Lisa Guyer Band

In the minds of some musicians and fans, music is meant to be an athletic competition where speed and strength trump everything else, but a large segment of audiences and performers don't buy into that line of thinking. Others believe that music can be a vehicle for expressing emotions and dealing in the art of communication, and pianist Lisa Hilton's Underground embodies those very ideals.
Hilton's music has never been of the chops-heavy variety, but the California-based pianist/composer is a masterful mood-setter and a conceptualist nonpareil. While earlier albums in her discography occasionally painted sunny pictures, in keeping with stereotypes that often surround West Coast jazz musicians, Underground is a darker production that proves to be her strongest outing yet…

There's an ever-increasing amount of Celtic material available, ranging from tunes straight from the pubs of Dublin to vaguely Irish-sounding new age material. This is one of the more otherworldly combinations, a musical stew combining authentic Celtic instrumentation alongside modern instruments, all banded together in a set of easily accessible instrumentals. There's even a cover of Sting's pop hit "Fields of Gold." But don't be fooled – just because the music is accessible doesn't mean it is pabulum. This is engaging, listenable music that conveys a Celtic feel as much as discs by Clannad, the Bothy Band, or more traditional Irish groups.

More Than Another Day is the latest jazz release by composer/pianist/producer Lisa Kristine Hilton, this time showcasing a trio with Luques Curtis and Rudy Royston. Hilton, Curtis, Royston and bandmate JD Allen were halfway through their 2020 tour when the U.S. corona virus lockdown began. Fearful for a family member who was stuck and sick in Italy, and worried about the health and safety of the world, Hilton turned as always, to her creative side. “I grew up in a small quiet town where it seemed nothing ever happened. I always turned my abundant energy into creativity – this lockdown just reminded me of those early days. To me, quiet propels my creative side.”

The German label CPO, consistently dedicated to underappreciated music, has brought along many recordings of unfamiliar works ranging in status from central to the literature to wholly unworthy of revival. One of the most distinguished, and consequential, projects that CPO has undertaken is its recording of the complete Symphonies Concertantes of Johann Christian Bach as performed by the Hanover Band under Anthony Halstead.