Courtesy of Marian McPartland





Concord Jazz






Concord Jazz

A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MARIAN MCPARTLAND


There is a long distance commercial that's been running on the television (I won't plug the carrier) with Marian McPartland calling Eric Reed or vice versa (it isn't very clear). Pretty neat to be called on by McPartland, the first lady of jazz piano, but that commercial is what in essence this Fireside is, an up close and personal look at McPartland, unedited and in her own words.


FRED JUNG: How long have you been hosting the Piano Jazz program?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Almost twenty-five years.


FJ: Any favorites?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: More than one. It is pretty hard to nail that down, Fred. Being a jazz show, like every one of them has their own special personality and way of doing things. People might all play the same tune and every one of them would be different, but of course, I would have to say that my favorite of all would be Bill Evans.


FJ: What struck a chord with you about Evans? Pardon the pun.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: (Laughing) Making puns. I don't know what to say. It seems like I've always known Bill Evans, ever since I was doing my gig at the Hickory House. He was at the Village Vanguard. He finished later than we did and I used to go down almost every night and catch his last set. We became friends and it is just his harmonic ideas, I think, and of course, everything about him. He had a wonderful rhythmic sense and when he did the show with me, he described all the things that I wanted to ask him about his playing and how he would turn the beat around in what he called displacing the rhythm and he just was such a wonderful guest in explaining everything that he did. He was like that. It is pretty hard to say what I liked about him because I liked everything about him. The guy was a genius. I loved him. It was great to have him for a friend too. It was one of the great things in my life to have him do my radio show. I think that particular show has turned up all over the world. Everyone seems to have it. Then of course, there are others. There's Oscar Peterson or Mary Lou Williams. I could make a long list. It is really hard to pick out one at random. Then we'd get into having not only piano players. We had Gary Burton. We had Dizzy Gillespie and then we said, why shouldn't we have singers and so we had Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett and Joe Williams. It didn't matter that they didn't play because I was playing and then I got to accompany them. It seems now that we've had something of everything, singers and vibe players. We even had the banjo player from Woody Allen's band, a wonderful girl banjo player.

FJ: Let's not forget Willie Nelson.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Yes, and it is funny because actually, I don't know if you know his guitar player, Jackie King and I was working. Are you in California, Fred?

FJ: Yes.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Well, I was working at Yoshi's in Oakland and Jackie came in. This was more than a year ago and he is a fan of mine, I guess. So I asked him if we could get Willie Nelson on Piano Jazz and so Jackie was really the one who really engineered that and I don't think Willie knew too much about me if anything. When he came in and did the show, he was very enthusiastic. He invited me to go and sit in with his band when he was appearing here in town, which I did with great delight. I just had a ball doing that. I think if they asked me again, they have a date at the Beacon Theater in the fall and would I come and sit in and I probably will. To do something like that is really a kick for me.

FJ: Concord has released more than 30 Piano Jazz titles.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Yes, they have. As a matter of fact, they just put out four. They started redoing new artwork because we have a whole lot of them out already, but then they just started putting out more. Actually, they redid the artwork from the Bill Evans show, so that just came out with a renewed Oscar Peterson. Then two new shows, Chick Corea and actually not a new show, but one that has never been put out before, one we did with Carmen McRae a few years ago and so the four of them are out now. They just came out.


FJ: Peterson has certainly returned to form.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: I have had him twice. I had him years ago and that was the one that was put out onto CD. Then we had him again fairly recently after he had had the stroke and I remember I asked him if he wanted to have a bass player and he said no. He really has regained pretty much all of his strength that he had before. That show too is a very good one. Of course, I enjoyed the first one more, I think because he was working in Chicago at a club and I had just finished and I spent the weekend listening to him play so that I would really have myself together. We actually did the show in an afternoon in the club when it was empty and deserted. They brought in a piano for him and we had the place to ourselves. It's really a very good show and of course, Oscar is so funny. He's got such a great sense of humor. I've enjoyed it. I've actually enjoyed all the shows that I've done to one degree or another. We just had Steely Dan on the show a couple of weeks ago. That was a kick for me because I've been such a fan and found out that they were a fan of Piano Jazz and so it was a mutually interesting afternoon. We had this young girl singer Norah Jones and she's just delightful.


FJ: You've been with Concord a long time.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: I know. It's been wonderful. Of course, I started with them when the company was owned by Carl Jefferson. I thought he was wonderful. He was a bit prickly to get along with at times, but he was really wonderful to me. In fact, he pretty much started the Jazz Alliance label for me to put out my Piano Jazz. It was his idea. He really did a lot for me. We had a lot of arguments, but he always gave into me somehow. I remember that I wanted to do a record of Mary Lou Williams' music and he said, "Oh, nobody knows her. What do you want to do that for?" However, finally, I did do it and it turned out to be a very good album. Then I wanted to do a record of Benny Carter's music and he thought that that would be too expensive (laughing). We finally did that one too. But it has been great. After all the new people took over, they've been very good to me. I think I've probably made four or five records since Glen Barros took over, maybe more than that. I'm not sure. There really are a lot of records out on Concord. I'm amazed that it is coming up to be twenty-five years and it is close to being twenty-five years for Piano Jazz. So I think we're going to try to put together some kind of event for next year. We're in the middle of trying to find some more people to put out like Gerry Mulligan would be good, Mel Torme, George Shearing. I was considering approaching Tony Bennett and asking him if he would let us put his show out because it was a really nice, lovely show.


FJ: You recorded for his label.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: I did. We are really good friends. He has already told me that he would do another Piano Jazz show next year. It was him and Bill, who ran the Jazz Room in a hotel. He and Tony hooked up for this record company called Improv and I did make a record for Tony. To tell you the truth, Fred, I have forgotten about it. It was a whole bunch of us, Tony and myself and my husband, Jimmy and my bass player, Brian Torff. It was quite a collection. I don't know where that album is now. The record company got broken up because Bill and Tony had a parting of the ways and then Bill died so I guess the record company is sort of in limbo. They recorded one with me and my trio and one with Earl Hines and then they did another one with my husband Jimmy and his group. I forget who was in the group. There was about five albums. I think that was all they got out before they sort of broke up the record company.


FJ: Since we last talked, you released The Single Petal of a Rose album.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Yes, I really enjoyed doing that. That was done in front of a live audience in this wonderful little room in somebody's house. The actual place is called Maybeck Hall, but the part of the house belonged to a guy and I think Concord's done about fifty records in that room. When the new guy bought the house, nothing happened and I think The Single Petal of a Rose was the first one that he did after opening the room again to have concerts.


FJ: What is the essence of Duke Ellington?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: That's another hard one. He was just a brilliant man and such a brilliant musician in every sense of the word and from the sacred music to the big orchestral pieces, down to things with the small groups, Duke was very good to me. He was sort of like a mentor in a way. He used to come into the Hickory House all the time because his press agent was also the press agent for the Hickory House. He would come there and have dinner whenever he was in town and once and a while, he would get up and I would invite him to play with my trio and he would always oblige. Whenever he was playing at Birdland or somewhere, I would go in and he would always ask me to sit in. I must have sat in with the band dozens of times, always had a wonderful time. I have played a lot of his music over the years. There is always more. People keep discovering new things, new pieces. You could record Duke Ellington forever and never have it all down. He did a record once I remember, he made this recording called Money Jungle with Max Roach and Charlie Mingus. In fact, there is a wonderful tune on there that I've been playing called "Wig Wise" from that particular record. I guess it took them a while to do the session, a couple of days. He used to come in and tell me how Max and Charlie were getting the best of him and how he really had to fight to stop them from taking over. He was sort of kidding, but I know they were really trying hard to do just that, to sort of take over. It is funny. I just happened to pull that record out. I guess it is because I am thinking of trying to do, well, I'm going to do a show about Mingus and have Sue Mingus as a guest and use the bass player that they're currently using with the big band. I think I do know enough of his music to play some and talk about him. I think that will be an interesting show. It is going to take a little bit of work. I get these ideas and then I think why because it will mean a lot of work for me. I am going to have to really get into, in fact, I pulled out about six of his records to listen to and see what I can play besides "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." I know I can play that. I will have to have at least eight tunes. But I think it will be a very interesting project. Sue is looking forward to it. Some of his material is hard to figure out which ones would be good with just piano and bass and drums. But somebody told me that he made a solo piano album.


FJ: On Impulse.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: I wonder how I can get it. I have about ten people that are looking for it for me. I think that will give me a lot of ideas for some more tunes I can play. I will have to try and get it through the internet.


FJ: He also did a trio record with Hampton Hawes and Danny Richmond called Mingus Three.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Now, that I didn't know. Did he? Well, I wonder where that is. Maybe, I haven't talked to Sue about this, but she will probably know where that is or maybe she has it. Wait a minute, Fred. Hampton Hawes, I am going to write this down. I will have to find that record somewhere. I got to play with him just once in this jam session. He was at Bradley's here in New York and I forget who was playing there at the time. I guess he must have been coming from a gig because he had his bass and he must have asked me to play because I don't think I would have had the nerve to get up there otherwise. I remember we played and he had such choice notes on the bass that I will never forget it.


FJ: And the Live at Shanghai Jazz record?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Well, that was sort of a happening because who would ever think that we would record in a Chinese restaurant. I started going there just sort of to humor Joe Morello, who lived close by. He called me up one day and said that I had to come over and play in this place. He had been playing there. The owner and his wife are such dedicated jazz fans, I can see how the place had to be turned into a jazz club. In fact, they went to the extent of taking out two tables and buying a grand piano. So many jazz people have played there. Every night they have a different group or maybe they'll have somebody for two nights. I booked this date with Joe and Rufus Reid and we recorded for the two days that I was there and picked out the best tunes. Joe and I don't play much together anymore. He was with me before he went with Dave Brubeck. He was with me for about three years at the Hickory House. It was more or less his first real gig when he came down from Springfield, Mass. I had another guy on drums and Joe sat in and I was just flabbergasted at how wonderful he was. Anyway, I had a chance to hire him and he worked with me and we've always been close. Of course, the last few years, he hasn't done much performing. He's been teaching and is known as the real teaching guru of the world. People are always saying, "Are you still playing?" As if I am too old to play. There is a whole group of musicians in their eighties. George Shearing for one.

FJ: This country equates age with slowing down.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Oh, I know. Somebody had the nerve to say to Ellington, "When are you going to retire?" Can you imagine anybody being so rude? Retire from what? People say that to me too. They do equate age with slowing down. I haven't slowed down. Somebody asked Woody Herman that and he had the whole year booked and said, "I have slowed down (laughing)." It is so worthwhile to be doing something you like and people enjoy it and it means you have to get up and get out and be busy. It is so much fun than just laying around.


FJ: Having done a fair share of interviews, I am cursed with an adequate knowledge of the challenges surrounding human contact, but never having played an instrument in any serious manner, I am curious what you find more stimulating, the broadcasting or performing?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Well, of course, it is an entirely different thing because when you're playing with the trio, you're doing a performance, either for recording or mostly for an audience at a concert. That is one thing, but when you're sitting in a studio with one person that you probably know. I mean, I think I know personally most of the guests that I've had on. If I didn't know them before than I get to know them right afterwards. I'd never met Willie, but that didn't matter. It was just as if we were old friends. But I would never think of it as having any rigor. It is usually very relaxing because first of all, it is mostly improvised. All we really do is get together a bunch of tunes that we both know and occasionally, I will talk to the guests a day or two before the show, but usually we just come there and write down a list of tunes. I have all my questions written down on a piece of paper. It doesn't always follow. The questions I ask aren't going to work. A lot of times, the guests will be very valuable and go off in a tangent and talk about something I wasn't expecting. It is all improvised, so I'm really ready for whatever direction it might go in. And of course, we're not live and so we can stop the tape at any point, which we do quite often because somebody might make a mistake or want to do a tune over again or it's some reason for stopping. It usually does take about, at the least, a couple of hours to do a one hour show.


FJ: Anyone catch you off guard?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Oh, a lot of time, Fred (laughing). Were you familiar with Dorothy Donegan?


FJ: The pianist.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Well, she is dead now. I think she past away last year. Anyway, she was known as this very strong, aggressive, outspoken, domineering kind of a person and I had her on the show and it seemed like when we were playing a duet, every part of the piano that I would play to try to get away from her, she would go there and I was really trying to make it sound as good as I could. Anyway, we took a break and I went into the bathroom and said to myself to shape up. I think I took an aspirin. "Don't let this woman take over the show," I said to myself. It worked out very well. I mean, it was fine, but then at the end, I said to her, "Dorothy, it's OK. You win." She says, "Oh, no contest." (Laughing) So that was Dorothy. And she meant it. She really thought I was a weakling and that she was much better than me in every way. I really don't think she's better than me in every way, but she has a lot of things about her that I can't do, fantastic technique and up tempos. She had her own style. That might be one of the hardest artists I had. Then there is a guy you probably know out there in California, Denny Zeitlin. When we were playing together, it was like a tidal wave washing over me and again, I am thinking to myself to, "Come on, hang in there. Don't get lost." And I never did, but the moment was there. I was thinking that this guy was going to overwhelm me and being that he's also a psychiatrist, I told him, "You better give me a session." We had a lot of fun. He's been on the show twice.


FJ: How many shows do air a year?

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: You know, Fred, I'm not sure. I think about twenty-five. We usually do two or three a month. Now, this month, we're only doing one because it is kind of a special event. We're doing a live show at Tanglewood (Massachusetts). I think it might be something that they've never had before. They've had some of the greatest orchestras and the greatest instrumentalists anywhere in the world. I don't think they've had anything quite like this. This is going to be me and a very fine piano player you probably know, Roland Hanna.


FJ: Sir Roland Hanna.

MARIAN MCPARTLAND: Sir Roland Hanna, right. We're going to do it at three o'clock in the afternoon on August 31. So I just pray that it doesn't rain because Tanglewood is sort of half in doors and most of it is outdoors. It's gorgeous. Last time I played there, it was with my trio. Anyway, this will be a great experience. I'm really looking forward to it.


Fred Jung is the Editor-In-Chief and does chicken right. Comments? Email Him