We're excited......

Mark April 1st on your calendar for our latest album, life is beautiful.

life is beautiful?is the third trio recording of the pandemic era, and twenty fifth album as a leader by acclaimed pianist/composer/producer Lisa Hilton. On this release, Hilton indulges her love of the piano with ten original tracks and the cover gem,?Ernie’s Blues, (written by Ernie Wilkins).??Backed by her ever-excellent band mates, Rudy Royston on drums and Luques Curtis on bass, Hilton’s elegantly swinging piano and engaging compositions encompass a range from traditional tracks, Latin, blues and retro seamlessly.??Royston continually hits the marks on his kit and Curtis shows off plenty of style.?

The album begins with?Stepping Into Paradise?showcasing a variety of Latin based ideas and effortless harmonic shifts, then segues into the classic?Ernie’s Blues?with its complex chords and loose bluesy passages allowing accomplished soloing from Curtis as well as Hilton.?Retro Road Trip?highlights Royston’s rhythm skills is has a bit of a Prokofiev energy with amid mid- century grooves.??Inspired by mid-century romantic American Standards Hilton includes two romantic compositions here:?So This Is Love?and?Nightingales and Fairy Tales?evoking nostalgic charms – both reminiscent of some of Bill Evans work in his sixties period.?Too Hot?dips in to modal ideas creating it’s own melodic atmosphere. Hilton includes two Latin flavored compositions?Stepping Into Paradise?as well as?Santa Monica Samba?that show the versatility of the trio in mingling different Latin styles together effortlessly.?Seduction?is a solo piano piece that Hilton has recorded several times before, (some other tracks have also been recorded on past albums), with a new extended version here, showing Hilton’s love for the blues.?Temporary Lullaby,?written for Hilton’s daughter, is a melodic standout while?More Than Another Day?nods to Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Cole Porter Hilton mentions in her liner notes.?

From 1997 to the present Hilton has continued to compose, perform and produce an album a year normally appearing on the top of charts like JazzWeek, ZMR and Amazon New Releases as well as Best of Lists such as All About Jazz and popular playlists like Apple’s Pure Jazz Playlist. Hilton speaks up regularly about the need for the music of women to be heard and presented in theaters and clubs performing jazz, classical and opera more often.?? Ruby Slippers Productions: 1027??Release Date April 1, 2022