I went to see a live taping of the NPR Sunday morning "Piano Jazz" program at the Music Institute of Chicago's Evanston campus Thurday, July 15, 2004.
The host of Piano Jazz is Marian McPartland, who recently celebrated her 86th birthday. She has played with and hung out with some of the truly great musicians of the 20th century including, but certainly not limited to Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Don Henley, Norah Jones... Sorry, I'm getting goose-bumps, but you get the picture. Every week she has a musical guest who may be either a legendary musician, or a talented young musician whose star is just rising. The music is wonderful, but the interaction between Marian and her guests is magical -- she draws out facets of the creative process that go well beyond the music, enhancing and bringing it to life.
She was accompanied at this event in 2004 by Jon Weber, who has just been tapped to be the new Piano Jazz host (late 2011). Marian will continue to remain part of the show as its artistic director.
