Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz
With Steely Dan
(Concord – 2004)
by Matthew Robinson
Having played with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Tal Farlow, Marian McPartland takes another turn to the contemporary hip on the latest recording of her weekly radio show “Piano Jazz” with the help of “the masters of irony and erudition” Steely Dan. From lesser known Ellington tunes to Rockand Roll Hall of Fame-worthy original compositions, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker take McPartland from their musical influences to their own influential catalog.
From “Mood Indigo” to “Black Friday,” McPartland and “Dan” trade colorful stories and brilliant songs and find common ground that spans the generations. Along the way, they explain how they came to their long-standing partnership and how each contributes to one of the most enduring and erudite duos in modern musical history.
© 2005, M. S. Robinson, ARR