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.

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2005

:::2005:::

Herbie Hancock - (Recorded February 24, 2005. Aired December 6, 2005)

Benny Golson - (Recorded April 28, 2005. Aired January 3, 2006)

Dena DeRose - (Recorded June 22, 2005. Aired November 30, 2007)

Joanne Brackeen - (Recorded August 15, 2005)

Daniela Schaechter - (Recorded August 18, 2005)

John Harmon - (Recorded September 20, 2005)

Pat Metheny Trio - (Recorded November 1, 2005. Aired April 4, 2006)

Julian Lage - (Recorded December 8, 2005)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2004

:::2004:::

Frank Morgan - (Recorded February 16, 2004. Aired October 5, 2004)

Hiromi Uehara - (Recorded February 17, 2004. Aired October 26, 2004)
Tierney Sutton - (Recorded March 9, 2004. Aired November 23, 2004)

Tony Bennett - (Recorded March 10, 2004)

Toots Thielemans - (Recorded June 24, 2004. Aired March 8, 2005)

Ann Hampton Callaway - (Recorded October 12, 2004. Aired June 7, 2005)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2003

:::2003:::

Chuck Leavell - (Recorded January 20, 2003. Aired Nov. 4, 2003)

Norah Jones: at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival - (Recorded August 30, 2003. Aired May 4, 2004)

Alicia Keys - (Recorded September 11, 2003. Aired April 13, 2004)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2002

:::2002:::

Kurt Elling - (Recorded January 14, 2002. Aired June 25, 2002)

Phil Woods - (Recorded July 25, 2002. Aired January 28, 2003)

Joyce Collins - (2002)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 2001

:::2001:::

Christian McBride - (Recorded in 2001)

Chick Corea - (Recorded December 10, 2001. Aired April 2, 2002)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1999

:::1999:::

Les Paul - (Recorded January 28, 1999. Aired June 1, 1999)

Sarah Jane Cion -  (Aired October 1999)

Denny Zeitlin - (Recorded November 19, 1999. Aired March 28, 2000)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1998

:::1998:::

Max Roach - (Recorded April 21, 1998. Aired Sept. 29, 1998)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1997

:::1997:::

John Dankworth & Cleo Laine - (Recorded November 2, 1997. Aired March 26, 1998)

Oscar Peterson (#2) - (Recorded November 9, 1997. Aired April 4, 1998)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1995

:::1995:::

Helen Merrill - (Recorded January 6, 1995. Aired May 13, 1995)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1994

:::1994:::

Diana Krall (#1) - (Recorded July 24, 1994)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1993

:::1993:::

Eartha Kitt - (Recorded February 12, 1993. Aired April 10, 1993)

Clark Terry - (Recorded Sept. 21, 1993. Aired Jan. 1, 1994)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1992

:::1992:::

Gerald Wiggins - (Recorded January 24, 1992)

Mel Torme - (Recorded January 21, 1992. Aired May 9, 1992)

Jack DeJohnette - (Recorded December 11, 1992. Aired February 27, 1993)

Studs Terkel an interview taken from the NPR pledge drive of 1992 - (Recorded 1992. Aired June 5, 2009)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1991

:::1991:::

John Bunch - (Recorded February 20, 1991. Aired June 8, 1991)

Milt Hinton - (Recorded August 15, 1991. Aired November 19, 1991)

Rosemary Clooney - (Recorded October 14, 1991. Aired in January 1992)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1990

:::1990:::

Ray Charles - (Recorded January 9, 1990. Aired April 6, 1991)

Marian McPartland's Hickory House Trio Reunion with guest host Bill Crow (Recorded October 17, 1990. Aired Feb. 2, 1991)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1988

:::1988:::

Lionel Hampton - (Recorded January 11, 1989. Aired April 4, 1989)

Dr. John - (Recorded January 19, 1989. Aired May 6, 1989)

Stéphane Grappelli - (Recorded October 5, 1989. Aired April 7, 1990)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1987

:::1987:::

Herbie Hancock - (Recorded January 3, 1987. Aired April 2, 1987)

Chick Corea - (Recorded January 27, 1987. Aired May 7, 1989.)

George Shearing - (Recorded in 1987)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1985

:::1985:::

Ahmad Jamal - (Recorded in 1985)

Dizzy Gillespie - (Recorded January 29, 1985)

Henry Mancini - (Recorded March 14, 1985. Aired May 29, 1985)

Blossom Dearie - (Recorded in 1985)

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz On NPR - 1983

:::1983:::

McCoy Tyner - (Recorded May 4, 1983. Aired October 29, 1983)