One of the most original sounding yet still under the radar pianist/composers has to be So Cal based Lisa Hilton. She’s quietly amassed an impressive catalogue of solo, trio and quartet albums sounding only like herself on her clever compositions. This time around, she’s in a threesome with bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Rudy Royston, and the three sound like they’ve been touring for months, as they sound symbiotic as Hilton hits the upper register on the pretty dreamlike “Santa Monica Samba” while going Horace Silver dark on the bopping “Chromatic Chronicles”. Her wide reach of a left hand lurks around the boogalooing “Living In Limbo” and is supple as she veers around Royston and Curis during “Nightingales & Fairy Tales”. She does a sing-songy saloon read of “God Bless The Childe” and sensuously takes you to Argentine, gliding along the floor on ‘Fall Upon A Miracle” and the Gardel’d “Infinite Tango”. There’s always a touch of Satie in her fingertips, and it shows on “Extraordinary Everyday Things” while her solo piano work on “Transparent Sky” reveals her devotion to Debussyesque water Lillie impressionism. Delightful pastels.