This album consists primarily of performances recorded at the Hickory House Club in October 1953, with a trio consisting of bassist
Vinnie Burke and the great drummer
Joe Morello, who never achieved the fame he deserved, but did make a name for himself in
Dave Brubeck's group. At the end of this program are five studio recordings made earlier that same year, with
Morello and bassist
Bob Carter.
McPartland's style is witty and elegant, and if her solos never exactly catch fire, they never settle for mere decorousness either. She plays with plenty of energy, and her inventiveness is consistently impressive. The program is unsurprising, consisting mainly of such standards as "I've Got the World on a String," "A Foggy Day," and "Willow Weep for Me," but the material never sounds tired. The sound quality is, surprisingly, quite good. Research in the Savoy archives has revealed that these recordings were produced by a then very young
Rudy Van Gelder, who would later become one of the great jazz producers of the century.