For more than twenty years, legendary pianist Marian McPartland has welcomed a stellar line-up of jazz artists for conversation and improvisation on her Peabody Award-winning program. Piano Jazz fans say the show's intimate style is "like listening in on a conversation in someone's living room." And no one but McPartland, with her engaging personality and improvisational savvy, could host such a variety of performers in her radio "living room."

Piano Jazz is a forum for jazz legends and influential performers as well as up-and-coming talents. Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, Max Roach, Cassandra Wilson and Tony Bennett are among the over 400 guests who have joined McPartland to create dynamic duets and discuss their lives and music.

Tune into this graceful series each week and enjoy what The Washington Post calls "an oasis of intelligence and grace and probably the best hour of jazz on the airwaves."

 

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October 2 - Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilson has had a brilliant career as a singer/song stylist, recording over 60 albums and moving effortlessly between jazz, pop, and R&B. Wilson has also appeared on numerous television programs, including an Emmy award-winning variety show. Most recently, Wilson hosted NPR's Jazz Profiles. She joins McPartland to swap stories and sing songs, including "Easy Living" and "The Nearness of You."

October 9 - Marian McPartland's 90th Birthday Concert Set I

Marian McPartland celebrates her 90th birthday in style with a special concert from Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Some of the biggest stars in the jazz universe pay tribute to McPartland, and the birthday girl gets everything she wants, performing duets with singer Norah Jones, violinist Regina Carter and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt.

October 16 - Marian McPartland's 90th Birthday Concert Set II

Marian McPartland's 90th birthday celebration continues with more one-of-a-kind performances from a special concert at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Pianists Jason Moran and Bill Charlap both perform McPartland originals and the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, joins McPartland for a rousing version of "All The Things You Are."

October 23 - Eliane Elias

Brazilian-born pianist and singer Eliane Elias is one of the most original and popular artists on the jazz scene today. Widely recognized as one of the preeminent interpreters of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Elias has lately begun exploring the works of Bill Evans. She plays and sings a previously unreleased Evans tune for which she has written a lyric, and McPartland gives her own Evans tribute on "B Minor Waltz."

October 30 - Ron Carter

Ron Carter has set the standard for modern jazz bass players. He rose to fame with Miles Davis, but went on to play with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Thelonious Monk. His recording work spans 2000 albums and he's had equally successful careers as a bandleader, composer and educator. He joins McPartland for standards and pair of Oscar Pettiford tunes -- "Bohemia After Dark" and "Blues in the Closet."

November 6 - Paul Winter

Saxophonist and band leader Paul Winter has created his own unique style of environmentally conscious music. The natural world is not only an inspiration, it has at times been a collaborator in his music. Winter talks about playing with humpback whales and his legendary recording expeditions to the Grand Canyon. With his pianist Paul Sullivan, Winter performs his tune "Sun Singer" and then joins McPartland and her trio on "Summertime."

November 13 - Tardo Hammer

Pianist Tardo Hammer is a marvelous bebop player and a sought-after sideman, with experiences backing such luminaries as Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, and Abbey Lincoln. When he's not playing festivals and club dates around the world with his trio, he's active as a jazz educator currently on faculty at the New School. An expert interpreter of the music of Tad Dameron, Hammer plays "Smooth as the Wind" and "Dial B for Beauty," and joins McPartland on "Good Bait."

November 20 - Mimi Fox

Guitarist Mimi Fox is a rising star, invigorating the jazz guitar tradition. With an amazing set of chops and a crystal pure tone, Fox cooks whether playing bebop or ballads. Her compositional abilities are evident as she plays her tune "Perpetually Hip." With McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, Fox tears up the fretboard on "What Is This Thing Called Love?"

November 27 - Geri Allen

Detroit-born pianist, composer and educator Geri Allen is a musician of great depth and creativity. In addition to her teaching duties at the University of Michigan, she's been awarded with a Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition. Her award-winning compositional skills are on display as she plays her own tune "Avatar," and she gets together with McPartland on Monk's "Well You Needn't."

December 4 - Grace Kelly

Sixteen-year-old jazz phenom Grace Kelly began making waves in the Boston area with her sax playing before she was even a teenager. Since then, she's played with a host of jazz legends, including Phil Woods, who beknighted her with his trademark leather cap. As if her early sax stardom weren't enough, Kelly has recently begun singing as well. She'll display her vocal acumen on "East of The Sun" before showing off her sax skills on "Round Midnight."

December 11 - Sam Reider

Piano Jazz introduces another amazing young jazz pianist -- Sam Reider. Though he's still a student at Columbia University, the San Francisco native has already released an album with his group, Uptown Trio, and recently wrapped up a tour of the West Coast. Reider performs his composition "Tatiana" before joining McPartland for a duet of Ellington's "Warm Valley."

December 18 - Rebecca Parris

Boston-based singer Rebecca Parris has won fans and critical praise for her impeccable phrasing and classic sense of swing. Her rich and sultry voice has spawned comparisons to Rosemary Clooney and Dinah Washington, but Parris's sound is very much her own. She brings her pianist Brad Hatfield to perform "Weaver of Dreams," and McPartland joins in on "Alone Together."

December 25 - John Harmon

John Harmon is an enthralling jazz pianist, a tireless educator, and a widely commissioned composer. A diverse musician, Harmon explored the realms of fusion with the nonet, Matrix, but he's also created classical chamber works. In both his playing and his compositions, Harmon draws on his love of the outdoors and Native American traditions as you'll hear when he performs his composition "Taos Pueblo."

January 1 - Dick Sudhalter on Bix Beiderbecke

Cornetist and jazz scholar Dick Sudhalter is McPartland's guest for an examination of the important but often overlooked cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. Beiderbecke had a very short career in the '20s, but he influenced a wide spectrum of artists, from Hoagy Carmichael to Miles Davis. McPartland plays Beiderbecke's most famous piano composition "In A Mist," before getting together with Sudhalter on "Davenport Blues."