(Thirteenth Note Records)

Pianist-composer Roberta Piket turns in one of our favorites of the year with this recording. One for Marian: Celebrating Marian McPartland is indeed a colorful celebration of the late musician and radio show host. The production is primarily based around McPartland’s composition with Piket’s wonderful arrangement of the project’s rich source material. Piket’s compositional contributions to the effort fit right into the vibe of the overall project. Add to this goodness, the tremendous musician roster on the session, which includes Steve Wilson on alto saxophone and flute, Virginia Mayhew on tenor sax and clarinet, Bill Mobley on trumpet and flugelhorn, Harvie S on bass, Billy Mintz on drums/percussion and Karrin Allyson on vocals, and what you have is a beautiful and wonderfully fitting tribute by a very talented artist in her own right .