The first and alternative tracks are of conversations
between the artists and I have therefore only
listed the music tracks.
- At Last
- My Funny Valentine
- Almost Blue
- The Very Thought of You
- Gloomy Sunday
- You don’t Know What Love Is
- They Didn’t Believe Me
- I’m in the Mood for Love
Elvis Costello - Vocals
Marion McPartland - Piano
Gary Mazzaroppi - Bass
I always enjoy listening
to expert musicians and singers talk about
their craft and without fail I have enjoyed
the Piano Jazz records, of which I have many.
Marian McPartland is a remarkable piano player,
because she has recorded several trio albums,
each one of which is well worth hearing and
at the same time is well proven as a superb
accompanist of other musicians and singers.
Very few pianists are capable of both these
types of work, Oscar Petersen’s playing when
supporting Ella Fitzgerald was totally different
to his solo style. Marion must be a very capable
woman, when she moved from the UK to the USA,
very few woman had succeeded in making it
on the US jazz scene. She has had a long and
successful career and her success is well
deserved.
This particular session with
Elvis Costello goes very well, Costello is
from the pop genre, but he has written some
good songs and he sounds very comfortable
both in conversation and whilst singing with
Marion. Bass player Gary Mazzaroppi is also
a significant contributor.
Elvis is married to Dianna
Krall and listening to the way he talks about
his music, you can see how this marriage of
two different worlds can work. It was interesting
for me to learn that Elvis’s father was Ross
Mc Manus, who I heard many times as featured
vocalist with the Joe loss Orchestra. He was
also a fine jazz trumpet player.
One of my favourite tunes
currently is ‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’,
the version recorded here sounds somewhat
reminiscent of Chet Baker, who apparently
recorded some of Elvis’s songs.
I enjoyed this album and
would recommend it.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
The Jazz Alliance TGA-12049-2 
