Search - Marian Mcpartland, Hickory House Trio :: Reprise

Very fine live date

02/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This one is a bit of a sleeper. Recorded at Birdland in New York City in 1998, its obvious appeal stems from the reunion of the 1950's Hickory House trio that she talks about so often on "Piano Jazz:" Marian plus bassist Bill Crow and drummer Joe Morello. Yet it has a stiched together sound at times and drummer Morello is occasionally a bit noisy, so I didn't play it a lot at first. But repeated listenings reveal the beauty of Marian's tone, a higher level of intensity among the players than one normally feels at Marian's performances, and a repertoire that's notably different from her usual live dates. "Falling in Love with Love" features an inventive arrangement of a tune that's ideal for Marian's sense of harmony. But the ballads "Last Night When We Were Young," "New Orleans," "Two for the Road" and "Symphony" provide continuing enjoyment and Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way," "Tickle Toe" and her frequent set closer "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" provide enough rhythmic variation to make the record consistently enjoyable. And she doesn't forget her experimental side with "Cymbalism." In short, this is a very fine live set with more a diverse repertoire than "Live at Yoshi's Nitespot" (which nevertheless features terrific versions of "Like Someone in Love" and "Warm Valley")."

Lovely, but kind of quiet...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 02/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of Marian's public radio show for years, but never owned one of her albums before. I found this at a bargain price and grabbed it. I had not known that drummer Joe Morello was playing with MMc before he joined Dave Brubeck in the mid-'50's. The only thing wrong with this, recorded when Marian was 80, is that she and Joe and bassist Bill Crow probably had insufficient time together in rehearsal. Therefore, the 13 songs chosen are pretty basic and come off as competent but not inspired renditions. The fact that each is a geezer is not the problem (I'm 58 myself, and I believe Shearing and Brubeck still produce good music at 80) but I think if the trio had had a couple more weeks rehearsal, a more adventuresome set would have resulted. If you want good background cocktail lounge atmosphere for your party, however, this is a nice choice."

They Weave a Relaxing Spell

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/29/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is music played by people who are old enough to be in nursing homes--but you would never believe it from listening to this disk! The amazing Marian McPartland was 80 when these live performances were recorded at the new Birdland at Town Hall in New York City. To help celebrate her 80th birthday, Ms. McPartland reunited with Bill Crowe, bass, and Joe Morello, drums, with whom she played in a trio in the mid-'50s. More than 40 years later, they still sounded just great. In a program of mostly standards and a few originals, the Hickory House Trio weaves a relaxing spell that makes the listener just want to sit back and enjoy the music.

The recording is first class all the way, with a nice balance among the three instruments. It's hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this delightful CD."