Jazz Articles about Marian McPartland

Marian McPartland: Reprise

by Jim Santella
October 1, 1999

The reunion of Marian McPartland’s Hickory House Trio on a September weekend in 1998 was recorded live at Birdland. The format they use for much of the session hasn’t changed in fifty years: piano lead, bass solo, and trading fours with a charged-up drummer. And why shouldn’t the format remain constant? McPartland, Bill Crow, and Joe Morello do it as well as the best jazz has to offer. From her start as a pianist with a vaudeville act in her ...

Marian McPartland: Just Friends

by Jack Bowers
July 1, 1998

One of the nicer things about reviewing a new release by Marian McPartland is that one needn't prattle on about what a marvelous pianist she is - everyone knows that - and can move on to other fundamentals such as her choice of playing partners and the music itself, both of which are, in this case, first-class. To help celebrate her 80th birthday McPartland invited half a dozen of her friends and fellow pianists to take part in a series ...

Marian McPartland: Just Friends

by Robert Spencer
July 1, 1998

Marian McPartland is a magnificent institution, and this is a magnificent musical distillation of what she does best on her celebrated “Piano Jazz" series. There's none of the fascinating conversation, but the duets are here: two each with Tommy Flanagan, Renee Rosnes, George Shearing, Geri Allen, Dave Brubeck, and Gene Harris. McPartland rounds out the disc with three sweet minutes of “When the Saints Go Marching In," dedicated to her late husband Jimmy. The astounding aspect of this disc is ...

Marian McPartland With Strings: Silent Pool

by Douglas Payne
September 1, 1997

Simply gorgeous. This beautiful, if not altogether outstanding, piano trio-and-orchestra recording is a natural for the romantic pianist Marian McPartland. Heroes like Bill Evans, George Shearing, Nat King Cole and Ahmad Jamal have all recorded with similar success in these situations – and many probably already know the mastery of Dave Grusin and Lalo Schifrin in this territory too.

Silent Pool is surely one of the best examples of how well integrated a jazz trio can become with a symphony ...