Piano Jazz Shorts

Rio Clemente was born Rosario Clemente in Morristown, New Jersey. Known as the "Bishop of Jazz," he was educated at the Juilliard School of Music. His training in classical music paved the way for his vibrant career in jazz, playing with the likes of Bucky Pizzarelli, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, and Bobby Hackett, with whom he toured. On this 2004 Piano Jazz, Clemente performs his own composition "Allegria" and joins McPartland for "All the Things You Are."

Willie Ruff is a master of the bass and the French horn, which he reveals as a singularly beautiful jazz instrument. Trained as a classical musician, he studied with Paul Hindemith at the Yale School of Music and signed as first horn with the Tel Aviv Symphony. He went on to team up with pianist Dwike Mitchell, forming the Mitchell-Ruff duo and performing worldwide. In this 1991 Piano Jazz session, Ruff plays horn on "Prelude to a Kiss" and bass on "There is No Greater Love."

Vocalist Tierney Sutton is one of the hottest jazz artists working today. A six-time Grammy nominee, her album After Blue was nominated for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" in 2015. When Sutton came on Piano Jazz in 2004, she had just released her album Dancing in the Dark, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, which debuted in the Billboard Top Ten. With her accompanist Christian Jacobs, Sutton performs a set of standards, and she and McPartland team up to perform "Last Night When We Were Young."

Pianist Dwike Mitchell (1930 – 2013) joined bassist and French horn soloist Willie Ruff in 1955 to form the Mitchell-Ruff duo, which created a stir in New York nightclubs and across the globe as they gained recognition for their elegant sound. On this 1990 Piano Jazz, Mitchell demonstrates his formidable technique, touch, and feeling on "Lush Life." McPartland and Mitchell form their own duo to play "Don't Worry About Me."

Gerry Mulligan (1927 – 1996) was best known as a baritone saxophonist. He was pivotal in developing the West Coast jazz sound and was featured in big bands for years. He also composed and performed symphonic music and played piano. In this Piano Jazz session from 1987, Mulligan performs his original compositions "Ontet" and "Good Neighbor Thelonious." He and McPartland wrap up the program with a duet of "Blues Angst."

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Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez worked with Dizzy Gillespie and his United Nations Orchestra, where he absorbed bebop and prebop styles. But Dizzy also impressed upon him the importance of getting to the roots of his own heritage, and Perez began creating music that seeks connection and defies boundaries. In this Piano Jazz session from 1994, he demonstrates his fresh ideas of music with his original composition “Reminiscing.”

Five-time Grammy Award-winner Gary Burton taught himself to play the vibraphone as a young person and began his recording career at age seventeen. He backed jazz greats, including George Shearing and Stan Getz, and went on to form his own quartet, combining jazz, rock, and other influences into what would become Fusion. On this Piano Jazz from 2005, Burton and McPartland perform tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Duke Ellington, Rodgers & Hart, and many more.

Cyrus Chestnut is a conservatory-trained pianist who is firmly grounded in jazz history, all the way back to Jelly Roll Morton. He’s also played with many of today’s best interpreters—Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, and Betty Carter, to name a few.  On this 2003 Piano Jazz, he joins McPartland for a swinging hour of jazz bursting with spirit.

Longtime bandleader for NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman, Paul Shaffer’s early training was in the classics. But thanks to rock-n-roll, he grew up to lead what David Letterman has called “the world’s most dangerous band.” Also a composer, performer, and director, the versatile Shaffer is indeed a force to be reckoned with. On this 1988 Piano Jazz, he plays the standard “All the Things You Are” and teams up with McPartland for Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.”

Guitarist Mimi Fox is a rising star and a champion of the jazz guitar tradition. With amazing chops and crystal clear tone, Fox is equally at home playing bebop or ballads.  Her compositional skills shine on her tune, "Perpetually Hip," and with McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, Fox tears up the fretboard on "What Is This Thing Called Love?"

Michel Petrucciani (December 28, 1962 – January, 6 1999) was one of the greatest French jazz pianists of all time. Born with a genetic disease, he only stood at three feet, but with hands unaffected by his disease, Petrucciani had an extraordinary talent at the keys. He was only twenty-three when he joined McPartland for Piano Jazz. On this 1987 broadcast, Petrucciani plays his own composition, “The Prayer,” then he and McPartland combine their talents on John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”

British jazz pianist George Shearing (August 13, 1919 – February 14, 2011) was a friend and frequent guest of Marian’s on Piano Jazz. On this special edition from 2001, Shearing joins McPartland to celebrate the holidays in a jazzy way! The two reminisce about seasons gone by and perform both traditional and contemporary holiday tunes, including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Described by Rex Reed as “America’s greatest male singer,” Mel Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999) was one of the most versatile performers of his day. On this Piano Jazz from 1992, Tormé shares how his classic “The Christmas Song” inspired him to put out his own holiday album. He sings and plays “Too Late Now” and “Walking My Baby Back Home” with McPartland joining in