and this time she centers on cool jazz (Miles, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, etc.) and the impressionistic painters Vincent Van Gogh, George Seurat, and Claude Monet for inspiration, delivering nine originals and three covers for a program running just short of an hour. Yet, in some respects, the album seems like an extension of last year’s Coincidental Moment as she again covers one of Miles’ Kind of Blue tunes, another of pop composer Lana Del Rey’s, touches of Bill Evans, beach references, and Latin tinges. Of course the blues is never far away either.

She initiates the proceedings gracefully with the Latin-tinges trio rendering of her “Little Beach Mornings” featuring strong support from the bass-drum tandem. The quartet locks in on an especially thick groove for Miles’ “All Blues,” with Thomas in peak form, on muted trumpet no less. This vibe extends to the burning originals “And Some Blues” and “Prophecies and Predictions,” both structurally similar to the Miles piece and exemplifying the cool jazz theme punctuated with oft stunning passages from Thomas and robust bass from Curtis, especially on “And Some Blues.”

The Bill Evans references appear in the glimmering “Hollywood Moment” and “Starry, Starry Eyes,” named of course for Van Gogh’s most famous painting. Drummer Royston is often subtle and consistently steady but his immense chops are on full display on the opener and “Escapist Fantasy,” as he provides the Latin strains.

Hilton’s broad influences come to the fore on her solo piano excursion, “Big Sur View,” where her classical training is easily detectable. In the show that I witnessed, she performed a classical piece on the piano to arguably the strongest ovation she received in the entire show. On the other hand, the title track embraces touches of country and ragtime.

Her two other covers are interesting too. “See You Again’ was co-written with singer/songwriter/producer Charlie Puth, who Hilton met when he was still a student at Berklee. The tune was inspired by the loss of Puth’s friend due to a tragic motorcycle accident. She added the solo piano part as a closing element to the track, which demonstrates how tender this quartet can be, certainly a contrast to some of their fiery approaches to the bluesier material. Also, the touching closer “Snow on the Beach,” was a collaborative effort between Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and Jack Antonoff and is a nod to impressionism, urging us to hold on to rare and fleeting moments. It might well be the only example of a jazz artist covering a Taylor Swift song. Then again,as mentioned, HIlton covered a Lana Del Rey tune last time too. So, this inclusion of pop has become an integral part of her repertoire.

True to form and consistency, Hilton’s compositions traverse several moods, tempos, and harmonic depth while embracing tradition, Latin, and underlying blues. It’s rather amazing to acknowledge that this is Hilton’s 28^th album. To these ears, it is Thomas’ best playing, and for that alone, this one stands out.

– Jim Hynes

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