The Trio’s Personnel
Marian McPartland, piano; Vinnie Burke, bass; Joe Morello, drums
Dave recalls...
What a refreshing piano-led trio! Nothing of a long-term memorable nature happened through two whole sets (four or five selections each), but every performance was exquisitely tasteful, and I sensed that I was in a perfectionist environment.
Marian McPartland’s technical execution and conceptual structuring became a magnetic focus as the evening wore on. Vinnie Burke performed spare, but extraordinary, solos on bass despite not having the use of one finger on his right hand (the result of a milling machine accident). Joe Morello, the artist who attracted the most attention, conceived brush accompaniments and 8- and 4-bar exchanges that were incredibly executed. McPartland’s eyes lit up noticeably when he turned up the intensity level with one of his fascinating nightly solos with sticks.
This McPartland trio recorded from the Hickory House on Savoy, so there is a documented point of reference. A comparable trio, with Bill Crow on bass, recorded for Capitol, but those wonderful performances probably remain available only on LP.