Willow Creek and Other Ballads
by Scott YanowMarian McPartland interprets ten diverse ballads on this album including her own "Willow Creek." The tunes are all quite sophisticated and they range from Stevie Wonder ("All in Love Is Fair"), Ahmad Jamal ("Without You") and Billy Strayhorn (the emotional "Blood Count") to Dave Brubeck and Noel Coward (his haunting "Someday I'll Find You" from "Private Lives"). This is nice music even if there is not much mood variation.