Lisa Hilton

Extended Daydream

Ruby Slippers Productions

The first week of December consistently marks a new release from pianist and composer Lisa Hilton.  She returns with Extended Daydream, her 31^st album, featuring her mainstay bass-drum tandem of Luques Curtis and Rudy Royston, along with trumpeter Igmar Thomas who appeared on her last two efforts, along with tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, who has appeared on eight of her previous albums.  As we have often pointed out, Hilton’s approach is to bring her compositions into the studio and start rolling the tape. These five players have inherent chemistry. They do not rehearse, take only three takes, and never overdub, so you are listening to ‘in the moment” jazz.  And, if you like bluesy pianists, Hilton is all of that and more. Typically we hear her in a trio or quartet configuration, so this quintet format is special as she allows plenty of room for individual statements.

Hilton has become more genre fluid in recent releases as is true again her. She delivers nine originals and two covers for a program running just short of an hour. The album kicks off with the risky choice of Miles Davis’s “So What” from 1959’s Kind of Blue.  Experienced jazz listeners have the original burned into memory and are looking for a new interpretation, which the quintet fortunately delivers in just one take.  Thomas and Allen improvise their own solos, not in the least trying to replicate Miles, Trane, or Cannonball. Hilton does a great job comping and holding together the threads of the melody. Her other cover veers toward the pop word – Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell’s “Wildflower.” This song of regret is consistent with the tone of the album, far more melancholy than HIlton’s bouncy, previous efforts because she extends empathy to the many lost in the Los Angeles wildfires, which came dangerously close to reaching her own home in Malibu. Thomas’s muted trumpet carries the melody.

Hilton’s “Momentary Mystery” aligns more with her previous work. Curtis takes the bass intro into the tune with a self-admitted noir vibe but nonetheless, the quintet latches onto a swinging groove, as stated by Thomas, Allen, and Hilton in their solos. The title track also encapsulates the overall mood of the album. HIlton says, “Composing to me is an artistic expression of what we, all of us around the world, are experiencing collectively.” The tune is starkly reflective, calling to mind past experiences and the bleak reality of our politically divisive state, where we are challenged to find optimism. Those tones are present in Allen’s lines while Hilton’s piano represents a brighter future.

Latin tinges are another consistent element of Hilton’s artistry, heard here On “Tropical Tuesday” and “It’s Just for You.” Curtis and Royston excel in these rhythms, the former rather celebratory while the latter is more challenging in its many changes, much to the delight of the improvisatory nature of Thomas and Allen, and certainly Hilton who leads the charge.

“Here & There & Back & Forth” has the quintet again swinging as they quote from various eras. Listen carefully for not only bebop but the classic ‘60s Blue Note sound, into more contemporary post-bop.

“Blues on the Beach,”featuring an emotive Allen, and “Seabirds,” featuring brilliant playing from Thomas, most directly express the destructive aftermath of the wildfires juxtaposed with the sheer beauty of California’s coastal environment.  “Wildflower” also places in this sequence.

The mood shifts toward optimism or at least relief in “Sunset Tale” and the classically imbued solo piano closer, “Spacious Skies,” imploring us to find peace and hopefully a ‘reboot’ or ‘refresh’ in nature.

True to her mantra, Hilton’s compositions traverse several moods, tempos, and harmonic depth while embracing tradition, Latin, and hints of blues. Extended Daydream is understandably more melancholy and reflective in tone compared to prior efforts, given the catastrophic fires so close to her home, and the need for our dreams to be extended given America’s current state.

– Jim Hynes

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