McPartland, Marian (1918-2013), was a leading jazz piano player noted for her tasteful melodic style and fluent technique. McPartland also became a leading spokesperson for jazz through a syndicated radio program called “Piano Jazz.” In the program, which began in 1979, she interviewed and performed with major jazz musicians and singers. McPartland retired as the host of “Piano Jazz” in 2011 but remained its artistic director.
Margaret Marian Turner was born on March 20, 1918, in Slough, near Windsor, in England. She studied music as a teenager and performed for troops during World War II (1939-1945). She met American jazz musician Jimmy McPartland while playing in Belgium in 1944. They were married in 1946, and she moved to the United States later that year. She formed her own trio and eventually performed from 1952 to 1962 at the Hickory House restaurant in New York City. She later toured with her trio, concentrating on concerts and festivals as well as playing in schools.
McPartland recorded many albums. Several feature her own compositions, such as “So Many Things,“ “Twilight World,” and “With You in Mind” (all 1957); “Ambiance” (about 1970); and “In the Days of Our Love ” (1979). She founded her own record label, Halcyon Records, in 1969. She also performed classical piano compositions. McPartland died on Aug. 20, 2013.
