Marian McPartland rarely recorded with just a bassist, but this duet with little-known bassist Linc Milliman (a fine player according to McPartland who preferred not to venture far from his home) was a part of the pianist's own Halcyon catalog. Among the highlights are McPartland's superb solo renditions of her ballad "Twilight World" and the lesser known (but equally interesting) "Illusion," a lively duet of "Close Your Eyes," a dreamy "Here's That Rainy Day," and a rare venture into Miles Davis' memorable modal piece "Milestones." She tries valiantly to make something out of the then-current pop song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (a huge hit for country singer Glen Campbell), but the tune is clearly not in league with the remainder of this set. This seems to be a live recording that has been tightly edited to remove applause at the end of each piece. Recorded in the late 1960s or early '70s, this hard to find release was also briefly available as a CD reissue for a few years. - Ken Dryden
Tracks
1. Twilight World (McPartland-Mercer)
2. Indian Summer (Herbert-Dubin)
3. Close Your Eyes (Petkers)
4. Here’s That Rainy Day (Burke-Van Heusen)
5. Milestones (Davis)
6. New Orleans (Carmichael)
7. By The Time I Get To Phoenix (Webb)
8. Illusion (McPartland)
9. Things Aint What They Used To Be (Ellington)
LINC MILLIMAN bass
MARIAN McPARTLAND piano
Recorded at Doug Duke's club in Rochester, New York and Sherman Fairchaild's in New York, 1969 (Tom Lord's Jazzdiscography)
Halcyon Records - 100