May 20
Grady Tate
Grady Tate began his jazz career as a much-celebrated drummer, backing up big names like Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, and Quincy Jones. Tate traded in his skins for a microphone, and now employs his baritone to deliver smooth and soulful vocals. With pianist John di Martino, Tate sings “Everybody Loves My Baby” and “All Blues.”
May 27
Barbara Carroll
Pianist and singer Barbara Carroll was one of McPartland’s very first guests on Piano Jazz. On this return appearance from 2009, Carroll reminisces with her good friend about their experiences at New York’s Hickory House and the Oak Room. Carroll gives a charmed performance of “Very Early” and McPartland improvises a musical portrait of her guest.
June 3
Béla Fleck
With his Flecktones, Béla Fleck has expanded the banjo repertoire far beyond bluegrass and folk music, and is a regular collaborator with jazz players including Chick Corea,
Stanley Clarke, and Jean-Luc Ponty. On this session Fleck joins McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi for trio renditions of “In Walked Bud,” “All The Things You Are,” and “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”
June 10
Clare Fischer
Piano Jazz remembers composer, arranger and pianist Clare Fischer. In a long career, the Grammy-winning arranger worked with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Paul McCartney, and Prince. On this 2001 session, Fischer performs “Isfahan” and “Bloodcount,” and McPartland performs his “Pensativa.”
June 17
Janis Siegel
Singer Janis Siegel is one quarter of the jazz super-group, The Manhattan Transfer. Throughout the thirty years spent with this musical institution, she’s also released her own recordings featuring hip, seductive arrangements of standards as well as newer works. She visits Piano Jazz along with pianist and accordion player Gil Goldstein to perform Tad Dameron’s “Whatever Possessed Me” and Annie Lennox’s “A Thousand Beautiful Things.”
June 24
Arturo Sandoval
Trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval is one of Cuba’s best know musical exports. He’s won multiple Grammys, including one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2013, and his life inspired the film For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, starring Andy García. On this week’s program Sandoval performs his original tunes “Surena” and “Romantico” as well as Johnny Green’s
“Body and Soul.”
July 1
Tony DeSare
Vocalist/pianist Tony DeSare got his big break playing the lead in the Off-Broadway musical Our Sinatra and has been a pillar of retro cool ever since. But he also performs original music along with sets of beloved standards. This week, DeSare sings and plays his deliciously romantic original, “How I Will Say I Love You,” and McPartland backs him on “Memories of You.”
July 2
Ron Carter
Ron Carter has set the standard for modern jazz bass players. He rose to fame with Miles Davis and went on to work with Stan Getz and Thelonious Monk, among others. His work spans 2000 albums and success as a bandleader, composer and educator. He joins McPartland for a set including two Oscar Pettiford tunes – “Bohemia After Dark” and “Blues in the Closet.”
July 9
Remembering John Bunch
Pianist John Bunch learned to arrange for big bands while held captive in a German POW camp. After WW II he worked with Woody Herman and Benny Goodman, and was Tony Bennett’s pianist for a number of years. Piano Jazz remembers Bunch with this 1991 session, as he performs “Something to Live For,” and duets with McPartland on “What Is This Thing Called Love?”
July 16
Lalo Schifrin
Composer, arranger, conductor and pianist Lalo Schifrin has authored some of the most famous music in film and TV history. His works include the original Mission: Impossible theme and the scores to Cool Hand Luke and the Dirty Harry films. Schifrin performs his tune, “Down Here On The Ground,” and joins McPartland for a duet of “Woody’n You.”
July 23
Dick Hyman
Piano Jazz celebrated its 30th anniversary with a return visit from pianist, composer and arranger Dick Hyman, who first appeared on season one of the show in 1979. Always the fleet-fingered pianist and versatile musician, Hyman performsGershwin, Jobim and a James P. Johnson rag before winding up the hour with McPartland on an improvised blues tune.
July 30
Boz Scaggs
Singer/songwriter Boz Scaggs was a member of the original incarnation of The Steve Miller Band. On the success of their first two albums he launched a solo career that spawned 14 albums and earned him a Grammy. Scaggs has explored jazz elements in the past decade and
August 6
Jimmy Heath
Saxophonist, composer and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath is the middle child of the illustrious jazz family, the Heath Brothers. A bebop player and big band leader, Heath also performed with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane. In 2001, Heath joined McPartland and bassist Rufus Reid for an hour of unforgettable talk and music including “You’ve Changed” and Jimmy’s most famous tune, “Gingerbread Boy.”
August 13
Lee Konitz
Alto sax player and composer Lee Konitz is an icon of the cool jazz school. He played with Claude Thornhill’s influential orchestra and was in the studio for Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool sessions. Konitz continues to hone his craft after seven decades on the band stand. On this Piano Jazz, Konitz and McPartland present a master class in the art of the standard, including performances of “All The Things You Are” and “Stella By Starlight.”
August 20
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron is one of the most highly regarded players of his generation. Playing
professionally since the age of 15, Barron has worked with some of the jazz world’s best, including Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Henderson, and Roy Haynes. On this Piano Jazz he performs his original tune, “Clouds,” and pairs with McPartland for “How Deep is The Ocean?”
August 27
Dave Douglas
Composer, trumpeter, and improviser Dave Douglas has a style that transcends the
boundaries of traditional jazz. This approach has led to albums of experimental music both on his own and as a member of John Zorn’s band. On this Piano Jazz, Douglas and McPartland, joined by bassist James Genus, show their mutual love for Mary Lou Williams’ music on “Scratchin’ In The Gravel” and “Cloudy.”
September 3
Chuck Mangione
Flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione is widely known for the crossover success of his
catchy mid-1970s tunes. But his jazz credentials are rock solid – his mentor Dizzy
Gillespie once recommended him for a spot in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Mangione and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi team with McPartland for some dynamic trio work, including his famous tune, “Feels So Good,” and a few beloved standards.
Rosemary Clooney
Piano Jazz pays tribute to one of America’s most beloved entertainers: the late vocalist Rosemary Clooney. On this program from 1992, Clooney reminisces about the long arc of her singing career, and lends her rich, smooth voice to “Our Love Is Here To Stay” and the challenging “Lush Life.”
September 17
Kate McGarry
Singer/songwriter Kate McGarry has travelled many musical paths - from Celtic to swing and various genres in between. Her dynamic voice can be sweet, soulful orswinging, giving her the freedom to chart her own musical course. With pianist and accordion player Gary Versace, McGarry performs “Heather on the Hill,” and McPartland joins in on Cole Porter’s “I Love You.”
September 24
Eliane Elias
Brazilian pianist/singer Eliane Elias is one of the most original and popular artists on the jazz scene. Widely recognized as one of the preeminent interpreters of Brazilian icon Antonio Carlos Jobim, Elias has also explored the works of Bill Evans and Chet Baker. On this session she performs an Evans tune, “Here Is Something for You,” for which she has written a lyric, and McPartland gives her own Evans tribute on “B Minor Waltz.”