Pittsburgh, 1958

All of the music on this 1997 CD was previously unissued, and it is a major find. The legendary but troubled bop pianist Dodo Marmarosa recorded very little after the late 1940s (other than a few dates in the early 1960s), and he has a relatively slim discography for a player of his stature. The bulk of the release is taken from a 1958 live trio date in which Marmorosa is joined by a couple of local Pittsburgh musicians, bassist Danny Matri and drummer Henry Sciullo. The pianist shows plenty of brilliance on the boppish standards, including "Moose the Mooche," "Always," "Cherokee" and "Billie's Bounce." Also on this CD are three numbers from a 1962 radio show (probably Dodo's last recordings) in which Marmarosa interacts with a quintet on some fairly modern tunes, along with a trio number from 1956 and two selections with a quintet in 1957. Overall, the recording quality is decent, while the playing is quite special. An extra bonus are the extensive liner notes, which include a 1995 interview with Marmarosa, plus the decision to lead off the CD with a brief excerpt from the talk. Highly recommended to bop collectors. ~ Scott Yanow|