[Dixielandjazz] Marian McPartland

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

She was a marvel. One summer she took over Humphrey Lyttelton's chair at the BBC for one week's show, and said lots of nice things about musicians, including several who were (like Humph) performing in Edinburgh that week. I told some of them what she had been saying about her, Scott Hamilton was almost dewy about the eyes saying how much help he'd had from her. Dave McKenna straightened up and turned into a floodlight pylon, shining with a bright light.
She was the pianist on what turned out to be Lips Page's last recording date, nearly sixty years ago, and at the time, when most of his available recordings were repetitive bluesish things -- not to be confused with the astonishing things for Commodore, or live recordings such as the Bflat Blues with Fats Waller, e.g. -- he was inspired. 

Only last month an American pianist friend was enthusing to me about her, by e-mail. Every recording date at the very least a music lesson for listeners,

bless her indeed,
Robert R. Calder