Marian McPartland - Marian McPartland Trio

All Music Guide

Marian McPartland signed with Capitol soon after leaving Savoy in the mid1950s, yet none of her sessions for the label have been reissued by legitimate companies. These 1956 studio dates with bassist William Britto and drummer Joe Morello at least equal, if not exceed, her earlier recordings for Savoy, though they will seem a bit conservative when measure against her enormous output for her own Halcyon label and Concord since 1969. The emphasis is primarily on ballads, with the earliest recording of her bittersweet ballad “There'll Be Other Times" and a touching version of “The Things We Did Last Summer." But she romps with the best pianists of the era with her lively take of Oscar Pettiford's “Bohemia After Dark" (while giving some solo space to her band mates) and the old war horse “Hallelujah" She also makes a rare appearance on celeste during a portion of “Symphony." Consider yourself extremely fortunate if you run across a copy of this vintage LP.

- Ken Dryden, All Music Guide