Lady Marian turns 90

With a tongue-in-cheek “Thank you to the Arthritis Foundation,” the woman they call “Lady Marian” celebrated her 90th birthday by playing the piano late into Wednesday night at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at the Jazz at Lincoln Center complex in New York.

Before an overflow crowd that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and singer Norah Jones, who came up and did three numbers with her during the first set, Marian McPartland -- the host for three decades of National Public Radio’s “Piano Jazz” show -- asked, “Is anyone else here 90?” There weren’t any hands.

When they brought out a cake and sang “Happy Birthday,” McPartland, in a gold lame outfit, provided the accompaniment. Her actual birthday was Thursday.

-- Paul Lieberman