Marc Copland
Encyclopedia
Marc Copland is an American
jazz pianist and composer
.
Copland became part of the jazz scene in Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a saxophonist, and later moved to New York
where he experimented with electric alto saxophone
. In the early 1970s, while pursuing his own harmonic concept, he grew dissatisfied with what he felt were inherent limitations in the saxophone and moved to the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area, where he remained for a decade to retrain as a jazz pianist.
He returned to New York in the mid-1980s, his own keyboard style firmly in place. Since that time Copland has enjoyed considerable success, both as a solo performer and a group leader.
lessons at age seven, but stopped abruptly at the age of ten when his public school offered the option of saxophone
training. Beginning his career on alto sax, Copland became part of a vibrant music scene in his hometown in the early 1960s, learning and playing with Michael Brecker
, a close friend and fellow high school student. In 1965 he briefly studied harmony with Romeo Cascarino
in Philadelphia and also began training in composition with Meyer Kupferman
and studied saxophone with Joseph Allard
, both in New York.
In 1966, Copland moved to New York City
where he attended Columbia University
. He became part of a late 1960s and early 1970s New York jazz scene that expanded from the traditional clubs into lofts around the city. During this period, Copland was, along with John Abercrombie
and Glen Moore
, a member of the Chico Hamilton
Quartet. He experimented by adding electronic processors to his alto, culminating in the recording of Friends, an electric jazz album produced by a small New York City start-up label, Oblivion Records
. This album, with Abercrombie, Clint Houston
, and Jeff Williams, achieved a kind of cult status, earning a five-star review in Down Beat
magazine.
Increasingly, however, Copland was writing music with more complex chords that suggested to him an approach to music very different from his acoustic and electronic saxophone work. He came to feel that as an instrument, the saxophone was not a suitable vehicle to fully express his musical imagination. By 1973, he had decided to switch to piano.
For the next decade, Copland labored in Washington, D.C.
and Baltimore
in relative obscurity while mastering his new instrument. During this period he underwent a kind of apprenticeship, playing with well-known musicians passing through the area who asked for him as an accompanist. Backing up different musicians one week to the next, he worked with artists such as Randy Brecker
, Bob Berg
, Hank Crawford
, Art Farmer
, Curtis Fuller
, Tom Harrell
, Eddie Harris
, Harold Land
and Blue Mitchell
, Dave Liebman
, Bob Mintzer
, Gary Peacock
, and Sonny Stitt
. During this time he also led his own bands in local clubs, playing with many of the musicians who lived and worked in the area. One of these, bassist Drew Gress
, later moved to New York and over the years has become one of Copland's chief musical collaborators.
, Jane Ira Bloom
, Joe Lovano
, Herbie Mann
, James Moody
(with whom he toured for three years), John Scofield
, Jim Snidero
, and Dave Stryker
. A busy sideman, he began to appear with his own bands in local clubs, but remained unrecorded as a leader. Acting on a tip that the Japanese label Jazz City was searching for ten American pianists, Copland sent an audition tape to guitarist/producer Yoshiake Masuo. After listening, the producer called Copland to decline, saying that the label had already reached agreement with ten pianists. A few weeks later Masuo called back to say one pianist had dropped out, and offered Copland his first record deal. My Foolish Heart, Copland's debut disc as leader, was recorded at "The Studio" in Soho
, and Copland went on to record two other CDs with the label:
Copland apparently liked the sound at "The Studio” because he recorded several albums there in the following years.
His local trio and quartet gigs and were now more frequent, and as word of his trio spread, he began to play regularly at several venues around the United States, first with Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart
, and later, when Stewart was no longer with the original trio, with Billy Hart
. This last trio made two albums:
and John Abercrombie
, Copland recorded with Vince Mendoza
, in the process making the acquaintance of Japanese producer Takao Ogawa. A few years later Ogawa and Copland bumped into each other in a New York studio, agreeing to meet to discuss recording possibilities. Ogawa subsequently organized and produced Stompin’ with Savoy (Savoy), featuring an all-star quintet including fellow Philadelphian Randy Brecker
and the late Bob Berg
. Because of the limited distribution in the USA of his previous CDs, this release effectively became Copland's American debut. It garnered high praise in the American press, which cited his unique way of re-interpreting the standard repertoire, an approach which was widely copied by younger musicians later in the decade. The release led to three years of touring with the quintet in major clubs around the country. Savoy recorded three other albums, as well as a fourth CD that was never released.
Softly, like the other Savoy albums, was praised for its original approach and sophisticated musical approach, but also received special attention for its presentation of a unified album concept.
In Poetic Motion, cross references within Bill Zavatsky
's poem of the same title and between the poem and the music are everywhere, increasing the complexity and richness of the artistic experience. In Time Within Time Copland wrote his own verse, which helped unify the theme of "time" that is present in the CD title, the cover photograph, and the musical titles and content.
A final duo release from this period featured Copland in duets with another pianist with a harmonically advanced bent, the American Bill Carrothers:
on bass and Jochen Rueckert on drums. The album was an application of the pianist's lyrical bent to the interpretation of ballads, a song form that lends itself naturally to his style. The trio developed the rapport evident on the album through several years of steady gigs in New York, concerts in the US, and several European tours. Another and very different trio, with Kenny Wheeler
and John Abercrombie
, was a meeting of three individualist instrumentalists and composers. This latter trio recorded twice, and also toured Europe frequently:
These albums displayed Copland’s work in the company of strong soloists.
The release of Modinha gained considerable attention for its quality, and the trio was frequently cited as having attained a level that placed it in the first rank of the very best jazz piano trios of the last several decades.
Copland continues to be an exemplar of the lyrical school of jazz pianism. His music, often noted for its innovative harmonic language, nevertheless is widely regarded as easily accessible to the listener. Many reviewers credit this blend to the pianist's use of dynamics and touch, and his distinctive pedal work. Considered a "musician's musician," his eighteen CD releases under his own name since the year 2000 make him one of the most prolific jazz pianist of the new millennium.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz pianist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Copland became part of the jazz scene in Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a saxophonist, and later moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he experimented with electric alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
. In the early 1970s, while pursuing his own harmonic concept, he grew dissatisfied with what he felt were inherent limitations in the saxophone and moved to the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area, where he remained for a decade to retrain as a jazz pianist.
He returned to New York in the mid-1980s, his own keyboard style firmly in place. Since that time Copland has enjoyed considerable success, both as a solo performer and a group leader.
Early years
Copland began taking pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons at age seven, but stopped abruptly at the age of ten when his public school offered the option of saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
training. Beginning his career on alto sax, Copland became part of a vibrant music scene in his hometown in the early 1960s, learning and playing with Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
, a close friend and fellow high school student. In 1965 he briefly studied harmony with Romeo Cascarino
Romeo Cascarino
Romeo Cascarino was an American composer of classical music.His music is generally tonal, and his magnum opus is the opera William Penn, whose life had fascinated Cascarino since childhood...
in Philadelphia and also began training in composition with Meyer Kupferman
Meyer Kupferman
Meyer Kupferman was a prolific American composer and clarinetist.-Life:Meyer Kupferman was born in New York City. A self taught composer, Kupferman first gained attention in the late 1940s when his early opera "In A Garden" was premiered at the Tanglewood and Edinburgh Festivals. From 1951 to 1993...
and studied saxophone with Joseph Allard
Joseph Allard
Joseph Allard , a native of Lowell, MA, was a professor of saxophone and clarinet at the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, the Manhattan School of Music, as well as adjunct positions at many other schools. He succeeded saxophonist/clarinetist Vincent J...
, both in New York.
In 1966, Copland moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He became part of a late 1960s and early 1970s New York jazz scene that expanded from the traditional clubs into lofts around the city. During this period, Copland was, along with John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
and Glen Moore
Glen Moore
Glen Moore is a jazz bassist who occasionally performs on piano, flute and violin.His performing career began at age 14 with the Young Oregonians in Portland, Oregon where he met and played with Native American saxophonist, Jim Pepper. He graduated with a degree in History and Literature from the...
, a member of the Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton
Chico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
Quartet. He experimented by adding electronic processors to his alto, culminating in the recording of Friends, an electric jazz album produced by a small New York City start-up label, Oblivion Records
Oblivion Records
Oblivion Records was an American independent record label that focused on under recorded blues and jazz musicians. The company was based in Huntington, New York and New York City and a post office box in Roslyn Heights, New York from 1972–1976....
. This album, with Abercrombie, Clint Houston
Clint Houston
Clinton Joseph Houston was an American jazz double-bassist.Houston played with George Cables and Lenny White in the house band at Slugs, a club in New York City, then played with Nina Simone , Roy Haynes , Sonny Greenwich and Don Thompson , Roy Ayers , Charles Tolliver , Stan Getz , and Woody Shaw...
, and Jeff Williams, achieved a kind of cult status, earning a five-star review in Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine.
Increasingly, however, Copland was writing music with more complex chords that suggested to him an approach to music very different from his acoustic and electronic saxophone work. He came to feel that as an instrument, the saxophone was not a suitable vehicle to fully express his musical imagination. By 1973, he had decided to switch to piano.
For the next decade, Copland labored in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in relative obscurity while mastering his new instrument. During this period he underwent a kind of apprenticeship, playing with well-known musicians passing through the area who asked for him as an accompanist. Backing up different musicians one week to the next, he worked with artists such as Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
, Bob Berg
Bob Berg
Bob Berg was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period...
, Hank Crawford
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. was an American R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, soul jazz alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter...
, Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...
, Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell
Tom Harrell is a renowned American post-bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Tom Harrell was born in Urbana, Illinois but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of five. He started playing trumpet at eight and within five years, started playing gigs with...
, Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
, Harold Land
Harold Land
Harold de Vance Land was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. Land developed his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/Clifford Brown band into a personal, modern style. His tone was strong and emotional, yet displayed a certain fragility that made him easy to...
and Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell
Richard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
, Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
, Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock
Gary Peacock is an American jazz double-bassist.-Biography:After military service in Germany, in the early sixties he worked on the west coast with Barney Kessel, Bud Shank, Paul Bley and Art Pepper, then moved to New York. He worked there with Bley, the Bill Evans trio , and Albert Ayler's trio...
, and Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
. During this time he also led his own bands in local clubs, playing with many of the musicians who lived and worked in the area. One of these, bassist Drew Gress
Drew Gress
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey, raised in the Philadelphia area, and currently based in New York City.-Biography:...
, later moved to New York and over the years has become one of Copland's chief musical collaborators.
Mid-1980s/early 1990s
In the early 1980s, Copland returned to New York. For a time he returned weekly to Washington to continue private teaching and a steady trio engagement, but after a couple of years these regular visits tapered off in favor of more extensive work in New York City. During this period he worked with Bob BeldenBob Belden
James Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...
, Jane Ira Bloom
Jane Ira Bloom
Jane Ira Bloom is an American jazz soprano saxophonist and composer.-Biography:Bloom was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She began as a pianist and drummer, later switching to the alto saxophone, and eventually settling on the soprano saxophone as her primary instrument...
, Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
, Herbie Mann
Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
, James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
(with whom he toured for three years), John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
, Jim Snidero
Jim Snidero
Jim Snidero is an American jazz saxophonist.Snidero studied at the University of North Texas before moving to New York City in 1981. After touring with Jack McDuff, he joined Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra in the early 1980s in New York, working in the group for twenty years...
, and Dave Stryker
Dave Stryker
Dave Stryker is an American jazz guitarist. He has 21 CD’s as a leader to date, and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany, among others...
. A busy sideman, he began to appear with his own bands in local clubs, but remained unrecorded as a leader. Acting on a tip that the Japanese label Jazz City was searching for ten American pianists, Copland sent an audition tape to guitarist/producer Yoshiake Masuo. After listening, the producer called Copland to decline, saying that the label had already reached agreement with ten pianists. A few weeks later Masuo called back to say one pianist had dropped out, and offered Copland his first record deal. My Foolish Heart, Copland's debut disc as leader, was recorded at "The Studio" in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, and Copland went on to record two other CDs with the label:
- My Foolish Heart/Jazz City, 1988 (John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock, Jeff Hirshfield)
- All Blues At Night/Jazz City, 1992 (Tim Hagans, Peacock, Bill Stewart)
- Songs Without End/Jazz City Spirit, 1994 (duets with Ralph Towner)
Copland apparently liked the sound at "The Studio” because he recorded several albums there in the following years.
His local trio and quartet gigs and were now more frequent, and as word of his trio spread, he began to play regularly at several venues around the United States, first with Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart
Bill Stewart (musician)
William Harris "Bill" Stewart is an American jazz drummer. Stewart is a versatile player who has performed with a broad array of musicians, from Maceo Parker to Jim Hall...
, and later, when Stewart was no longer with the original trio, with Billy Hart
Billy Hart
William "Billy" Hart is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.-Biography:Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C...
. This last trio made two albums:
- At Night/Sunnyside, 1992 (Gary Peacock and Billy Hart)
- Paradiso/Soul Note, 1995 (Gary Peacock and Billy Hart)
Mid-1990s to 2000
In the 1990s, on the recommendation of Peter ErskinePeter Erskine
Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
and John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, Copland recorded with Vince Mendoza
Vince Mendoza
Vince Mendoza is a music arranger and composer.Mendoza was born in Connecticut and studied guitar as a child, influenced by classical music, soul and jazz. He then took up the trumpet, which he continued to play throughout his time at Ohio State University, where he played in the Jazz Ensemble and...
, in the process making the acquaintance of Japanese producer Takao Ogawa. A few years later Ogawa and Copland bumped into each other in a New York studio, agreeing to meet to discuss recording possibilities. Ogawa subsequently organized and produced Stompin’ with Savoy (Savoy), featuring an all-star quintet including fellow Philadelphian Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
and the late Bob Berg
Bob Berg
Bob Berg was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period...
. Because of the limited distribution in the USA of his previous CDs, this release effectively became Copland's American debut. It garnered high praise in the American press, which cited his unique way of re-interpreting the standard repertoire, an approach which was widely copied by younger musicians later in the decade. The release led to three years of touring with the quintet in major clubs around the country. Savoy recorded three other albums, as well as a fourth CD that was never released.
- Stompin’ with Savoy/Savoy, 1995 (Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, James Genus, Dennis Chambers)
- Second Look/Savoy, 1996 (John Abercrombie, Drew Gress, Billy Hart)
- Softly/Savoy, 1998 (Michael Brecker, Tim Hagans, Joe Lovano, Gary Peacock, Bill Stewart)
- Untitled/Savoy, unreleased (Drew Gress, Bill Stewart, Jochen Rueckert)
Softly, like the other Savoy albums, was praised for its original approach and sophisticated musical approach, but also received special attention for its presentation of a unified album concept.
The early 2000s
The Savoy jazz catalog was largely inactive in the late 1990s, and for a couple of years Copland went unrecorded. But In the mid-nineties Copland had begun touring Europe with his own groups, first in duo with John Abercrombie, and later in trios and quartets. As a result, at the beginning of the millennium several European labels took an interest and began to document his work. These recordings solidified his position as a leading and original voice on his instrument in various contexts; each disc was greeted enthusiastically by the press. His work since 2000 can be divided into solo piano work, duos, trios, and quartets:Solo piano
In 2001, French producer Philippe Ghielmetti heard Copland with his trio in Paris, and invited him to record his debut solo piano album. The album featured almost all Copland originals. Three years later, Swiss producer Werner Uehlinger followed suit. The two albums helped further establish Copland's unique approach to music:- Poetic Motion/Sketch, 2001 (Solo piano)
- Time Within Time/Hatology, 2005 (Solo piano)
In Poetic Motion, cross references within Bill Zavatsky
Bill Zavatsky
Bill Zavatsky is an American poet, journalist, jazz pianist, and translator.Zavatsky has worked as a journalist; his articles have appeared in The New York Times Book Review and Rolling Stone....
's poem of the same title and between the poem and the music are everywhere, increasing the complexity and richness of the artistic experience. In Time Within Time Copland wrote his own verse, which helped unify the theme of "time" that is present in the CD title, the cover photograph, and the musical titles and content.
Duos
For years, the duo in jazz was a rarely seen ensemble. Copland concentrated on this somewhat neglected format in many of his recordings between 2000 and 2005. His partners on the various projects played diverse instruments, including alto sax, soprano and tenor sax, guitar, bass, and trumpet:- Between the Lines/Steeplechase, 2000 (with Tim Hagans)
- Double Play/Steeplechase, 2001 (with Vic Juris)
- Bookends/Hatology, 2002 (with David Liebman)
- Round and Round/Nagel Heyer, 2003 (with Greg Osby)
- Night Call/Nagel Heyer, 2004 (with Greg Osby )
- What it Says/Sketch, 2004 (with Gary Peacock)
A final duo release from this period featured Copland in duets with another pianist with a harmonically advanced bent, the American Bill Carrothers:
- No Choice/Minium, 2005 (duets with Bill Carrothers)
Trio
Perhaps the album most responsible for opening the door to wider public acceptance for Copland during this time was his return to the trio format with his regular working band of the period, with Drew GressDrew Gress
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey, raised in the Philadelphia area, and currently based in New York City.-Biography:...
on bass and Jochen Rueckert on drums. The album was an application of the pianist's lyrical bent to the interpretation of ballads, a song form that lends itself naturally to his style. The trio developed the rapport evident on the album through several years of steady gigs in New York, concerts in the US, and several European tours. Another and very different trio, with Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
and John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, was a meeting of three individualist instrumentalists and composers. This latter trio recorded twice, and also toured Europe frequently:
- Haunted Heart and Other Ballads/Hatology, 2001 (Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert)
- That's for Sure/Challenge, 2000 (John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler)
- Brand New/Challenge, 2003 (John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler)
Quartets
In the nineties, Copland wrote and arranged extensively for his quintet and quartet; he returned to this format with four CDs in the 2000s. Each featured a fourth instrumentalist familiar with Copland's way of reworking standards, and his sense of original composition:- Lunar/Hatology, 2001 (Dave Liebman, Mike McGuirk, Tony Martucci)
- And…/Hatology, 2003 (Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert
- Both/And—Nagel Heyer, 2006 (Randy Brecker, Ed Howard, Victor Lewis)
- Another Place/Pirouet, 2008 (Jophn Abercrombie, Drew Gress, Billy Hart)
These albums displayed Copland’s work in the company of strong soloists.
2005 to the present
This period marked a new development in Copland's work. He began to record with the German label Pirouet, both as sideman and leader, and continues his relationship with this label to the present day. His first three outings are trio discs. Some Love Songs recalls his earlier ballad disc Haunted Heart, with the same trio of Gress and Rueckert. Beginning with Modinha, the pianist embarked on what is expected to be a three-disc series of trio recordings, in the company of some jazz legends:- Some Love Songs/Pirouet, 2005 (Drew Gress, Jochen Rueckert)
- Modinha—NY Trios Vol. 1/Pirouet, 2006 (Gary Peacock, Bill Stewart)
- Voices—NY Trios Vol. 2/Pirouet, 2007 (Gary Peacock, Paul Motian)
- Night Whispers-NY Trios Vol. 3/Pirouet, 2008 (Drew Gress, Bill Stewart)
The release of Modinha gained considerable attention for its quality, and the trio was frequently cited as having attained a level that placed it in the first rank of the very best jazz piano trios of the last several decades.
Copland continues to be an exemplar of the lyrical school of jazz pianism. His music, often noted for its innovative harmonic language, nevertheless is widely regarded as easily accessible to the listener. Many reviewers credit this blend to the pianist's use of dynamics and touch, and his distinctive pedal work. Considered a "musician's musician," his eighteen CD releases under his own name since the year 2000 make him one of the most prolific jazz pianist of the new millennium.
External links
- Marc Copland official web site
- "Marc Copland: Growth Through Collaboration" by John Kelman, All About Jazz (11 April 2005)
- Marc Copland biography from Jazz on Granby
- Marc Copland 2005 biographical piece