My Mama Pinned a Rose on Me was recorded after Mary Lou Williams’ first semester at Duke University, where her class in the history of jazz was one of the most popular offerings. On the invitation of storied jazz impresario Norman Granz, Williams took a trip to New York to record this session for Pablo. Granz guaranteed her complete creative control, and Williams chose to do an album of nearly naked blues songs. The only other musicians are bassist Buster Williams and vocalist Cynthia Tyson, a friend from Durham. The album is focused squarely on Williams’ piano playing, which is as thoughtful and full of emotional depth as anything else she did in her career. Having accomplished so much in so many arenas, she chose to return to the blues in her old age. That’s the place where her music originated, and she understood that it was there she must return. Given the simplicity of these songs, it's astonishing how much they contain. They encompass the scope of Williams’ entire musical life, from the boogie-woogie of her early years to the classical elegance she attained in her most ambitious compositions.