[Dixielandjazz] Marian McPartland retires as host of NPR's "Piano Jazz".

[Stephen G Barbone]

NOVEMBER 10, 2011, 1:48 PM - NY TIMES - BY JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.

Marian McPartland Stepping Away From Keyboard on Her ‘Piano Jazz’  
Radio Show


4:06 p.m. | Updated Marian McPartland, the jazz pianist, is stepping  
down as the host of the “Piano Jazz” after more than three decades on  
the air, said a spokeswoman for NPR, Anna Christopher.
Ms. McPartland, who is 93 years old, will stay on as the artistic  
director of the show, which she began hosting in April 1979, Ms.  
Christopher said. She has not recorded a new show since September  
2010, and the producers have been making new episodes with a guest  
hosts, among them Elvis Costello, Jon Weber and Bill Charlap. NPR  
stations have also been re-running shows from Ms. McPartland’s vast  
catalogue.
For now, the baton will be passed to Mr. Weber, a jazz pianist from  
Chicago. He has recorded 13 new shows which will begin airing in the  
first week of January. Mr. Weber’s program will no longer be called  
“Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz,” but will be re-titled “Piano Jazz  
Rising Stars.” The format will remain the same, however. Mr. Weber  
will perform duets with guests and then interview them, just as Ms.  
McPartland has done with aplomb for years.
“Nobody is more surprised than me. I figure I’ve got some big Size 12s  
to fill,” Mr. Weber told the Chicago Tribune.
Ms. Christopher said a final decision has not been made on who will  
host the show after Mr. Weber’s initial series has finished airing.
A respected jazz keyboardist, Ms. McPartland built her public radio  
show into an influential institution in American jazz not only with  
her clear, fluid musical style, but with her engaging interview  
techniques. The show is broadcast on more than 204 stations across the  
country. Mr. Weber, who has been a guest host on the show, plans to  
shift the focus of the program to showcase young, emerging musicians.