RIP Marian McPartland (95)

[mhschmieder]

She lived a good long life and remained energetic and focused up to the end.

I had the pleasure of meeting her twice. Once at Age 14, when she signed her autograph on one of her albums, with a personalized message at a Cambridge MA concert (it was my birthday). Then again in Oakland CA at a concert, when I was in my late 40's. Would you believe she did a double take and recognized me, remembering the specifics of the conversation we had had over 30 years prior?

Well, I tell that story because it illuminates what type of person she was, even beyond her magnificent Piano Jazz program on NPR. Considering the struggles she had in being accepted as a woman in the then-all-male world of jazz, it is even more remarkable how unselfish she was once she achieved success. Rather than jealously hold onto it, she was eager to share with as many others as she could. And she always approached her impromptu joint improvisations on her program from the point of view of the other person.

If I had chosen a different path in life and had made music performance my primary vs. secondary vocation, there is nothing I would have wanted more than to be on her program and have the chance to experience that magic.

[Prime Mover]

Wow! I didn't even know she was still alive tbh! I saw her about 15 years ago or so in concert, she was about 80 and she absolutely rocked the place! Funny, she had these younger guys playing with her and they had to help her on and off the stage, but once she sat down she lost like 50 years! She really looked like a sweet old grandma, but she had a real sarcastic whit and casual demeanor you don't usually see in people that age. One of the best jazz performances I've seen in my time.

Speaking of which, this year Bela Fleck and Chick Corea are touring together and they're coming up to Fairbanks! Bela WAS the greatest performance I've ever seen, and I love Chick Corea, so I'm pretty excited.

But I digress. Marian did so much for jazz, and introduced generations of audiences to the very best, along with being one of the greats in her own right. Her life will be celebrated.