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Marian
McPartland's
Piano Jazz
Thursdays at 3 PM
Marian McPartland
For more than twenty
years, legendary pianist Marian McPartland has welcomed a stellar line-up of
jazz artists for conversation and improvisation on her Peabody Award-winning
program. Piano Jazz fans say the show's intimate style is "like
listening in on a conversation in someone's living room." And no one but
McPartland, with her engaging personality and improvisational savvy, could host
such a variety of performers in her radio "living room."
Piano Jazz
is a forum for jazz legends and influential performers as well as up-and-coming
talents. Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, Max Roach,
Cassandra Wilson and Tony Bennett are among the over 400 guests who have joined
McPartland to create dynamic duets and discuss their lives and music.
Tune into this graceful series each week
and enjoy what The Washington Post calls "an oasis of intelligence
and grace and probably the best hour of jazz on the airwaves."
Jimmy McPartland was one of the great cornet players
from the early jazz era and is the late husband of
Marian McPartland. Piano Jazz celebrates the
jazz legend's centennial with a special concert from the
Danny Kaye Playhouse at the 2007 JVC Jazz Festival. Host
McPartland gathered a group of Jimmy's former bandmates
for an hour of traditional jazz music.
Pianist Renee Rosnes joins Marian McPartland on stage
for the sixth annual Piano Jazz concert from
the 2007 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. The two take turns
quizzing each other and trade piano performances with
bassist Todd Coolman. McPartland and Rosnes play
together on "In A Mellow Tone" and "Swingin 'Till the
Girls Come Home."
Piano Jazz celebrates the centennial of
vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. A historic figure in many
ways, "Hamp" is credited with establishing the vibes as
a jazz instrument, being a part of Benny Goodman's first
racially integrated jazz group, and helping to launch
the careers of Quincy Jones, Wes Montgomery, and Clark
Terry. In this program from the archives, Hampton plays
classics "Flying Home," and "Mack the Knife."
Pianist Chuck Leavell has played for some of the shining
stars of rock and jazz, but his most enduring gig has
been as pianist and music coordinator for the Rolling
Stones. In addition to his piano playing, Leavell is
also an accomplished tree farmer. He and McPartland
discuss their love of the environment and celebrate
Leavell's southern heritage with "Georgia on My Mind."
At age sixteen, guitarist Bobby Broom was recruited by
Sonny Rollins. Since then, he's been dazzling listeners
and fellow musicians with his well-honed technique and
innovative style. His love of jazz flows through his
fingers and resonates on his six strings, as he solos on
his own tune "Coming Home," before joining bassist Gary
Mazzarroppi and McPartland for "Can't Buy Me Love" and
"Donna Lee."
Vocalist Veronica Nunn grew up in Little Rock, AR,
absorbing all kinds of music, from jazz to funk to
gospel. When she moved to New York in 1978, she split
her time between Harlem's jazz clubs and the Theology
department at Lehman College. Now a full-time jazz
singer and accompanied by her pianist husband, Travis
Shook, Nunn demonstrates her soulful touch on "One Note
Samba" and "I'm Old Fashioned."
Pianist Larry Vuckovich hails from Yugoslavia, where he
studied classically until Armed Forces Radio turned him
into an ardent jazz fan. He launched his jazz career in
San Francisco in 1960 and has since carried his
evocative and elegant music around the world. He plays
his own composition "Blue Balkan," before conspiring
with McPartland on "Billie's Bounce."
Pianist Oscar Peterson was one of the giants of jazz
piano. Fast fingers and a hard-wired sense of swing
defined Peterson and made him a favorite musical partner
for everyone from Ella to Dizzy to Herbie Hancock. In
this encore presentation, Peterson demonstrates his deft
touch and amazing technique on his own "Love Ballad"
before joining McPartland on Ellington's "In a Mellow
Tone."
Pianist Laurence Hobgood has been a fixture on the
Chicago jazz scene for years. He has recently come to
prominence as pianist, musical director and co-producer
for the much-celebrated jazz singer Kurt Elling. An
exceptional soloist and trio leader in his own right,
Hobgood performs his own tune "The Smuggler" and joins
McPartland on "Things Ain't What They Used to Be."
Saxophonist Frank Morgan led a life compelling enough
for the big screen. A protégé of Charlie Parker,
Morgan's budding career as a jazz musician took a dark
turn that led to drugs, prison, and, ultimately,
redemption through music. In this memorial broadcast of
his 2004 Piano Jazz appearance, Morgan talks
about the ups and downs of his life and performs
"Sophisticated Lady" and "Billie's Bounce."
Singer, pianist and composer Elizabeth Doyle is one of
Chicago's most captivating performers. She blends a
dreamy vocal style with swinging piano playing, deftly
accompanying herself on both classic standards and her
own unique compositions. Doyle begins the hour at the
piano, playing "Blame It on My Youth" before pulling
together all of her talents, singing and playing on her
own tune "Black Coffee Today."
This program honors the legendary trumpeter Joe Wilder,
a 2008 recipient of the Jazz Masters Fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Arts. Wilder is known for his
warm lyrical sound and his mastery of the trumpet,
whether he's playing jazz or classical music. In this
encore broadcast, Wilder and bassist Rufus Reid join
McPartland for "It's Easy to Remember" and "Far Away
Places."
Warren Vache is a remarkable horn player -- proficient
on the trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn. With a warm
tone, astounding chops, and his own unique style, Vache
has a strong sense of his jazz lineage. His mastery of
the traditional jazz repertoire is evident as he joins
McPartland, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Glenn
Davis for "Basin Street Blues" and "Louisiana."
Piano Jazz celebrates the centennial of
Stephane Grappelli, one of the jazz world's greatest
violinists. Grappelli first found fame in France with
Django Reinhart's Quintette du Hot Club. He went on to
an illustrious career playing with everyone from Oscar
Peterson to Paul Simon to Yo Yo Ma. In this encore
program, the always elegant and ever witty Grappelli
joins McPartland on "Pennies from Heaven" before showing
off his keyboard skills on a piano duet of "Anything
Goes."
Central New
York's premier Public Radio station, a broadcast service of
Syracuse
University, reaches Syracuse, Watertown, Auburn, Cortland,
and the Utica-Rome area with a
50,000
watt signal. WAER is a full-service member-supported radio
station featuring Jazz, News, Sports and Weather.
WAER
795 Ostrom Avenue
Syracuse, NY
13244-4610
Phone: (315) 443-4021
Fax: (315) 443-2148