Marian McPartland, the legendary jazz pianist who hosted an NPR program on jazz for over 40 years, has died. She was 95-years-old.
NPR confirmed that she died of natural causes at her Long Island, New York home on Tuesday night. She had been an accomplished jazz pianist herself, which was made obvious during her interviews with nearly everyone in the jazz world for Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz show.
According to the Associated Press, McPartland was born in England and started playing the piano at age 3. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and began touring with a vaudeville act, which “horrified” her parents. But she pressed on and during World War II, she would perform for Allied troops. During that time, she met Jimmy McPartland, a Chicago cornetist who became her husband. He passed away in 1991.
In 1953, she moved to New York and began writing essays that would introduce the jazz world and its players to readers. She started hosting Piano Jazz in 1978, bringing her talents as a jazz insider and pianist to the airways.
Paul de Barros, her biographer, told NPR, “It seemed as if every opportunity that came her way in the past prepared her for being a radio host. She had researched other people's styles, so she had questions that she wanted to ask. All of those skills were in place, and she was ready for the opportunity that came to her.”
