I Wrote a Saxophone Etude in Honor of Piano Virtuoso Mrs. Marian McPartland.

Mrs. Marian McPartland was born in Windsor, England on March 20, 1918. She hosted Piano Jazz, the longest running show on National Public Radio (NPR), from 1978 to 2011. Each episode of Piano Jazz featured a prominent guest, and McPartland hosted over 700 episodes. She was an absolute master of the piano, and she could play virtually any jazz standard in any key.

The interview below was absolutely fascinating! Marian talked about her desire to have Stevie Wonder as a guest on Piano Jazz, but she stated that it was virtually impossible to contact Stevie to invite him onto the show. She also talked about the time that saxophone and trumpet master Benny Carter came onto Piano Jazz as a guest. He left his saxophone and trumpet at home, and he JUST played the piano. McPartland discussed the fact that baritone saxophone great Gerry Mulligan was also a very good pianist.

I wrote a saxophone etude in honor of Mrs. McPartland, and I would like to share it with the world for the first time here. Enjoy, and thank you so much for taking some of your very valuable time reading this article!!! The etude is directly below:

Saxtalk.com Saxophone Etude in Honor of Piano Virtuoso Marian McPartland by Rex Djere