An excellent pianist with a light touch, Dardanelle's credits dated back to the '40s. She could play hot, funky blues and surging originals, or do a menu of novelty tunes and old standards. Dardanelle's combo recordings range from intense trio sessions with Tal Farlow to relatively easy listening fare with Bucky Pizzarelli. She was an active performer for a half century, with her final performance in Greenwood, MS, during May 1997 occurring less than three months before her death at age 79 following valve replacement surgery. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi