REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASE
SECOND STORY BREEZE

Listening to Cynthia Hilts (in collaboration with her trio that includes Ron McClure on bass and Jeff Williams on drums) is about as pure as jazz gets…

Cynthia Hilts is a multifaceted, multitalented artist.
She is a phenomenally gifted pianist…

This lady can write some terrific, refreshingly new songs and then deliver not only the piano portion but also the lyrics with her dusky, sexy voice.

Hilts voice, as soulful as it is, is so well integrated
with the total effect that it seem her singing comes from her flexible fingers more
than her vocal chords!

Hilts and company have a musical ensemble that will please the ear of
the most discerning listener. Cynthia Hilts, as mentioned, is true to
the bebop tradition with nods to the masters, yet remains uniquely
individualistic in style and substance.

Cynthia Hilts is a jazz vocalist/musician who has all the qualities to make it happen, and on Second Story Breeze (Blond Coyote) she plays the piano in a fashion that makes the listener want to hear all of her work…

She plays with the same kind of beauty that Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck have in their playing, where it's not just hammering for the sake of hammering, there's a lot of thought in each and every move she makes, which include the amount of space between each chord and phrase, it's very deliberate.

…she is playful and shows that she has an incredible sense of humor in her style too.

she demonstrates her ample chops on the piano while McClure secures a soft bass voice to the pianist's wordless scatting

a fine vocal performance

There are a total of ten tunes on this disc and each one is distinctly different offering a clear testament to the artist's creative talents as a composer.

Whether on vocals or laying down a sophisticated piano line, Cynthia Hilts attempts to separate herself from the typical piano trio recordings that clutter the jazz music genre these days and I think Second Story Breeze does that quite well.

a simply marvelous performance on the keys

As enjoyable as her voice is, however, I am drawn more to her piano playing.

Once you acquire a taste, you will probably want more