Marian McPartland

• Born: March 20, 1918
• Birthplace: Windsor, England
• Died: August 20, 2013
• Place of death: Port Washington, New York

English jazz pianist, violinist, and composer

One of the first female jazz pianists at a time when the field was dominated by men, McPartland made jazz accessible through her performances, her recordings, and her radio show, Piano Jazz.

The Life

Margaret Marian Turner began her musical education on the violin, but she soon switched to the piano. She studied classical music at the Guildhall School in London, and when realized that she preferred jazz, she took Marian Page as her stage name. During World War II, while entertaining the troops, McPartland met and subsequently married an American cornet player, Jimmy McPartland. They performed together in his Dixieland band, but the professional relationship was short-lived. They divorced, although they remained friends and later remarried. In the 1950’s, McPartland played briefly at Birdland, a jazz club in New York City, but she is better remembered for her time at the Hickory House, from 1952 to 1960, working mostly with Joe Morello on drums and Bill Crow on bass. Later, she had the distinction of being the first woman to perform with Benny Goodman’s band.

In 1971 McPartland formed her own record company called Halcyon, and she often helped other women get recorded. After leaving Halcyon, she recorded for Concord Records. McPartland gave numerous workshops and clinics, often for young people with limited exposure to jazz, and she performed at festivals to showcase the contributions of women. In 1979 McPartland began a new venture, one for which she is noted, her Piano Jazz radio show. Each week she invited a noted musician to come on the show and explain various aspects of technique. The highlight of the program occurred when the two pianists showcased their skills in duets. The show received a Peabody Award in 1983 and was broadcast globally. McPartland's last show was recorded in 2010. In addition to her performances and broadcast work, McPartland published a collection of her essays All in Good Time in 1987. McPartland died at the age of ninety-five in Port Washington, New York, in August 2013.

The Music

McPartland’s style was influenced by Fats Waller, George Shearing, Alec Wilder, Teddy Wilson, and especially Bill Evans. She is well known in all jazz styles, but was especially known for ballads. Her fondness for ballads is evident in her compositions, which are notable for their lyrical quality. McPartland was also familiar with classical music, as evidenced by her many improvisations in the styles of various composers. She played solos, duets, or working in a jazz combo.

Among McPartland’s recordings are her numerous interpretations of jazz standards and her own pieces. She has made hundreds of recordings; some consist of her performances from her Piano Jazz show and others are reissues of earlier albums.

On Fifty-second Street.This recording, featuring music from McPartland’s early years at the Hickory House, showcases her mastery of jazz standards, including “A Foggy Day,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Embraceable You.” Here, McPartland demonstrates not only her deft command of the piano but also her keen ability as a leader of a jazz combo, which, in this recording, includes Morello on drums and Vinnie Burke and Bob Carter on bass. The primary focus is on the melody, often executed as arpeggios, in the right hand and extended tertian harmonies in the left.

Alone Together.This 1981 recording features McPartland and her fellow Englishman George Shearing acting as true partners, much like the format of her radio show. This performance has something for everyone: down-and-dirty blues (“Born to Be Blue”), ballads (“To Bill Evans”), Latin jazz (“O Grande Amor”), and improvisation (“Improvisation on a Theme of Carl Edward Jefferson”). In addition, her own composition, “There’ll Be Other Times,” is another ballad work that focuses on modes and Debussy-inspired whole-tone and pentatonic scales. This trait frequently surfaces in many of McPartland’s compositions, probably influenced by her classical training.

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 9.There is a wide variety of styles in this performance, including a good balance of standards, modern jazz, and McPartland’s compositions. One of the most interesting in the last category is “Theme from Piano Jazz,” which shows McPartland is not afraid to experiment. This piece is immediately familiar when heard by fans of her NPR show. With its fast seventh chord arpeggios and progressive quartal harmonies, this work clearly shows McPartland’s familiarity with the music of John Coltrane and other later jazz composers. “Twilight World,” included here, is one of her best compositions, with its primary focus on timbre, again reflecting Debussy. This work, found on several other recordings as well, is true to McPartland’s style, with its melody-based right hand and chordal left. It is also typical of her compositions in its use of a colorful, semiprogrammatic title. McPartland also performs “My Funny Valentine,” which might be considered a cliché in the jazz world. However, McPartland manages to produce an inventive interpretation while remaining true to the original Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart tune.

Musical Legacy

McPartland is known for her performances, recordings, and jazz workshops to people of all ages, including novices and experienced improvisers. In 2000, she was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and received a Grammy—the Recording Academy's National Trustees Award—in 2004, among numerous other accolades. She has showcased new talent and established performers on her award-winning radio show with gracefulness and graciousness. Genuinely pleased and even surprised by her success, McPartland frequently promoted the music of her friends and colleagues. She continued to play piano in the years preceding her death and will be remembered as a champion of women in jazz.

Bibliography

Balliett, Whitney. American Musicians II: Seventy-two Portraits in Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. In one chapter, Balliett provides four scenes in the life of McPartland.

Enstice, Wayne, and Janis Stockhouse. Jazzwomen: Conversations with Twenty-one Musicians. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. The authors devote a sizable chapter to McPartland, and include a well-written overview of her life and career. Includes discography.

Gourse, Leslie. Madame Jazz: Contemporary Women Instrumentalists. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. This book contains a chapter on McPartland, as an important female figure in jazz.

Keepnews, Peter. "Marian McPartland, Jazz Pianist and NPR Radio Staple, Dies at 95." The New York Times, 21 Aug. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/arts/music/marian-mcpartland-jazz-pianist-and-npr-radio-staple-dies-at-95.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2013.

McPartland, Marian. Marian McPartland’s Jazz World: All in Good Time. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003. McPartland offers portraits of fellow jazz artists, including Goodman, Morello, Evans, and Mary Lou Williams.

Shipton, Alyn. Handful of Keys: Conversations with Thirty Jazz Pianists. New York: Routledge, 2004. The chapter devoted to McPartland gives a good overview of her life.

Principal Recordings

albums:At the Hickory House, 1954; After Dark, 1956; With You in Mind, 1957; Marian McPartland Plays the Music of Leonard Bernstein, 1960; Bossa Nova and Soul, 1963; Ambiance, 1970; A Delicate Balance, 1971; A Sentimental Journey, 1972 (with Jimmy McPartland); Maestro and Friend, 1973 (with Joe Venuti); Marian McPartland Plays the Music of Alec Wilder, 1973; Now’s the Time, 1977; From This Moment On, 1978; Let It Happen, 1978; Portrait of Marian McPartland, 1979; Alone Together, 1981 (with George Shearing); Personal Choice, 1982; Willow Creek and Other Ballads, 1985; Marian McPartland Plays the Benny Carter Songbook, 1990; Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 9, 1991; With Guest Lee Konitz, 1991 (with Lee Konitz); In My Life, 1993; Marian McPartland Plays the Music of Mary Lou Williams, 1994; Silent Pool, 1996; Just Friends, 1998 (with others); Reprise, 1999; On Fifty-second Street, 2000; Twilight World, 2008.