Piano Jazz

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For other uses, see Piano Jazz (disambiguation).

Piano Jazz is a weekly one hour radio show produced and distributed by National Public Radio. It started in 1978 and has always been hosted by jazz pianist Marian McPartland. It is the longest running cultural program on NPR.

The show features a single guest, and usually consists of about an equal mixture of discussion and playing, often duets with Marian. Initially the guests were limited to jazz pianists, but out of necessity the format was expanded to include performers on other instruments as well as other genres (though the performances remain focused on jazz tunes). The show provides an inside look at the relationships of jazz musicians, since Marian has often had long friendships with many of her guests. A few examples of guests are Cy Coleman, Henry Mancini, and Percy Faith.

A number of shows have been released commercially on compact disc.