Her Legacy Lives On: R.I.P.

Well, it's been a very long time since I've posted anything about Piano Jazz. Since then, this blog's and one of our nations treasures has passed on. R.I.P. Margaret Marion Turner McPartland.
We were blessed to have her with us for 95 years - 75 of those active in music.
Her legacy will live on.
Just before her death, she composed and performed her crowning achievement; A Portrait of Rachel Carson. Enjoy

Dance Of The Infidels: A Portrait Of Bud Powell by Francis Paudras

Listened to Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz from June 19, 2003 today, featuring Bruce Hornsby as her guest, in which they speak briefly about the book DANCE OF THE INFIDELS. It's one of the few episodes that has been released on CD by the Jazz Alliance label.


At one point, they're discussing how Bud Powell introduced a more subtle way of keeping the rhythm with his right hand, and then they play a duet of "Parisian Thouroughfare". Afterward they speak and McPartland says...

MM: "I used to go hear him at Birdland, when we would be at The Hickory House; it was just a quick two minutes across the street and they would let us in for free."

BH: "Well, I'm so envious. Anyone who was there in that fantastic era...that's the great days of BeBop."

MM: "I know. I really feel so lucky to have been there and to have known Bud, and have pictures taken with him. He would come in The Hickory House, I mean; he was a little bit off the wall but... What was that thing of his... "Poco Loco"? Do you do that one?"

(Hornsby takes a stab at the melody)

BH: "Something like that. That's a  fantastic...  I love Bud, as you can see I know a lot of his tunes. That book, The Dance Of The Infidels...it's very moving, it's really a sad book. It really affected me."

MM: "Well you know that guy who wrote the book..."

BH:  "Did you know him? Francis Paudras; however you says his name..."

MM: "I did know him. And he...It's so awful; he committed suicide."

BH: "Yeah okay, what was the...problem there..."

MM: "He just ran out of...he seemed to suddenly run out of money and friends; and all the people he thought were going to help him didn't...and it was like he was at the end of his rope. He just... It was a shame, the guy was brilliant! I mean, to write a book like that, and to help Bud the way he did... It was... That's a fantastic book and everyone should have that translated into English... I've got the French version."

BH: "I think so too, yeah. Me too; I have the French and the English. I took six years of French and I can read about every third word...unfortunately."

MM: "Well, good for you. Not I, but ... just HAVING that book means an awful lot to me."

BH: "Yeah, me too."


They move on to other topics from there, but I though perhaps it would be nice to promote this book which they seem to adore and value so highly. Though they don't discuss it, this book is also the inspiration for the 1986 film 'ROUND MIDNIGHT.

Amazon sells it HERE.

Tom Nolan's "Marian Remembers" article

Tom Nolan has written a great article about Piano Jazz for the Wall Street Journal.
Here's a quick excerpt:

Mary Lou Williams, the first guest on "Piano Jazz": "She was pretty  tough. I asked her not to bring a bass player, and of course she did -- because she loved to have a bass player that she could call the changes to.
 Burt Bacharach:
 "He wouldn't sing a song completely through, or play one! He'd play half a song -- and then he'd stop and talk. I'd say, 'For God's sake, play the whole tune!' No, he wouldn't. But I really like that guy."
Cecil Taylor:
"He'd play a piece, and then he'd tell me when he wrote it. And I felt like saying, you know, 'Bull-, you never wrote that.' Because, it just was improvised, I'm sure."
George Shearing:
"He used to do things like change keys on me, and suddenly he'd go into Dixieland stride-piano or do things to upset me. But it was all in fun."
Dave Brubeck:
For years he would say, 'I'll never do your show.' And I'd say, 'Why?' ''Cause I'm too nervous.' Finally his manager and his wife persuaded him. He said, 'I'll do the show as long as Chris [his bass player] is in the control room. Then if I need him, I can call him.
"So we started the show and he just went at it; you never knew he was nervous. He didn't remember Chris was there; he just did a really good show. "
Bill Evans:
"We played well together, and he was sort of knocked out. I think he didn't expect me to play as well as I did, or to know his tunes, or something.
"He was funny too. It was always a show I enjoyed when the people were funny. We were always friends. I just got mad at him for dying; he just shouldn't have died."
-- Tom Nolan

To read the rest of Tom Nolan's article go HERE-

Ken Dryden: Piano Jazz Prankster

April Fool's prankster Ken Dryden started one of my favorite hoaxes on April 1, 2007. Namely that Frank Zappa had once been on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz!

He does quite a good job of making a convincing set list and highlights of their conversations. Apparently he sent her a copy, but she only replied a  letter about another article he'd written for her 90th birthday concert, without mentioning his phony edition of her program.


To read the original prank, go here

A 'First Six Season' list - Take it for what you will

This is an uncredited list found on the internet. If anything it seems to leave out some artists, and suggest others that cannot yet be confirmed. Take it for what you will:


First season (1979):  Billy Taylor, Barbara Carroll, Dick Hyman, John Lewis, Bobby Short, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, Ellis Larkins, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Tommy Flanagan, Dave McKenna and Joanne Brackeen.

Second season (1980):  Eubie Blake, Hazel Scott, Cedar Walton, Hank Jones, George Shearing, Jay McShann, Roy Kral, Patti Bown, Duke Jordan, Oscar Peterson, Barry Harris, Sir Roland Hanna and Ramsey Lewis. 

Third season (1981):  Cy Coleman, Stanley Cowell, Johnny Guarnieri, Alice Coltrane, Jaki Byard, Dick Wellstood, Ray Bryant, Norma Teagarden, Roger Kellaway, John Bunch, Randy Weston, Jess Stacy and Jimmy Rowles.

Fourth season (1982):  Dudley Moore, Marie Marcus, Joe Bushkin, McCoy Tyner, Steve Allen, Monty Alexander, Albert Dailey, Valerie Capers, Adam Makovicz, Dorothy Donegan, Derek Smith, Richie Beirach and Ross Tompkins.

Fifth season (1983):  Dave Brubeck, Joyce Collins, Art Hodes, Richard Rodney Bennett, George Wein, Clare Fischer, Roger Williams, Joanne Grauer, Peter Nero, Steve Kuhn, Makoto Ozone, Dardanelle Hadley, Frank Kimbrough and James Williams.

Sixth season (1984):  Dizzy Gillespie, Cleo Brown, Ahmad Jamal, Blossom Dearie, George Wallington, Shirley Horn, Kenny Barron, Dave Frishberg, Carmen McRae, Henry Mancini, Bill Dobbins, Walter Bishop Jr. and Paul Smith.

Piano Jazz Programs Released On The Jazz Alliance Label

Piano Jazz Programs Released On The Jazz Alliance Label

Some of these broadcasts were initially released on cassette tape under the Camco label, then in 1993 Concord Records began to release selected Piano Jazz programs on CD under The Jazz Alliance label.

TJA-12001 Dave Brubeck
TJA-12002 Teddy Wilson
TJA-12003 Rosemary Clooney
TJA-12004 Bill Evans
TJA-12005 Dizzy Gillespie
TJA-12006 Eubie Blake
TJA-12007 Dick Wellstood
TJA-12008 Barbara Carroll
TJA-12009 Clark Terry
TJA-12010 Bobby Short
TJA-12011 Red Richards
TJA-12012 Dick Hyman
TJA-12013 Stanley Cowell
TJA-12014 Mercer Ellington
TJA-12015 Benny Carter
TJA-12016 Milt Hinton
TJA-12017 Jess Stacey
TJA-12018 Jack DeJohnette
TJA-12019 Mary Lou Williams
TJA-12020 Alice Coltrane
TJA-12021 Kenny Burrell
TJA-12022 Amina Claudine Myers
TJA-12023 Dave McKenna
TJA-12024 Henry Mancini
TJA-12025 Roy Eldridge
TJA-12026 Lee Konitz
TJA-12027 Joe Williams
TJA-12028 Oscar Peterson
TJA-12029 Lionel Hampton
TJA-12030 Jay McShann
TJA-12031 Les McCann
TJA-12032 Charles Brown



RE-RELEASES AND NEW RELEASES ON THE JAZZ ALLIANCE LABEL SINCE 2002:::

TJA-12041-2 Rosemary Clooney
TJA-12042-2 Dizzy Gillespie
TJA-12043-2 Dave Brubeck
TJA-12038-2 Bill Evans
TJA-12040-2 Chick Corea
TJA-12039-2 Carmen McRae
TJA-12033-2 Oscar Peterson
TJA-12045-2 Mary Lou Williams
TJA-12046-2 Lionel Hampton
TJA-12047-2 John Medeski
TJA-12048-2 Steely Dan
TJA-12049-2 Elvis Costello
TJA-12051-2 Bruce Hornsby
TJA-12052-2 Teddy Wilson
TJA-12053-2 Shirley Horn

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2010

:::2010:::

30 Years with Marian McPartland with guest gost Elvis Costello Pt. 1 & 2 (1: January 8, 2010 / 2: January 15, 2010)

Cedar Walton with guest host Bill Charlap - (Aired January 22, 2010)

Ted Nash with guest host Christian McBride (Recorded February 16, 2010. Aired July 6, 2010)

Loston Harris with guest host Michael Feinstein (Aired March 12, 2010)

Romain Collin with guest host Jon Weber (Recorded March 22, 2010. Aired July 13, 2010)

Jean Bach [director of A Great Day In Harlem] - (Recorded May 19, 2010. Aired September 7, 2010)

Randy Weston - (Recorded May 12, 2009. Aired June 22, 2010)

Christian Sands with guest host Christian McBride - (Aired May 21, 2010)

30th Anniversary Clip Special with guest host Murray Horwitz (Aired July 2, 2010)

The Nels Cline Singers with guest host Jon Weber (Recorded July 9, 2010. Aired September 28, 2010)

Catherine Russell - (Aired (?) November 5, 2010)