Piano Jazz Shorts

Clint Eastwood is best known for his Hollywood work, but he's also a composer and a true jazz aficionado. Eastwood discusses his love for the music of Errol Garner and reminisces about seeing Charlie Parker perform live. McPartland gives beautiful treatments of Eastwood's own tunes, "Claudia's Theme" and "Doe Eyes,"for an intriguing hour with one of the most talented artists of our time.

Pianist Rachel Z trained at the New England Conservatory before beginning her professional career as a performer with the likes of Al DiMeola, Larry Coryell, and the fusion band Steps Ahead. She also worked with saxophonist Wayne Shorter on his Grammy winning comeback album, High Life. This week Rachel Z performs originals, including “Gently Sleeps the Pear Tree" and "Artemisia," and duets with McPartland on "Autumn Leaves."

Howard Alden has been hailed by critics as 'the most impressive and creative member of a new generation of jazz guitarists." His superb solo and accompaniment skills have led to work with legends including Red Norvo, Woody Herman, and guitarist George Van Eps (his mentor). This week Alden demonstrates his harmonic and melodic mastery of the seven-string guitar with a glowing version of "Single Petal of a Rose."

Havana-born saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera began as somewhat of a child prodigy. Today his international style moves from bebop to Latin to Mozart. D'Rivera and bassist David Fink join McPartland for "Birk's Works," in honor of composer Dizzy Gillespie, and perform "A Night in Englewood."

Guitarist Walter Becker and singer/pianist Donald Fagen are the duo at the core of the jazz-influencedrock band, Steely Dan. They grew up listening to Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parkerand Duke Ellington. Since the late 1960s they have been continually honing their integration of jazzand rock. The pair performs Steely Dan hits "Josie" and "Chain Lightning" as well as standards "MoodIndigo" and "Hesitation Blues."

Pianist Mulgrew Miller began his career with the Mercer Ellington Band, and his sensitivity and stridevirtuosity kept him busy throughout his career. His post-bop flair was rooted in the Delta Blues. On thisPiano Jazz appearance from 2003, Miller shows his compositional prowess on “Carousel,” and he andMcPartland trade licks on Duke Ellington's "What Am I Here For?"

Our celebration of Women’s History Month concludes with one of the preeminent jazz singers of our time, Dianne Reeves. She continues the legacies of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan, and has won three consecutive Grammies for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. On this Piano Jazz, host McPartland accompanies Reeves on “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” and “Million Dollar Secret.”

Nadine Jansen is a multi-talented musician - masterful horn player, skilled singer and pianist.  She formed her musical identity in Vaudeville and played with the likes of Skitch Henderson and The Clooney Sisters.  Jansen shares stories from the bandstand and performs on both piano and flugelhorn, playing “Nadine’s Blues.”

Virtuoso pianist and master composer Joanne Brackeen has been called "the Picasso of jazz piano." In her hands, the history of jazz is created and recreated as she floats seamlessly between traditional jazz and free play. Like McPartland, Brackeen has been a trailblazer for women in jazz. On this 2006 episode, the two friends get together on McPartland's "Ambiance" and John Coltrane's "Giant Steps."

In honor of Women's History Month Piano Jazz presents a session with pioneering pianist Mary Lou Williams, who would have been 103 this year. On this session from the very first Piano Jazz season Williams proves a tough nut for McPartland to crack, but warms up enough to play a duet and she even sings on "Rosa Mae." Other tunes include “Caravan,” and Williams’ "Scratchin' in the Gravel."

Alice Coltrane, the wife of jazz giant John Coltrane, performed with her husband’s band in his final years. She is also one of the few jazz harpists and a composer in her own right. On this 1982 Piano Jazz, Alice Coltrane performs her original tunes “Transfiguration” and “One for the Father” and joins McPartland for “Giant Steps.”

Saxophonist John "Johnny" Dankworth was one of the most celebrated jazz musicians and bandleaders of his native Great Britain. He performed with Charlie Parker during the Bop era, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. Piano Jazz remembers Dankworth, who passed away in 2010, on this program from 1998 recorded before a live audience at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Dankworth joins vocalist and wife Cleo Laine along with host McPartland for "I Can’t Give You Anything But Love" and "Fine and Mellow."

Pianist Cedar Walton rode high on the cresting wave of ’60s Hard Bop. He performed with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and in Lee Morgan’s band and was house pianist at Prestige Records. Walton passed away in August 2013. On this 1980 session, he performs his tune “N.P.S.” and duets with McPartland on “Lover Man.”

Pianist Herbie Hancock is an innovator whose ideas continue to push boundaries and transcend musical genres. His work has earned him fourteen Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Collaboration for the 2011 album Imagine. Hancock solos on his own tune "Dolphin Dance" and joins McPartland for a duet take on "That Old Black Magic."

Widely admired as a gifted and innovative player, jazz guitarist Jim Hall continued his career spanning more than five decades until a brief illness ended his life on December 10, 2013 at age 83. Hall had recently entered a new creative space, writing and arranging choral and orchestral compositions, all the while continuing to record and perform in a variety of settings. The 2004 NEA Jazz Master inductee teams up with McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi for "Blue Monk" and solos on "All the Things You Are."