The LA-based pianist Lisa Hilton's 18th album Kaleidoscope opens with a blues that owes as much to Muddy Waters as it does to jazz modernism; and the tango rhythm and J.D Allen's heady bop sax solo has something of the legendary west coast saxophonist Art Pepper about it. Throughout the album Hilton demonstrates a versatility that can see her become inspired by Lenny Tristano's long linear phrasing (‘Whispered Confessions’) or imagine a boogie-woogie as played by the Vijay Iyer group (‘Midnight Mania’). Aside from the originals a piano stride-influenced version of ‘When I Fall in Love’ is given a playful twist. The warmly melancholic title track sounds a bit like Tom Waits riffing on Debussy while ‘Bach, Basie, Bird Boogie Blues Bop’ sums up many of her influences, the Brubeck-esque collage-like design emphasising her naive, Monk-ish approach to the piano. With this contemporary and quirkily unfamiliar take on 20th century Americana, Lisa Hilton has made a recording that's both refreshing and deeply personal.