ALL THAT JAZZ IN NEW YORK CITY

The primary purpose of my visit was to present a research paper at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in January, 2001.  Marian McPartland, jazz pianist and host of the long-running radio program Piano Jazz, was the subject of my PhD research and my Conference paper.  In the 10 days leading up to the Conference, I spent long hours at the Institute of Jazz Studies in New Jersey, an invaluable jazz archive for a long-distance researcher.  The highs and lows of both jazz and its musicians are evocatively portrayed in the Ken Burns documentary entitled Jazz.  Nine riveting episodes went to air in January 2001, taking a musical, historical and critical perspective on America’s gift to music.  Apart from the Conference highlights, the peak experience for me was attending a solo performance given by Marian in the Lincoln Center, the first time I had heard her live.  She is a shining example of the rejuvenating power of jazz.

Clare Hansson,
Perform Magazine, 2001