'Generations In Jazz' Concert On Piano Jazz: Set III

Enlarge Ingrid Hertfelder/Courtesy of the artist

Jonathan Batiste ends this set with "Kindergarten," a modern and hand-clapping take on the Louisiana roots of jazz.

Ingrid Hertfelder/Courtesy of the artist

Jonathan Batiste ends this set with "Kindergarten," a modern and hand-clapping take on the Louisiana roots of jazz.

Piano Jazz wraps up the Generations in Jazz celebration from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center with the final set from this wonderful evening of music, featuring Marian McPartland and friends. Jazz veterans such as Frank Wess, Geri Allen, Mike LeDonne and Jon Weber perform along with some of the young lions of jazz: Jonathan Batiste, Sullivan Fortner, Aaron Diehl, Dominick Farinacci and more.

The set opens with two veterans, McPartland and Weber, as they perform a tender take on Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me." They're followed by a duet of "Honeysuckle Rose" — a tune penned by one of the other founding fathers of jazz, Fats Waller — performed by pianist Aaron Diehl and trumpeter Dominick Farinacci. Diehl plays a few bars of Waller-esque stride and digs into the lower register of the keys as Farinacci's trumpet soars high above the accompaniment.

Roberta Piket takes the stage with bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Glenn Davis for "Alone Alone," her spin on the standard "Alone Together." Piket plays in the best tradition of modern jazz — heady and cerebral, with lush chordal splashes in the spirit of Bill Evans. Jonathan Batiste and Sullivan Fortner follow with a fun version of the theme from The Odd Couple, a film that predates these two fresh, talented players by at least a decade.

Geri Allen steals the evening with her solo performance of Thad Jones' "A Child Is Born." The beautiful tune is a longtime favorite of Marian McPartland, and Allen's version serves as a loving tribute.

The surprise performer of the set, 89-year-old saxophone legend Frank Wess, appears in "It Could Happen to You." Wess swings smoothly throughout a lengthy solo, even as he leans against Mike LeDonne's blazing piano for support, and bassist John Webber lays down a grooving bass line throughout the tune.

This Generations in Jazz celebration comes to a grand finale with the young people bringing down the house. Batiste is again joined by Fortner, along with bassist Phil Keuhn and drummer Joe Saylor, for "Kindergarten." The young unit gives a tight performance of an original composition — a modern and hand-clapping take on the Louisiana roots of jazz by bandleader Batiste — which leaves little doubt that the future of jazz is in capable hands.

Originally recorded Oct. 4, 2010. Originally broadcast Jan. 11, 2011.