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Marian McPartlandion miu.By MARY CAMPBELLAP NewataalurM WritarMarian McPartland sparkles. Her music sparkles when she plays jazz on the piano, live or on record, and when she interviews guests on “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, heard weekly on National Public Radio. She even sparkles when she talks about it.The one-hour radio show debuted in the fall of 1979, with underwriting by Exxon. It now has three 11-week “seasons” and repeats the rest of the year. She usually has one jazz pianist guest. She interviews the person and they each play piano and do a duet. Lately, she is improvising with the format.Guests on the first show of 1991 were a couple, singer Cleo Laine and saxophonist John Dankworth. Occasionally, a guest — such as saxophonist Branford Marsalis, to be heard early in 1991, and singer Tony Bennett, a guest in 1990 — doesn’t play piano on the show. When Billy Taylor was on, he interviewed McPartland. And some guests don’t play jazz. McPartland plans to invite Van Cliburn onto her show.The first 13 shows of 1991 are finished. On Jan. 6, McPartland gave a concert at Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, Calif., which Concord Jazz taped for a record. Her latest release on Concord Jazz is “Marian McPartland Plays the Benny Carter Song book, With Special Guest Benny Carter.” Television’s Gene Shalit, who played piano and bassoon on her show, said the title was so long they had to cut two tunes.McPartland goes from Berkeley to Los Angeles to tape “Piano Jazz” shows with Dudley Moore and RayCharles.Then there are a number of college dates, and a week-long piano festival in Kalamazoo, Mich., where she’ll tape a “Piano Jazz” with Steve Allen and George Shearing together. Cliburn also is playing at the festival. After that, she plays three dates with the Milwaukee Symphony, medleys by Ellington,Gershwin and herself.She chooses the people to appearon “Piano Jazz” and personally telephones or writes to invite them. “It takes a lot of time. It’s worth it.“I’m embarrassed at not having invited certain people. I haven’t had time.”Sonic Youth*Favorite types of music of young adults, age 16 to 24Pop/Rock39°/«10°/cHeavyMetal 10%Classic Rock8% \4%CountryClassicalJa//.AlternativeNew Age3% ,Anv/AIISource fur Tape Voices young America' Surveynew year of ‘PianoNtA GraphicThough she’s a highly respected jazz performer, McPartland doesn’t act like a prima donna. “I went with Shari Hutchinson, the producer of the show, and stood in line at the Blue Note to hear Ray Charles. At the intermission, I raced upstairs carrying a cassette in my hand of the show George Shearing was on and spoke to Ray. I thought, ’The man doesn’t have the faintest idea what I’m talking about.’ I wouldn’t dream of saying, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ because I didn’t think he would, truthfully.“He was so kind and nice and took the cassette. I thought, ‘That’s the end of that. ’ Weeks went by and we got a call from his manager, saying, ‘Ray loves your show and he’d love to do your show.’ I almost fell on the floor.”She pursued Andre Previn for years to be a guest. “He just did a wonderful show. He’s so witty and sophisticated. He played ‘You’re Gonna Hear From Me.’ I said, ‘I love that tune. Who wrote it?’ He said, 'I did.’ I felt like a fool; I’d forgotten.“I think we left that in. We cut things. We stop the tape when people don’t like the way they perform something and say they’d like to do it again. We do so little rehearsing. Beegie Adair, who’s from Nashville and wonderful but not well-known, didn’t want to rehearse anything. Monty Alexander was the same way.” They’ll both be heard in March.Drummer Joe Morello and bassist Bill Crow, who performed with McPartland at the Hickory House in New York for years, are on her 200th show, the fifth one of 1991. Shesays: “They're not exactly piano players but I figured it would be kind of jazz history. Joe has become the guru of drum teachers and BUI plays all over the place and has written a book, ‘Jazz Anecdotes.’“I’ve been trying to get Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He wants to do the show. When I’m ready to do it, he’s in Japan. Eventually we’U make it.”She also Isas written many lettersto Stevie Wonder’s managers, is considering hiring a plane to fly over his house pulling a streamer for his neighbors, “Please teU Stevie we want him on ‘Piano Jazz.’”She says: “We had Paul Shaffer from 'Late Night With David Let-terman.’ I think he thought it was an interview show. He saw two pianos and got white as a ghost. We had to comfort him and encourage him. Finally he played and he was great.”Listeners write, suggesting guests for the show. “Not a day goes by I don’t get tapes in the mail suggesting themselves or other people. I listen to them. I haven’t had anybody on from those suggestions. There are a few out there that are quite promising.”Harry Connick Jr. was a guest two years ago and his manager says he’ll appear again. Dave Brubeck was on several years ago. “I called him and said, ‘Couldn’t we have you on “Piano Jazz” to celebrate your 70th birthday?’ There’s a guy who used to say, ‘I’ll never do your show. I’m not going to play two pianos with you; I’m too nervous.’ He had his son Chris in the control room with his bass in case he decided he couldn’t make the whole program solo. He never needed Chris.“This time he said no. I said, 'I’m going to hound you untU you do it. We’ll have Chris in the control room.’ He just laughed.”McPartland says: “I guess persistence is my long suit. I could beaccused of being overinsistent.”lt;*!w©£ALL SEATS $1.50 EVERYDAY! Ill ISM* Ilf AILl *245 621?EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (PG-13) 7:15HOME ALONE (RG)7:00I IHII ItTAILt *243 1111* lt;¥v* »* m© *THREE MEN AND A LITTLE LADY (PG) 7:15LOOK WHO'S TALKING TOO (PG-13)7:00Shortly before the Berkeley concert, she said, “I’m trying to find tunes to play there that have not been overdone. I know I’ll play Andre’s tune, 'You’re Gonna Hear From Me.’”The public is always ready to hear from Marian McPartland.Still, he said, be was bothered by some on-air speculation he witnessed, specifically when Iraqi missiles struck Israel and obviously nervous correspondents donned gas masks and began reporting the possibility of chemical warfare.“I just thought there was a little too much speculation on what was happening when no one knew what was happening,” Grossman said.MARLON MATTHEWBRANDO BRODERICK•P—rIE-FIFUESHMAN**.It .10*0PG-A naivt film stydwt«caught in a comic nightmori whan a mywriaut ’buunau man* eHan himia job. a wifi, and ahilarious life of crimi.• 990 Tti 5-y * An *. ’990 Ljvoui mo OssqrtOCACafcmftiHome Aeeo ah ^ % R«u*eoPRESTIGE VIDEO71m iiBis ima T* • M mam245-6644
Newspaper Details
Jacksonville Journal Courier
Jacksonville, Illinois, US
Thu, Jan 24, 1991
Page 18
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
NL 30 Oct 2021
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