Search - Marian Mcpartland, Bruce Hornsby :: Jazz Piano

Nice, if not essential.

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 12/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off: this isn't a Hornsby album, it's a recording of his appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio show (just a little warning for anyone who might not recognize the title). The program is half music and half conversation. It's fun to hear the two talk shop about technical stuff (like Bruce's famed two-hand independence skills) and a wide range of their musical influences, and the warmth & humor is undeniable, but the real meat of the show is the performances. Three Hornsby tunes get interesting solo treatments ("The Way It Is" is slowed down to a pretty ballad), and the rest is a series of jazz-standard duets, topped off with one sublime McPartland solo that's probably the highlight of the whole affair.



It's definitely not as essential as Spirit Trail or Halcyon Days, but to any fellow Hornsbyheads, this disc is a great chance to hear two masters at work and get some insight into the workings of BH's fascinating personality. It's not for everyone, but if the above description interests you, the CD's contents will be worth its price several times over."