Piano Jazz Shorts

Country music legend Willie Nelson and jazz guitarist Jackie King (1945 – 2016) performed and recorded together for decades. They were McPartland's guests for this unforgettable 2002 Piano Jazz. Songs include standards like "The Nearness of You" and Nelson's classic ballad, "Crazy," plus a few selections from Nelson and King's collaboration from 2000, with "The Gypsy" and "Heart of a Clown."

Piano Jazz remembers jazz piano master Gerald Wiggins (1922 – 2008). Born in Harlem, Wiggins began learning classical piano at a young age, but he discovered jazz through pianists Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. In this 1992 session, Wiggins talks about some of his early professional gigs with the big bands of Benny Carter and Les Hite. He and McPartland journey back with Sammy Cahn's "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and a Wiggins original, "Edie Is a Sweetie." The two wind up the hour with a duet of Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time."

Vocalist Sandy Stewart first emerged as a star on the cabaret scene during the 1960s, and her marriage to Broadway composer Moose Charlap kept her plugged into a vibrant music community. In 2005, Stewart and her son, pianist Bill Charlap, collaborated on their first album together, "Love Is Here to Stay." On this Piano Jazz from 2006, mother and son bring a rare combination of swing and sophistication with a performance of "Two for the Road."

This Piano Jazz remembers one of the great innovators of the bebop style—pianist Duke Jordan (1922 – 2006). He's perhaps best known for his innovative work with Charlie Parker's legendary 1947 quintet, and he played with a number of other legends including Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Sonny Stitt. Jordan joined McPartland in 1980 for a session including duets on "Groovin' High" and his original "Jordu."

A two-time Grammy Award winner, bassist Eddie Gomez has been on the cutting edge of music for over five decades. He has held down rhythm sections and set the groove for some of the heavyweights of jazz—from Bill Evans to Miles Davis to Chick Corea. His masterful touch and sense of swing shine through, whether he's grooving in the background or bringing the bass up front as he does on an improvised solo composition on this 1993 Piano Jazz. He and McPartland dazzle with performances including "My Foolish Heart" and "All of You."

Pianist LeeAnn Ledgerwood studied at the Berkley College of Music alongside fellow musicians Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. She became a protégée of Marian McPartland, who encouraged her to pursue a career in jazz. She was McPartland's guest on Piano Jazz in 1990. In this session Ledgerwood shows off her keen sense of style with "I Want to Talk about You." McPartland joins in for a duo version of "Broadway."

A prolific author and jazz critic for more than half a century, Nat Hentoff (1925 – January 7, 2017) wrote for publications including the Village Voice, Down Beat, The New Yorker, and the Washington Post. For his commitment to jazz and his unique contribution to the music, Hentoff was honored in 2005 by the NEA as a Jazz Master—the first such honor bestowed on a non-musician. On this 2006 Piano Jazz, McPartland honors her guest by performing a "Portrait of Nat Hentoff."

For more than thirty years, pianist and composer Joyce DiCamillo has led her own trio, which critics hail as "a compact unit that breathes almost as one." A dedicated educator, DiCamillo appears in high schools and universities around the country and is a model for women in jazz. On this Piano Jazz from 2000, she demonstrates her considerable keyboard talents on "If I Should Lose You." DiCamillo and McPartland join forces for a rendition of "What Is This Thing Called Love."

Multiple Grammy winner, trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard carries the torch of New Orleans jazz in the tradition of the great Louis Armstrong, who shares his hometown. This spring Blanchard comes to Charleston, South Carolina, with his quintet, The E-Collective, to perform at the Spoleto Festival. In 2004 he was McPartland's guest on Piano Jazz. McPartland and Blanchard are joined by bassist Gary Mazzaroppi for a trio set of standards such as "I Thought about You" and "Now's the Time."

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater began her career as the lead vocalist of a jazz band. She honed her talent and headed to Broadway in 1975, where her performance in The Wiz was honored with a Tony Award. She is a featured performer at this year's Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. On this Piano Jazz from 2003, Bridgewater exhibits her knowledge and enthusiasm when she sings "September Song" and "Beginning to See the Light."