Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz

In Shearing's second appearance on the program from 1987, host Marian McPartland reminisces with her fellow countryman about obscure British tunes, and the two have fun re-harmonizing "God Save the Queen." Shearing also sings and plays Cole Porter's "After You," and the two end with a two-piano version of "Indiana."

Trumpeter Randy Brecker has been a tireless explorer of all kinds of musical genres, from funk to Brazilian to mainstream jazz. Brecker brought his group along for this Piano Jazzsession with guest host Bill Charlap.

Pianist Aaron Diehl is a fresh graduate of The Juilliard School of Music, but he's most assuredly an up-and-coming force in jazz. Dubbed "The Real Diehl" by Wynton Marsalis, Diehl displays brilliant technique and a truly creative approach to music, whether he's interpreting Tatum, Ellington or Mozart. He joins Marian McPartland on "Afternoon in Paris" and "One Morning in May."

Host Marian McPartland calls Dearie an "incandescent singer and pianist" whose "delicate, swinging style makes every song a musical gem." The vocalist and pianist died this past year of natural causes. Piano Jazz remembers her life and music in an archival interview and performance.

The Piano Jazz 30th-anniversary concert concludes with more all-star performances from the likes of pianist Cedar Walton, singer/pianist Dena DeRose and bandleader/pianist Arturo O'Farrill. Vocalist Karrin Allyson joined host Marian McPartland in a performance of "Twilight World," while jazz giant Randy Weston celebrated musicians everywhere with his tune "The Healers."

The second set of music from Piano Jazz's 30th-anniversary celebration opens with a flurry of pianists, including Taylor Eigsti, Cyrus Chestnut and Kenny Werner. Teen jazz sensation Grace Kelly joins Piano Jazz host Marian McPartland for a performance of "Caravan," and pianist John Bunch joins the Pizzarelli brothers — John and Martin — to put an exclamation point on Set II of this all-star concert.

For three decades, Marian McPartland has showcased both jazz veterans and young stars on Piano Jazz, her hour-long NPR program. For the anniversary, past guests Kurt Elling, Karrin Allyson, Randy Weston and many others showed up at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola to celebrate a jazz radio institution.

In tribute to Dave McKenna, Marian McPartland asked pianist and singer Daryl Sherman to guest host this remembrance that includes clips from the two programs McKenna did with McPartland in 1979 and 1994. Sherman also puts a delightful twist on "Rhode Island is Famous for You" and "Teddy Ballgame."

Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge was one of the great trumpeters of the swing era. On this program from 1987, Eldridge talked about a career including collaborations with Fletcher Henderson, Gene Kruppa and Billie Holiday. Eldridge shows off his piano chops, joining McPartland for a duet on "Ball of Fire," and sings on several numbers, including "I Want a Little Girl."

Pianist and composer Matthew Shipp has an intricate and heady approach to his music, with avant-garde impulses that have led him to experiment with free jazz styles, tape loops and even turntable artists. Here, Shipp settles into one of his favorite environs, the duo format, as he and McPartland explore the outer reaches on "Naima" and Shipp's own "Gamma Ray."

Piano Jazz remembers alto saxophonist Bud Shank, a West Coast jazz institution with a cool swinging sound that was instantly recognizable among jazz enthusiasts. Shank joined McPartland in 2006 and brought along bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner to perform "Lover Man" and "My Romance."

For years Marian McPartland has been trying to line up Keith Jarrett for a Piano Jazz session. Following his stellar performance at Carnegie Hall in 2005, Marian confronted the elusive performer and convinced him to put in an appearance on her show. Hear an interview and performance.

Marian McPartland asked her friend Elvis Costello to sit in as guest host for this episode of Piano Jazz. The session features New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, who sings and plays his hit tune "Southern Nights" and performs a duet with Costello on the pair's recent collaboration "Ascension Day."

Here, Piano Jazz showcases vibraphone virtuoso Dave Samuels along with pianist Alain Mallet. Samuels' gift for evocative melody and his rhythmic versatility make him one of the leading mallet players of his generation.

Piano Jazz showcases another bright young pianist, Jeremy Siskind. Having recently graduated from the Eastman School of Music, Siskind has already won several impressive competitions and attracted the attention of Piano Jazz's host. His skills have taken him to Japan and around the U.S.