The pianist grew extra fingers as she traveled up and down the keyboard, infusing beautiful melodic lines with playful rhythms and layers of improvisation. The bassist plucked and stopped from top to bottom, while the drummer kept it all afloat, managing time and gracefully filling space. The material, from original to Brazilian to Jarrett, was sometimes unfamiliar and yet always accessible, the arrangements fresh and engaging. At the Dakota, the Mary Louise Knutson Trio was on stage, playing to a full house on a late summer's Monday night.

Among the top echelon of a rich pool of Twin Cities' pianists, Mary Louise Knutson cut her performance teeth with such notables as Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, Slide Hampton, Richie Cole, Greg Abate, Von Freeman, and Billy Hart; and toured with Smoky Robinson, the Osmond Brothers, Engelbert Humperdinck, comedians such as Phyllis Diller, and internationally with Synergy (formerly Rupert's Orchestra).

A former jazz instructor at Carlton College, today she conducts master classes and often provides keyboard support for local divas Connie Evingson and Debbie Duncan, the JazzMN Big Band, and the Doug Little Quartet. But her chops are most apparent with her own trio, playing her own compositions and arrangements. Her compatriots at the Dakota, bassist Gordy Johnson and drummer Phil Hey, are also the nucleus of her highly acclaimed recording, Call Me When You Get There, released in 2001 on Meridian Jazz. Said Jazz Times, "Call Me When You Get There is...state-of-the-art piano trio finery."

On this occasion, Knutson drew from a range of material, including some highlights from her recording--her own "Merle the Pearl" and "How Will I Know" (cleverly in tandem with "You Will Never Know") and her arrangements of "Gone With the Wind" and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." The latter tunes proved to be sonic workouts for Gordy Johnson, who was easily up to the task, plucking high and low, slithering and sliding, reprising melody and harmony.

Knutson interspersed her usual eclectic selections with a few Brazilian tunes in honor of her upcoming trip to a mountain-top jazz festival in Brazil, where she planned to watch the Hornheads (headed by boyfriend and trombonist Michael Nelson) and "find my own gig." "Chicklit Com Banana" was a delightful romp through space and time, and a set-closing "Sabor" with Michael Nelson leading on trombone provided drummer Phil Hey with ample opportunity to demonstrate why he is first-call to so many local and nationally touring musicians. Often subtly supportive throughout much of the set lists, he can--and did on "Sabor" in particular--take off into Rhythm Wonderland, equal parts fun and artistry.

In such fast company, it might have been easy for Knutson to coast through the evening, but that's never her agenda. When not mixing it up with such delightful rhythmic detours as her arrangements of "Bluesette" and "Alone Together," she opened her romantic soul, as with a heart-stopping rendition of Jarrett's "My Song," truly making it "her" song.

The evening was also a showcase for Knutson's compositions, many of which appear on her Meridian recording. Deservedly, she has earned considerable recognition as a composer, including two awards from Billboard magazine for her compositions, "How Will I Know?" and "Meridian." The title track, "Call Me When You Get There," will soon be heard at major art museums across the country as the music bed for the documentary film, Wellington Lee: 60 Years of Artistic Photography. And the delightful "Merle the Pearl" streams on the internet as the theme music for the Jazz Release interview program on JazzSteps.com. No small wonder that Call Me When You Get There hit the jazz charts' "Top 50" in the United States and Canada for eight consecutive weeks following its release!

Knutson is somewhat reminiscent of Marian McPartland with her combination of strength and lyricism, line and texture, fresh reconceptions and exciting, beautiful original melodies. And like McPartland, she surrounds herself with trio partners who are stars in their own right and sympathetic collaborators on stage. "Piano Jazz" is alive and well in Minnesota!

Upcoming gigs for Mary Louise Knutson include backing Connie Evingson in a reprise of "Fever" at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul, September 25, 8 pm (651-690-6700); and supporting the JazzMn Big Band at Ted Mann Hall in Minneapolis on October 9 (612-624-2345). For more information, see www.marylouiseknutson.com