MARIAN McPARTLAND & WILLIE PICKENS
Ain't Misbehavin' - Live At The Jazz Showcase (Concord)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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As the host of NPR's Piano Jazz program for over 20 years, Marian McPartland has championed the piano duet and played with an incredible range of musicians from nearly every imaginable jazz style. As a result, pairing her somewhat cerebral, swinging bop with the bluesy stride style of Chicago legend Willie Pickens is not as surprising as it might be. In fact, when she was preparing for her annual Christmas-time engagement at Chicago's Jazz Showcase, her long association with and admiration for Pickens made him a natural choice when she decided to add a second piano to the date.

The resulting album draws eight tracks from three of the nights they played together, four duets and a pair of solos for each. The selections, all standards, display the full range of talent from two of the widest ranging piano talents in the jazz world. The duets, in particular, are played with a peculiar sort of public intimacy - it's almost like eavesdropping on a personal conversation between two close friends, which is in many ways exactly what it is. But it was done in performance, and both artists are exceptional performers, playing for, as well as to, the audience with respect and affection.

Standout tracks for me are Pickens' solo interpretation of "(It's Only A) Paper Moon)" and the duet's "Just One Of Those Things," but that's possibly only true as I write this, because every cut is good enough to be someone's favorite and any cut might, in time, become mine. This is a special recording by two special musicians.

Track List:

Ain't Misbehavin' * Along Came Betty * Close Your Eyes * It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) * Spring Is Here * Night And Day * (It's Only A) Paper Moon * Autumn Nocturne * Just One Of Those Things

© 2002 - Shaun Dale