A pianista ícone do jazz, Marian Turner ( adotou McPartland depois do casamento), nasceu no 20 de março de 1918, na Inglaterra. Ficou famosa com a série semanal "Piano Jazz" de programas radiofonicos apresentados por ela desde 1978 até hoje, através da Rádio Pública Nacional, nos quais foram registradas algumas das performances de grandes nomes do jazz. Várias dessas performances se transformaram em CDs, muito procurados pelos aficionados.
Marian, conheceu o cornetista Jimmy McPartland, de Chicago, durante a II Guerra Mundial na Bélgica, casou-se com ele numa base militar na Alemanha (tocaram no próprio casamento para os convidados) e no final do conflito, foram morar em Chicago com a familia de Jimmy e foi lá que começou a se apresentar em clubes com o marido.
Em 1949 mudaram-se para New York onde Marian formou um trio de jazz que se apresentou no periodo de 1952/1960 no famoso clube de jazz Hickory House. O baterista Joe Morello tocou com ela até ser contratado para trabalhar com o também pianista Dave Brubeck. Depois, o trio ainda tocou no The Ambers, outro local famoso.
Em 1964 começou no radio e em 1978 inaugurou o programa "Marian McPartland Piano Jazz" que está no ar até hoje e pelo qual já passaram grandes nomes do cenário musical jazzistico. É um dos mais antigos programas de jazz, no ar ininterruptamente, do sistema público de rádio dos Estados Unidos.
Em 2008 gravou um novo disco para a Concord, “Twilight World”. Acompanhada por Gary Mazzaroppi (baixo) e Glenn Davis (bateria), nele McPartland apresenta um suave e levemente melancólico programa, que é esperado para uma mulher de sua idade. Isto sugeriria que ela ainda não seria capaz de suingar, entretanto, ela demonstra o contrário nas ágeis performances de "How Deep is the Ocean" e "Afternoon in Paris". Suaves baladas permeiam o set. Os pontos altos incluem a faixa título, que vagamente lembra "On Green Dolphin Street", bem como a sonhadora interpretação solo de "Alfie" de Burt Bacharach.
Marian ganhou um Grammy em 2004 e vários prêmios, durante a sua bem sucedida carreira como radialista e jazzista.
Marian fala de sua vida e música.
Jazz pianist, composer, write and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, Margaret Marian McPartland (née Turner), was born on March 20, 1918 in England.
Marian Turner was a musical prodigy from the time she could sit at the piano, about the age of three who studied classical music, and the violin, in addition to the piano. She pursued classical studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Much to the dismay of her family, she developed a love for American jazz and musicians such as Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, and many others.
In 1938, despite her family's efforts to keep her at Guildhall, Marian left to join Billy Mayerl's Claviers, a four-piano vaudeville act, performing under the stage name of Marian Page. The group toured throughout Europe during World War II, entertaining Allied troops.
While touring with USO shows in Belgium, she met and began performing with Chicago cornetist Jimmy McPartland in 1944. The couple soon married, playing at their own military base wedding in Germany.
After the war, they moved to Chicago to be near Jimmy's family. Then, in 1949, the McPartland's settled in Manhattan living in an apartment in the same building as the Nordstrom Sisters. With Jimmy's help and encouragement, Marian started her own trio which enjoyed a long residency at the New York City jazz nightclub, the Hickory House, during 1952-1960. The drummer Joe Morello was a member of the group until he departed to join Dave Brubeck's Quartet. She also played at The Ambers.
After many years of recording for labels such as Capitol, Savoy, Argo, Sesac, Time, and Dot, in 1969 she founded her own record label, Halcyon Records, before having a long association with the Concord Jazz label.
Marian McPartland interviews Ramsey Lewis on her radio show, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz in 2009
Marian McPartland interviews Ramsey Lewis on her radio show, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz in 2009
In 1964, Marian McPartland launched a new venture on WBAI-FM (New York City), conducting a weekly radio program that featured recordings and interviews with guests. Pacifica Radio's West Coast stations also carried this series, which paved the way for Marian McPartland Piano Jazz, a National Public Radio series that began on June 4, 1978. It is the longest-running cultural program on NPR as well as being the longest-running jazz program ever produced on public radio.
Several programs in the new series, which features McPartland at the keyboard with guest performers (usually pianists), have been released on CD by the Concord Records label. McPartland celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the NPR series with a live taping at the Kennedy Center for which Peter Cincotti was the guest.
Marian was awarded a Grammy in 2004, a Trustees' Lifetime Achievement Award, for her work as an educator, writer, and host of NPR Radio's long-running Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. Although a master at adapting to her guest's musical styles and having a well-known affinity for beautiful and harmonically-rich ballads, she also has recorded many tunes of her own. Her compositions include "Ambiance", "There'll Be Other Times", "With You In Mind", "Twilight World", and "In the Days of Our Love".
Just before her 90th birthday, she composed and performed a symphonic piece, A Portrait of Rachel Carson to mark the centennial of the environmental pioneer.
She was appointed Officer of the Order of the Britsh Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
McPartland's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz standards, highly musical ear, involvement in over 60 years of evolving jazz styles, and rich experience blending with radio guests has led to a musical style that has been described as: "flexible and complex, and almost impossible to pigeonhole".
She is known as a harmonically and rhythmically complex and inventive improviser, she was never content to be in one place, and always kept improving. She has great ears and great harmonics. Because of her ear, she can go into two or three different keys in a tune and shift with no problem.
Reference: All About Jazz
Tradução de Humberto Amorim
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