Known for her vast memory and intuitive sense of harmony, Ms. McPartland has delighted music lovers in clubs and concert halls throughout the world for more than 65 years. A native of England, she hit New York City's jazz scene in the 1950s, where she led a trio at the Hickory House and frequented area clubs to listen to musicians including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, and Dave Brubeck. During the 1960s, she hosted her own radio show on the Pacifica Radio Network, a program that served as a precursor to her widely successful Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, heard weekly on National Public Radio for the last 25 years. NPR's longest-running cultural program, Piano Jazz features intimate duets and impromptu conversations with guests who have included nearly all the important jazz artists of the age and other luminaries—musicians like Ray Charles and Sting. Ms. McPartland is also a prolific recording artist who has released more than 60 albums on the Concord Records label. In 2004, at the age of 85, she won her first Grammy Award, a Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award celebrating her work as an educator, a writer, and a radio host.

Born in Philadelphia on June 21, 1970, Eric Reed grew up playing Gospel music in his father's storefront Baptist church, starting at the age of five. Reed was bitten by the jazz bug at a young age after hearing recordings of Art Blakey, Ramsey Lewis and Dave Brubeck. Eric started out in the bands of Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson, Clora Bryant and John Clayton. He attended Cal State Northridge for one year during which he toured briefly with Wynton Marsalis at age 18. A year later, Eric joined Marsalis' Septet (1990-91; 1992-95). He spent two years with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1996-98), making countless recordings and TV appearances with them. Reed also worked in the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson (1991-92). Eric continues to perform and record with an assorted multitude of masters such as, Benny Carter, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Cassandra Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves and a host of other diverse performers including Natalie Cole, Patti Labelle, Oleta Adams and Quincy Jones.

Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in Havana, Cuba, May 27, 1963, into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country's artistic past. During his childhood, in addition to the standard fare of elementary schools, Gonzalo was absorbing his Cuban musical heritage through his father, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba, and leading musicians who were frequent houseguests: Frank Emilio, Peruchin, Felipe Dulzaides and others. He also learned through scarce and treasured recordings of US jazz masters: Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson and others.

In 1986 Gonzalo net bassist Charlie Haden in Havana. Through Charlie he came to the attention of Blue Note Records' president, Bruce Lundvall, and thus began an association, first with Toshiba/EMI of Japan, and later with Blue Note in the US, which has resulted in eleven discs being released. These collaborations brought Gonzalo this year (2002) both a Latin Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year, Supernova, as well as a Grammy for co-production with Charlie Haden of Nocturne, a Verve release of Cuban and Mexican boleros and ballads. Gonzalo, has to his credit eight Grammy nominations, including four for Jazz Album of the Year. Among other recent honors, in June 2001 Gonzalo received the SFJAZZ Leaders Circle Laureate Award, and in 2002 he performed as Artist in Residence at Montreal Jazz Festival together with Chucho Valdez.

On Friday, June 9th at 8:00 pm hear Marian McPartland, Eric Reed, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba at Symphony Center, 220 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60604, Phone (312) 294-3333.

This Concert is part of the Jazz at Symphony Center A Series, and Jazz at Symphony Center E Series.