Lisa Hilton - Transparent Sky (2021)

As America and other countries re-emerge from the limitations of 2020, Lisa Hilton and her trio with Rudy Royston and Luques Curtis, enthusiastically embrace the moment with a vibrant new jazz offering that will inspire, uplift and motivate us all. Rich with glorious harmonies and unique compositions, Hilton’s swinging band radiates a sun bleached aura to listeners. Throughout the album Hilton, Royston and Curtis develop a surprisingly wide range of rhythmic ideas from a variety of genres, masterfully blending classic traditions with new approaches and upbeat style. The recording jumps in with the Latin tinged Santa Monica Samba, quickly following with the equally energetic Random Journey on this collection of nine originals, plus one cover. Hilton has a way with ballads, and Nightingales and Fairy Tales is no exception. With its slight nod to Bill Evans in the sixties, this has the making of a jazz classic for a twenty first century audience. Living In Limbo, Chromatic Chronicles, Fall Upon a Miracle and Infinite Tango, highlight the multiple creative rhythms of Hilton’s compositions and showcase ample opportunities for Curtis’s agile bass, and the delightful details of Royston’s drums. A cover of God Bless The Child, co written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr, is a charmer, and like all the tracks here, is skillfully and originally presented without being forced. Slowing towards the album’s end, Extraordinary Everyday Things is a calm and expressive soundscape. With a surprise twist, Hilton finishes the album with the title track, Transparent Sky as a lovely sonorous piano solo.