Lisa Hilton - Extended Daydream (CD)

"Hilton always brings an abundance of the feel-good factor to her recordings, qualities that combine with her cross-genre appeal to make this album another winner. The quintet proves essential to the album's success, contributing both improvisational energy and subtlety as they navigate the shifting moods of these inventive compositions.” All About Jazz

"Pianist and composer Lisa Hilton has carved out a career as not only an impressive pianist with her own sound, but one able to write fresh and personal material too.....Like all great artists, Hilton continues to take on new worlds to explore with the latest album on this impressive journey. " Jazz Weekly

“Renowned for her lyrical touch, inventive compositions, and ability to reinterpret jazz standards with a fresh perspective, Hilton continues to cement her reputation as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary jazz. With 'Extended Daydream', Lisa Hilton and her quintet deliver an album that is at once sophisticated, genre-fluid, and emotionally resonant—a testament to the enduring power of jazz and Hilton’s mastery as a pianist and composer.” Jazz Chill

“Beautifully crafted and expertly impassioned new recording…” Exclusive Magazine

“Another winner from Lisa. Can’t wait to share with listeners of Just Jazz.” Just Jazz syndicated show/New Zealand

LISA HILTON / PIANO
J.D. ALLEN / SAX, IGMAR THOMAS / TRUMPET, RUDY ROYSTON / DRUMS, LUQUES CURTIS / BASS

Track Listing:
1 So What
2 Momentary Mystery
3 Extended Daydream
4 Tropical Tuesday
5 It’s Just for Now
6 Here & There & Back & Forth
7 Blues on the Beach
8 Seabirds
9 Wildflower / Billie Eilish
10 Sunset Tale
11 Spacious Skies

The Lisa Hilton Quintet returns with Extended Daydream (Ruby Slippers Productions 1031) out 11/28/25 with a radio add date 1/5/2026. The award-winning composer and acclaimed pianist generously shares the spotlight with her stellar bandmates on eleven standout tracks. In a natural and genre-fluid approach, Hilton seamlessly combines the renowned 1959 cool jazz classic So What by Miles Davis alongside the 2024 tune Wildflower by singer/songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, as well as nine of her own compositions. Although both of the cover tracks are notable, the legendary Davis track begins with Hilton’s wafting modal introduction, which merges gently into the iconic two-note motif before unfurling to the virtuosic intensity of the band. Although Thomas’s and Allen’s horns each treat the listener with their prowess, Curtis holds the band steady with an upbeat intensity, and Royston shines in his percussion role, leaving no doubt this quintet has the ability to subtly reinvigorate a classic. In contrast, the subdued Wildflower with Thomas on muted trumpet showcases the vulnerability inherent in this song about regret. Hilton has a way of inconspicuously reinventing a standard from any era, and her band willingly supports that vision.
Tenor sax man JD Allen is a welcome return, having recorded eight previous albums with Hilton. Their compatibility has always been apparent, weaving complementary lines on the title track Extended Daydream, or swinging together on the finger snapping Momentary Mystery. Tropical Tuesday begins with a delightful Latin rhythm perfect for Curtis’s talents and showcases Hilton’s abundant melodic skills, while It’s Just For Now displays her fluid soloing style. Switching it up, the quintet launches wholeheartedly into Here & There & Back & Forth, chock full of musical references from several eras. Hilton writes in her liner notes that the sensitive tunes Seabirds and Blues on the Beach reference the recent fires in Southern California, while Sunset Tale and the solo piano Spacious Skies call for us to find relief from today’s challenges in nature’s beauty, closing out the album with a slightly classical feeling. If a daydream is a hopeful or insightful experience, the arc of Extended Daydream does extend hope and beauty along with a wallop of improvisational energy and style. Long a composer and pianist to watch, Hilton triumphs with this new genre fluid collection of cool jazz.