Gary Peacock, Marc Copland - Insight

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:06
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. All Blues
(2:22)  2. The Wanderer
(6:23)  3. Blue in Green
(2:42)  4. Rush Hour
(6:44)  5. River's Run
(2:21)  6. Matterhorn
(4:17)  7. The Pond
(6:47)  8. Goes out Comes In
(2:25)  9. Late Night
(7:24) 10. Cavatina
(4:53) 11. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:43) 12. Benediction
(3:36) 13. Sweet and Lovely

Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland have been working together for nearly 20 years, though most often in a trio setting. Peacock was Copland's bassist of choice on two of his New York Trio Recordings trilogy sets  Modhina (2006) and Voices (2007), both on the German Pirouet label. But for a pianist who mines dark, impressionistic yet subtly romantic places, the most intimate of settings is the duo, and this pair's first (and, until now, only) duet recording, What It Says (Sketch, 2004), was a remarkable demonstration of profound interaction and sublime beauty. The two reunite for Insight, with Peacock's name first on the marquee, though it's likely nothing more than the egalitarian nature of this duo that his name is first, since Copland's was the lead on What It Says. It's another set of deeply connected music a mix of Copland and Peacock originals, free improvisations and well-known but instinctively personal covers. It may or may not be a coincidence that two tunes from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) are played, opening with a version of "All Blues" that's bright in tempo but tenebrously indigo in ambience. He possesses unmistakable roots in Bill Evans, the primary pianist on Davis' iconic recording, but Copland's voicings are more abstract and even more impressionistic, running both in tandem and in contrast with Peacock's relentlessly frenetic bass line. "Blue in Green" is even more subdued, though Peacock takes a solo that's one of his best on the album, an endless wellspring of thematic invention.

Peacock's highest profile gig is with Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, but while it's an unequivocally creative place to be, he feels more open-ended here, especially during the five spontaneous compositions he creates with Copland. The act of not playing is as active a participating action as playing, and on "The Wanderer," he doesn't even enter until the song's final 25 seconds, but it grounds Copland's repetitive, gradually solidifying pattern, despite doing nothing more than following the pianist's right hand. He's more actively engaged on "Rush Hour," a kinetic free improv about two voices merging as one. Copland revisits his own brooding blues, "River's Run," heard solo on his remarkable Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005) and on Voices; here, Peacock provides a more definitive pulse while interacting contrapuntally with Copland. Peacock solos initially, between Copland's rippling, cued figures on "The Pond" with Copland taking over to introduce delicately elegant cascading lines without ever losing sight of the song's core.

The duo is at its most direct during the intro to Stanley Myers' melancholic "Cavatina," the theme song to Michael Cimono's classic The Deer Hunter (1978), but ultimately dissolves into freer time, again still respecting the song's essence. It's their innate ability to head into uncharted territory while remaining reverential to their source that makes Peacock and Copland such a compelling duo. A clear window into the improvisational mindset, Insight is another high water mark for both of these fine, interpretive, and consistently inventive musicians.~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/insight-gary-peacock-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: bass; Marc Copland: piano.

Gary Peacock (R.I.P)
Born: 12-05-1935
Died: 05-09-2020

Insight

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Marc Copland Trio - Haunted Heart

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:55
Size: 152,3 MB
Art: Front

(1:55)  1. My Favorite Things 1
(7:17)  2. Crescent
(6:32)  3. Dark Territory
(6:05)  4. Greensleeves
(5:39)  5. When We Dance
(2:26)  6. My Favorite Things 2
(7:50)  7. Soul Eyes
(8:02)  8. It Ain't Necessarily So
(7:49)  9. Easy to Love
(8:42) 10. Haunted Heart
(3:33) 11. My Favorite Things 3

Originally released in 2001, Marc Copland's Haunted Heart deserves re-examination and re-evaluation, as hatOLOGY brings one of the perennially undervalued pianist's most sublime trio recordings back into print. With the original subtitle And Other Ballads removed, those familiar with Copland's intimate approach will already know what to expect, especially with a trio that, in the early part of the 21st century, was Copland's most consistent line-up. Copland works less regularly with drummer Jochen Rueckert these days, but this first trio encounter with bassist Drew Gress their first recorded collaboration being Second Look (Savoy Jazz, 2006), with guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Billy Hart; a quartet recently reformed for Another Place (Pirouet, 2008) and expanded to a quintet with the addition of saxophonist Dave Liebman on Five on One (Pirouet, 2010) was of particular importance. It introduced a marvellously effective stylistic conceit that Copland would repeat on subsequent hatOLOGY releases, including the career-defining solo disc, Time Within Time (2005): choose a particularly meangingful song, and use multiple solo takes to bracket other material in the program. In this case, Copland delivers three very different, yet consistently dark and brooding readings of the old Sound of Music chestnut, "My Favorite Things" made famous in the jazz world by John Coltrane to set up two mini-sets that combine other songs popularized by the late saxophone giant, as well as a subtly Latin-esque look at Sting's "When We Dance," a series of well-heeled but here equally distinctive standards, and one Copland original.

Copland turns the ambling swing and simmering intensity of Coltrane's "Crescent" into a hushed, romantic showcase for his impressionistic harmonic approach; rarely resolving in a direct way, Copland instead deals in ambiguous implication. Coltrane also covered the traditional English tune "Greensleeves," but the "sheets of sound" saxophonist never sounded this spare, this economical...or this hauntingly lyrical. Copland's own "Dark Territory" fleshes out the first "set," revolving around a three-note bass pattern that shifts harmonically, but acts as a rallying motif throughout this perfect example of the pianist's three-way empathy with his band mates; Rueckert's understated brushwork, a definitive combination of gentle pulse and kaleidoscopic color; and Gress' thematically oblique feature surpassed only by his unerring support for Copland's softly stated solo. The second set collects a number of often covered standards, with the trio's take on Mal Waldron's enduring "Soul Eyes" one of the best on record. The trio's approach to time is fluid and pliant, so when it begins to swing more decidedly than anywhere else on the disc with Copland into some of his most assertive and overtly virtuosic playing of the set it creates a dramatic high point, without breaking free of the disc's overall subdued tone. It's hard to beat Copland's subsequent New York Trio Recordings series on Pirouet, where the pianist teamed with three different trios to explore the intimacies of the format. Still, though he'd been working with piano trios for nearly two decades when Haunted Heart was released, it's where this modern mainstreamer's greatest growth began and, consequently, is well-deserving of return-to-print status. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/haunted-heart-marc-copland-hatology-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: double-bass; Jochen Rueckert: drums.

Haunted Heart

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Marc Copland, Dave Liebman Duo - Impressions

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:41
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:05)  1. Cry Want
(11:27)  2. Maiden Voyage
(12:18)  3. Impressions
( 8:33)  4. WTC
( 7:55)  5. Blue in Green
( 3:09)  6. Lester Leaps In
( 3:46)  7. When You're Smiling
( 6:24)  8. Blackboard

The subtle duo of pianist Marc Copland and saxophonist Dave Liebman in a set of great jazz compositions from luminaries including Jimmy Giuffre, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Lester Young, plus original work. "The two may have done little more than talk about the weather before they began playing the largely standards-focused Impressions, but from such mundane chitchat comes a performance that exemplifies the best of what each of these fine musicians does - but also, with the push-and-pull of two different musical personalities, demonstrates the ability and willingness of each to be drawn outside their normal predispositions, to create music that's the best of both, and something a little more, and plenty special."~John Kelman http://www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=14832

Personnel:  David Liebman-soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Marc Copland-piano

Impressions

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Marc Copland, Greg Osby - Night Call

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:59
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:04)  1. Autumn Wind
(3:31)  2. Cyrille in Motion
(7:42)  3. Echoes of Another
(5:41)  4. Night Call
(7:14)  5. Ciré
(5:12)  6. Skippin' Around
(8:14)  7. A Time Ago
(4:38)  8. Forge
(6:37)  9. Soul Eyes

A month doesn't go by without a new record from pianist Marc Copland; at least it feels that way. And that's not a bad thing. Copland, by operating within the independent label arena and with a variety of companies, has managed to buck the normal trend that says an artist can't put out more than one album every year or two. And Copland is one of those rare musicians who, by teaming with an ever-widening group of collaborators, continues to reveal new depths with each release. From What It Says , his dark duet recording with bassist Gary Peacock, to the more outgoing yet melancholic post bop of The Jigsaw , his quartet recording with British saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, Copland demonstrates an ability to mould himself with the people he is working with, while at the same time asserting his own style, which manages to skirt the grey area between the in and out, the dark and light, the bold and introspective. Over the years Copland has been building his reputation as a most intuitive and sympathetic partner, but especially in context of the duet, a format that he seems to favour. Case in point: last year's outstanding Round and Round , which teamed him with alto saxophonist Greg Osby for a set that was filled with implication and an abstract yet appealing ambience. 

Osby, malleable as always, seemed to fit perfectly within Copland's musical universe. And it's clear that they both enjoyed working together because a year later we have them back together again for Night Call , a set that finds them even more simpatico. The wonder of discovery is replaced with a deeper understanding that can only come from spending time together. This time around the material, again featuring five Copland originals, three Osby pieces and one standard, is a little more outgoing, a little more direct, but the emphasis is still on darker places. Copland's "Autumn Wind," with a repeating motif whose complexion is constantly shifted by Copland's reharmonizations, could easily fit within the Ralph Towner songbook. Melancholic without being melodramatic, it sets the pace for a program that is accessible yet operates within its own harmonic space. Copland has long since dispensed with his earlier influences of Evans and Jarrett and created a personal language that is all about contrast and paradox. What is remarkable about Copland's playing, and in particular his teaming with Osby, is how so much is implied with so little; one can feel a richer sense of orchestration with the barest of statements. As before, Osby's contributions fit perfectly within Copland's world view, showing just how adaptable a player he is on a program that is as far removed from his collaboration with Charlie Hunter and Bobby Previte, the electronica album Latitude , as is humanly possible. Night Call may be more rhythmically defined than its predecessor, but it is no less elusive. Copland and Osby make music that engages without compromise, exploring the space where two players merge into a single voice. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/night-call-marc-copland-nagel-heyer-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Marc Copland (piano), Greg Osby (alto sax)

Night Call

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Marc Copland, Tim Hagans - Between The Lines

Styles: Piano And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:13
Size: 145,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:54)  1. Nefertiti
(9:26)  2. Passing giants
(5:07)  3. Three in one
(8:07)  4. I loves you Porgy
(6:28)  5. When will the blues leave
(7:46)  6. Estaté
(7:32)  7. On Green Dolphin Street
(7:00)  8. Rainy night house
(5:47)  9. Canteloup Island

Piano/trumpet duets are somewhat rare in jazz history, particularly in more modern areas of jazz. The pianist has to function as the complete rhythm section while the trumpeter has to have enough variety in sound, ideas, and moods to hold one's attention. Pianist Marc Copland and trumpeter Tim Hagans succeed in all of these areas during their stimulating set. The music they perform is often lyrical and searching, although their versions of Thad Jones' "Three in One" and Ornette Coleman's "When Will the Blues Leave" are also swinging. There is nowhere to hide during duets, but Copland (who often plays dense chords) and Hagans make every note count. This project rewards repeated listenings. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/between-the-lines-mw0001190180

Personnel:  Marc Copland - piano; Tim Hagans - trumpet

Between The Lines

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Steve Laspina - Eclipse

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:13
Size: 147,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:20)  1. Inside out
(8:31)  2. New life
(6:17)  3. What?
(3:27)  4. Eclipse
(9:22)  5. Just so you know
(5:47)  6. And now I know
(8:58)  7. When I return
(7:01)  8. Just a phase
(7:26)  9. In search of Peace

Bassist Steve LaSpina (b. March 24, 1954 in Texas) is one of the leading figures of New York’s jazz scene today. Following his first leader album on SteepleChase, LaSpina surrounds himself with the same empathic sidemen as the previous album and continues to concentrate on his own compositions which “ focus on nuance and subtlety ” (JazzTimes).

Besides leading his own group presented here, Steve works regularly with Richie Beirach, Bob Brookmeyer, Tommy Flamagan, Dave Liebmann among others.

Personnel: Steve LaSpina (bass); Billy Drewes (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet);  Marc Copland (piano);  Jeff Hirshfield (drums).

Eclipse

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Marc Copland, John Abercrombie - Speak To Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:26
Size: 133.8 MB
Styles: Piano-Guitar jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[6:06] 1. Left Behind
[6:25] 2. Speak To Me
[4:17] 3. Seven
[8:02] 4. If I Should Lose You
[2:45] 5. Blues Connotation
[6:25] 6. So Long
[9:53] 7. Falling Again
[4:59] 8. Talking Blues
[9:31] 9. Witchcraft

Plenty of artists explore that most naked of musical couplings, the duo, but few have mined its intimate potential the way pianist Marc Copland has. Since 2003, the light-of-touch, impressionistically lithe pianist has put out no less than six duo records amongst the more than 15 albums he's released on half a dozen labels—though since 2007, with the exception of a couple reissues, he's remained steadfastly aligned with Germany's increasingly prestigious Pirouet label.

Speak to Me isn't Marc Copland's first recording with guitarist John Abercrombie; that dates back to Second Look (Savoy, 1996). Copland regrouped that quartet and, after 2008's Another Place, became Contact with the addition of saxophonist Dave Liebman, also documented on 2010's Five on One. But Speak to Me is their first recording alone together, and joins other fine Copland-guitar duo outings, including Double Play (Steeplechase, 2001), with the criminally overlooked Vic Juris, and the out-of-print Songs Without End (Jazz City Spirit, 1994), teamed with Ralph Towner.

Abercrombie is, perhaps, Copland's ideal foil. Like the pianist, Abercrombie's distinctive voice has less to do with signature lines or textures, and more to do with touch, an overall approach to harmony, and an ability to thread unmistakable lyricism, regardless of context. More intrinsically amorphous, it's Abercrombie's ability to approach every song—every take—with a fresh perspective that makes him such an ideal partner. "Talking Blues" is one of three Copland originals here, and continues the pianist's exploration of the blues form, but with ambiguous harmonies that make its allegiance to a jazz cornerstone less direct. Abercrombie's overdriven tone could overwhelm in others' hands, but never consumes the song's ethereal ambience, even during his own solo, while subtly driving Copland's into more energetic territory. Still, Abercrombie's near-power chord support never tightens the loose weave he's fashioning with Copland—one so delicate that it seems as though it could fall apart at any moment—but, of course, it never does.

As delicately left-of-center as Speak to Me is, there's never any dilution of the underlying tradition. During a lengthy closing look at Cy Coleman's "Witchcraft"—a song Abercrombie first explored with bassist Don Thompson on the 1995 Justin Time album of the same name—the duo starts by orbiting around each other, freely exploring the song's centrist form before finally settling into it. Transcending mere adherence, Abercrombie demonstrates his own allegiance to the tradition by quoting Howard Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's "If I Only Had a Brain," from The Wizard of Oz (1939), accompanying Copland with a perfect combination of swing and off-kilter voicings. Copland's firm sense of swing is equally definitive though, like Abercrombie, the real magic is his ability to twist things ever-so-slightly on their side.

Equitably split between three Copland, three Abercrombie originals, and three standards—including a quirky miniature look at Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation"—Copland and Abercrombie prove, once again, the importance of putting the music first. Perhaps referring to each other, their hour-long musical dialog, it's just as likely Speak to Me refers to these nine songs, calling out to Copland and Abercrombie, and providing them a perfect context for this sublime, subtle and soft-spoken recording. ~John Kelman

Speak To Me mc
Speak To Me zippy

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Gary Peacock Trio - Now This

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. Gaia
(5:02)  2. Shadows
(5:44)  3. This
(4:34)  4. And Now
(6:16)  5. Esprit de Muse
(5:17)  6. Moor
(5:48)  7. Noh Blues
(4:44)  8. Christa
(4:56)  9. Vignette
(3:59) 10. Gloria's Step
(4:47) 11. Requiem

Some of bassist Gary Peacock's earliest musical associations speak to a career that has been nurtured by unusually well-rounded experiences. Subbing for Ron Carter in gigs with Miles Davis, playing with the Bill Evans Trio and pianist Paul Bley and a stay with saxophonist Albert Ayler provided Peacock with foundations that ran the gamut from main-stream balladry, to conceptually modern jazz to the most unrestricted free jazz. All of which led up to the three-decades long relationship with Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette for which he is best known and where his finely developed skills lend themselves to that highly innovative group. With a very different trio, Now This is often darkly lyrical with a quiet dignity. Drummer Joey Baron who often draws comparisons to Paul Motian has never sounded more like the late drummer with a masterfully subtle touch. Pianist Marc Copland has worked with Peacock in various settings for three decades and is a master of harmonics. His work with guitarist John Abercrombie, saxophonist Greg Osby and bassist Drew Gress have earned high praise while Copland has remained puzzlingly under-recognized as one of the finest pianists and composers on the scene.

"Gaia" and "Shadows" the first to pieces on Now This are brooding and unhurried but are followed by "This" where a bit more dissonance is propelled by Baron's refined but forceful playing. Copland pushes that avant-garde essence as he guides the trio through "And Now," "Esprit de muse" and "Moor" the latter two being faster-paced and more complex numbers. Copland's fascinating composition, "Noh Blues," only hints at blues while providing a perfect backdrop for solos and interesting group interchanges. Throughout the pieces Peacock explores the full range of the bass pushing and pulling the music with him through unexpected turns. There is not a wasted note to be found on Now This where the compositions some re-worked, others, new strongly suggest a portentous air. Peacock, Copland and Baron expertly develop the pieces in that light so that, despite the overriding thoughtfulness, it is never certain in which direction the journey is moving. Now This is an thought-provoking collection rendered by brilliant performers.

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Now This

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Gary Peacock Trio - Tangents

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 129,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:39)  1. Contact
(4:50)  2. December Greenwings
(4:10)  3. Tempei Tempo
(2:29)  4. Cauldron
(5:10)  5. Spartacus
(7:11)  6. Empty Forest
(4:42)  7. Blue In Green
(4:07)  8. Rumblin'
(4:04)  9. Talkin' Blues
(2:53) 10. In and Out
(6:50) 11. Tangents

Considering his nearly sixty-five years of recording, Gary Peacock has been relatively selective in his choice of leader projects. His association with luminaries Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett have put him in the company of jazz history makers. When Jarrett's Standards Trio, with Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, disbanded in 2014 after over twenty recordings, Peacock launched his own piano trio with pianist Marc Copland and drummer Joey Baron. Tangents is the follow-up to Now This (ECM, 2015). Not surprisingly, given their long careers, these musicians have crossed paths before the trio was formed. Baron and Copland most recently played together on John Abercrombie's Up and Coming (ECM, 2017), while Copland and Peacock have collaborated on a number of the pianist's trio releases on the Pirouet label, including Modinha NY Trios Vol. 1 (2006), with drummer Bill Stewart and Voices NY Trios Vol. 2 (2007), with Paul Motian. Peacock contributes five of the eleven compositions on Tangents, with Baron and Copland contributing two and one, respectively. The album also includes the Miles Davis (and/or Bill Evans) standard, "Blue in Green"; a striking version of Alex North's "Spartacus"; and one group composition. "Spartacus," in contrast to the collectively free-improvised "Empty Forest," makes for an effective snapshot of the diversity of styles covered. Beyond that, there is the not-quite-pastoral resourcefulness of "December Greenwings" and the sharply executed, bleeding- edge energy of "Tempei Tempo," with great improvisations from all. At eighty-two years of age, one need only listen to "Rumblin'" to hear Peacock solo like the ageless wonder that he is. In the Tangents liner notes, he embraces a forward-thinking approach to composing at this late stage of his career. Rather than finding a comfortable position, Peacock is much more inclined to experiment with freer forms. He has found empathic partners in Baron and Copland, who he senses as "having the same experience in the moment, feeling the music together." Tangents has to be considered a highlight in the careers of all three artists, as the too-often hyperbole of creative improvisation is exchanged for masterful and unequaled demonstrations of the art and one of the best piano trio albums in some time. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tangents-gary-peacock-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: double-bass; Marc Copland: piano; Joey Baron: drums.

Tangents

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John Abercrombie Quartet - 39 Steps

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:41
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. Vertigo
(6:51)  2. LST
(7:21)  3. Bacharach
(6:15)  4. Greenstreet
(4:08)  5. As It Stands
(6:53)  6. Spellbound
(5:22)  7. Another Ralph’s
(3:12)  8. Shadow Of A Doubt
(8:36)  9. 39 Steps
(4:37) 10. Melancholy Baby

John Abercrombie has rarely played with pianists, at least in his own groups and throughout his extensive discography as a leader for ECM Records that began with the immediate classic, 1975's Timeless. Other than a brief reunion with that record's group for 1984's Night, the veteran guitarist has, in fact, only recorded with one other piano-based group, the quartet responsible for Arcade (1979), Abercrombie Quartet (1980) and M (1981) all featuring another intrepid improviser, Richie Beirach, and slated for released in 2014 as an Old & New Masters Edition box that will finally see all three in print on CD (two for the first time). Meanwhile, 39 Steps is, then, Abercrombie's first recording as a leader with a pianist since Night, though it's far from a first encounter. 39 Steps may be pianist Marc Copland's long overdue ECM debut a post-Bill Evans pianist whose attention to touch and space have long made him a worthy candidate for the label's pristine sonic approach but this group, with the exception of drummer Joey Baron, who replaces original drummer Billy Hart, has been working together, on occasion, since Second Look (Savoy Jazz, 1996), reuniting in 2007 for Another Place (Pirouet, 2008). But if both dates featured Copland as ostensible leader, they were all rather egalitarian when it came to compositional contributions, split fairly evenly between the pianist and Abercrombie.

39 Steps represents a couple of significant differences, beyond Baron's recruitment. First, the lion's share of the compositions belong to Abercrombie, who rightfully assumes leader credit here, with Copland contributing only two of the set's ten pieces, along with one group-credited free improv and an indirect closing nod to tradition with a reading of "Melancholy Baby" that still fits within the quartet's overall sphere of approach; freely interpreted, in this case with no time and no discernible changes, its melody remains recognizable amidst the freewheeling yet carefully controlled freedom and interaction within which this group operates. The other important change is, for the first time, having an external producer in this case, ECM label head Manfred Eicher. As good as Copland's two previous recordings sound, there's a notable and tremendous difference in how this date sounds: more delicate, more rarefied, with every note discernible right down to its final decay and even the most delicate touch of a cymbal occupying its rightful place in the overall soundscape. From the first notes of Abercrombie's opening "Vertigo," with Copland's repeated single-note motif supported by both his left hand and Abercrombie's careful voicing one of the guitarist's strengths always being his intrinsic ability to work with other chordal instruments without either ever getting in the way of them it's clear just how transparent everything is, allowing the music to breathe in ways that previous collaborations with Abercrombie, Copland and Gress have not.

Copland's delicate touch at times, seeming to barely brush the keys, as on Abercrombie's balladic "As It Stands" is definitive, as is the relentlessly reliable support coming from Gress and Baron, whether swinging elegantly on the pianist's brighter, appealingly lyrical "LST" or the guitarist's slower-tempo'd "Bacharach," the pair shifting feels so seamlessly as to be almost unnoticeable ... almost. The interaction, in particular between Abercrombie and Copland, is as deep as decades playing together would suggest, and if this program of largely new composition feels both fresh and familiar to fans of both players, there's one tune that is particularly so: "Another Ralph's," an update or, perhaps, sequel to Abercrombie's "Ralph's Piano Waltz," originally written for guitarist/pianist and duo mate Ralph Towner, first heard on Timeless but which has become, along with that album's title tracks, one of Abercrombie's most often-played tunes, having been recorded by everyone from Towner himself on Solo Concert (ECM, 1980) to Abercrombie, who revisited the tune on Current Events (1986), with his then-trio of Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine. Eicher often encourages artists to engage in free improvisation at his sessions, and while neither Abercrombie nor Copland are strangers to such unfettered contexts, "Shadow of a Doubt" is the first recorded instance of the two engaging in such completely unplanned spontaneity. Between Gress' soft arco, Copland's harp-like, sustain pedal-driven sweeps and Baron's textural cymbal work, it slowly coalesces into form as Abercrombie joins in with volume pedal-swelled lines, angular in nature but somehow soft and rounded in timbre, even as the quartet gradually turns to more oblique territory as the three-minute improvisation nears its end. As good as their previous recordings together have been, 39 Steps represents a major leap forward for Abercrombie and Copland's relationship, even as the guitarist returns to the piano-based configuration that was his first touring context, back in the late '70s. With Copland a welcome addition to the ECM roster and Eicher paying so much attention to music coming out of the New York City area these last couple of years notable (and diverse) examples being Tim Berne's Shadow Man, Craig Taborn's Chants and Chris Potter's The Sirens, all 2013 releases here's hoping that this quartet will continue, and that Copland will ultimately be afforded the opportunity to record more for the label...perhaps, even, a solo piano session, whose potential would be most intriguing with Eicher in the producer's chair, and with the lucent sonics of the label that Abercrombie has called home for nearly forty years. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-abercrombie-quartet-39-steps-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: John Abercrombie (guitar); Marc Copland (piano); Drew Gress (double bass); Joey Baron (drums).

R.I.P.

39 Steps

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Marc Copland - Better By Far

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:33
Size: 143,7 MB
Art: Front

(8:55)  1. Day and Night
(6:25)  2. Better by Far
(4:33)  3. Mr DJ
(9:40)  4. Gone Now
(5:20)  5. Twister
(8:29)  6. Room Enough for Stars
(5:16)  7. Evidence
(8:08)  8. Dark Passage
(5:43)  9. Who Said Swing

Marc Copland got his start in jazz in New York City as a sometimes plugged-in alto saxophonist, working with drummer Chico Hamilton's Quartet, and releasing an overlooked album, Friends (Oblivion Records, 1973) featuring his own quartet. Then he went away, and came back as a pianist, and has since shaped himself into one of finest jazz piano guys around, an artist with a supple touch, a feel for intricately gorgeous melodies and a deep immersion into complex harmonies. In 2015, after a fruitful career that shifted from one record label to another, Copland started his own Inner Voice Records, and offered up the maiden release, Zenith (2015), a quartet affair with Ralph Alessi on trumpet, with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron rounding out the rhythm section. The year 2017 finds Copland offering up his second release on the label, Better By Far, a reconvening the Zenith quartet. The music consists of three group improvisations, five Copland compositions, and a Thelonious Monk tune, "Evidence." Two of Copland's most significant teamings over the years have been with guitarist John Abercrombie, and now with trumpeter Alessi. Where Copland's brush paints sound with a developed delicacy of touch, shimmering chords, and gorgeous, amorphous shapings, Alessi uses brighter colors and sharper edges. Especially edgy are the group improvisations, like "Mr. DJ," that opens with Baron's soft drum whispers, joined by Alessi's stabs of metallic notes, Copland's percussive ruminations. "Twister" is a more fluid, more introspective, darker-toned piece that builds momentum along the way. Speaking of dark tones, the Copland-penned "Gone Now," has a pensive, melancholy mood similar to that of Gershwin's "Gone, Gone, Gone," from the masterpiece, Porgy And Bess (1938). "Room Enough For Stars" floats. It's a beautiful ballad like only Copland can write, featuring Alessi in a patient laying down of the melody, and a piquant bass turn by Gress; while Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" finds the group in a more playful mood an energetic romp that stretches the Monkian angularity with an appealing malleability. With Better By Far Marc Copland and Company continue to create the highest level of jazz. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/better-by-far-marc-copland-innervoice-jazz-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel:  Marc Copland: piano;  Ralph Alessi: trumpet;  Drew Gress: bass; Joey Barron: drums.

Better By Far

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Marc Copland - Poetic Motion

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:13
Size: 140,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Second Sight
(4:40)  2. Blackboard
(7:45)  3. Not Going Gently
(6:49)  4. Nevertheless
(7:37)  5. Spartacus Love Theme
(7:20)  6. When We Met
(6:33)  7. Bittersweet Road
(7:25)  8. Dark Territory
(5:12)  9. Naima

There is a simple beauty to Marc Copland's solo piano playing. Sensitive and quiet, the pianist prefers slower, relaxed tempos in which the wood from the piano resonates gorgeously. Some might confuse it with so-called "elevator music," but that would be a serious mistake, for Copland, although here not too adventurous, performs with the experience and skill of the master. His attack is precise and fine, like waves slapping gently at the shore. He builds intensity in his own way, with small clusters caressing the edges. He takes liberties, too, with tempo and even harmonics, though at heart he remains a conservative player. As a composer, he is somewhat dull and his tunes are unlikely to be played too often, if at all, by others. Yet, he is a commanding presence of sorts, an individualist who eschews the radical freedom of the avant-garde, but who does not embrace traditional approaches to the piano either. There are classical influences, to be sure, and when he interprets John Coltrane's "Naima," the nature of Copland's approach seems clearer. He uses space effectively, and with a tender delicacy skirts the melody and pillows lush chords in logical progression. While Copland is wonderful background fare, he is more than that, too, and this recording his first solo release is a fine example of what he is capable of accomplishing. ~ Steve Loewy http://www.allmusic.com/album/poetic-motion-mw0000434330

Personnel:  Piano – Marc Copland

Poetic Motion

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John Abercrombie Quartet - Up And Coming

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:15
Size: 109,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:12)  1. Joy
(2:53)  2. Flipside
(7:18)  3. Sunday School
(5:51)  4. Up And Coming
(7:34)  5. Tears
(7:06)  6. Silver Circle
(6:21)  7. Nardis
(5:57)  8. Jumbles

Starting the new year with, if not precisely a bang, a nevertheless unforgettable record whose strength lies in pristine lyricism, nuanced group interplay and writing that capitalizes on the entire quartet's appreciation of subtlety over gymnastics and refined lyricism over angularity, John Abercrombie's Up and Coming ECM's first release of the year is also founded strongly on the concept of relationship. The guitarist has been playing with Marc Copland since the pianist's days in the early '70s as a saxophonist before deserting it entirely for a career and discography that's as rich and rewarding as Abercrombie's. And the two have continued working together regularly since Copland's switch to piano: before coming to ECM on Abercrombie's critically acclaimed 39 Steps (2013), the pair had recorded in a group under Copland's name, first for Savoy Jazz with 1996's Second Look, then Hatology for 2003's Marc Copland And..., and finally with Pirouet on 2008's Another Place. And that excludes other projects, such as their 2010 quintet recording with Dave Liebman as Contact, Five on One (Pirouet), a 2011 duo recording, Speak to Me (Pirouet) and two trio recordings with the late Kenny Wheeler, including Brand New (Challenge, 2005). But the relationship doesn't end there. Bassist Drew Gress' far-reaching ubiquity is only matched by his ability bring a personal sound to everything from the more avant-leaning The Claudia Quintet and Dave Douglas to contemporary mainstream spaces with artists including pianist Fred Hersch and Tim Hagans not to mention a small but strong discography of his own, including 2013's The Sky Inside (Pirouet). He is not only a charter member of the same Abercrombie (or Copland, depending on the date) quartet, beginning with Second Look; he has a longstanding relationship with the pianist in other contexts, including 2009's New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3: Night Whispers (Pirouet) and 2005's Some Love Songs (Pirouret), while joining the guitarist on a rare saxophone-infused date, Within a Song (ECM, 2012).

Joey Baron whose joyous approach and willingness to try anything has turned him into a similarly in-demand musician may be the relative youngster to this collective relationship, but he's far from new. He not only replaced original quartet drummer Billy Hart on Another Place and 39 Steps; his relationship with Abercrombie goes even farther back to the guitarist's four string-heavy recordings with violinist Mark Feldman, from 2002's Cat 'n' Mouse (ECM) through to 2009's Wait Till You See Her (ECM). But as strong as relationships can be in building a group chemistry as potent as that found on Up and Coming, there has to be more to it. Guitar and piano do not always make for comfortable bedfellows, as the potential for stepping on each other's toes, harmonically speaking, is always a risk; but one of Abercrombie and Copland's greatest combined strengths is their ability to listen and intuit...there are never any of the "train wrecks" that so often run the risk of scuttling multiple harmonic instruments brought together. Instead, the pair seems to effortlessly complement one another with an appealing harmonic ambiguity that has become one of the group's touchstones; its open-ears approach extending, of course, to Gress and Baron, who manage to bring both sinewy strength and elegant understatement to this quartet's music. From Up and Coming's relatively brief, introspective opener, the guitarist's curiously titled "Joy," the quartet combines elegant interpretation of a less-than-common yet still eminently singable theme with Abercrombie and Copland mere nanoseconds apart, creating a delicious sense of tension and release, to brief but eminently lyrical solos from the pair the pianist, in particular, bolstered by the empathic Gress and Baron, builds this rubato tone poem to its clear climax...and suggests another definer of this wonderful quartet: its capacity for evoking broad dynamic contrasts with, sometimes, the subtlest of gestures.

Copland's delicate touch and use of his instrument's pedals to create even more expansive harmonies has long been a measure of his best work; a touchstone that fits, hand-in-glove, with Abercrombie's similarly less-traveled voicings and soft attack, the latter stemming from his move, in the mid-'90s, from plectrum to his thumb's yielding flesh. Together, the pair evoke remarkable strength without ever resorting to the obvious; both have managed to create instantly recognizable yet never predictable approaches that rely on a deeper melodic and harmonic language rather than more obvious signatures. But as soft and lush as their collaborative sound is and as much as it sometimes feels necessary to almost lean forward to fully capture their work that shouldn't suggest that Abercrombie's quartet lacks muscle. The guitarist's more buoyant "Flipside" another miniature that doesn't even break the three-minute mark swings with powerful fluidity, its theme once again iterated in ever-so-slightly staggered fashion by the guitarist and pianist before Gress and Baron enter, the bassist walking hard and Baron delicately driving the brief solos with a persistent quarter-note cymbal pulse...but punctuated, on his snare and toms, as empathically as they are joy-filled. Anyone who has seen Baron in performance knows that a smile and sometimes flat-out laughter never seems to leave his face, as he approaches whatever music he's playing with a kind of reckless exhilaration, flexible interpretation and sheer joy that's rarely so visible in concert...and is, indeed, absolutely audible on record as well.

In an LP-length program that brings together five Abercrombie compositions with two contributions from Copland, it's particularly gratifying to hear this quartet approach Miles Davis' classic "Nardis" a song that the guitarist has played often but never recorded under his own name. It is, perhaps, the best example of how inimitably Abercrombie, Copland, Gress and Baron collaborate; following a rubato intro, even when the group begins to play in tempo and irrespective of this often-played song's melody the quartet's loose, open-ended and surprise-laden approach renders this most familiar of compositions as unpredictable as anything else to be found on the record. Yes, the changes are always there: sometimes more direct, other times so subtly intimated as to be barely recognizable; and yet, when Abercrombie, Copland and Baron solo, their allegiance to the song's heart is paradoxically crystal clear while, at the same time, being somehow opaque. All of these qualities characterize Up and Coming's entire 48-minutes duration, from Abercrombie's abstract yet melody-rich "Jumbles," waltz-time "Sunday School" and ambling title track to Copland's darker, more dramatic "Tears" (featuring a particularly memorable solo from Gress) and "Silver Circle" the album's most unfettered and impressive example of everything that makes this group so special. Beginning with an open vamp, largely driven by Gress, it ultimately resolves into another singable but uncommon melody, setting up modal-based and motif-driven opportunities for both Abercrombie who lends Up and Coming its only hint of grit with some slight overdrive and Copland, who demonstrates that a soft touch can, indeed, possess plenty of inner strength.

All told, it may be Abercrombie's shortest album since his 1990 trio with Vince Mendoza and Jon Christensen, Animato; but like that often (and unfairly) overlooked album, Up and Coming's brief duration only renders it more appealing, like the perfect live performance that leaves an audience sated but, at the same time, hungry for more. That Copland has finally, in the past few years, found his way to ECM in addition to Abercrombie, with bassist Gary Peacock, whose Now This (ECM, 2015), also featuring Baron, was one of the year's best recordings seems, in retrospect, not only inevitable but overdue. The quartet Abercrombie has shared with Copland and Gress for over two decades, irrespective of who is listed as the leader, is finally being recorded with the clarity and transparency it deserves, while the creative input provided by label head/producer Manfred Eicher drives the music in directions it might not otherwise go.
All of which make Up and Coming, ECM's first record of 2017, a success on all fronts. This is a group whose collaborative capabilities have only strengthened over the years, growing deeper and more telepathic. Of the tradition while, at the same time, challenging it with a unique and instantly recognizable combination of grace-filled subtlety, rich melodism, improvisational élan, mitochondrial chemistry and a profound harmonic language, Up and Coming starts 2017 with an album that is already a strong contender for its year-end best-of lists. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/john-abercrombie-quartet-up-and-coming-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: John Abercrombie: guitar; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Up And Coming

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Marc Copland - Another Place

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:22
Size: 139,1 MB
Art: Front

(10:47)  1. Like You
(11:31)  2. River Bend
( 5:47)  3. Dark Horse
( 7:19)  4. Car Blue Lady
(10:08)  5. Another Place
( 7:18)  6. Ballad In Two Keys
( 7:27)  7. Everything I Love

It's taken nearly a lifetime for British pianist John Taylor to receive the credit he's due. While still underappreciated in his own country, Marc Copland does seem to be pushing his way through the morass of American pianists to a position of greater prominence. With a discography that gets better every year, Copland approaching sixty, but looking a decade younger is, with little fuss but relentless persistence, emerging as an artist of significance, with a leading voice and compositional approach. Copland has had many great groups over the years, one being his longstanding trio with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Jochen Ruckert, last heard on Some Love Songs (Pirouet, 2005). One of his best outside the piano trio format was the quartet responsible for Second Look (Savoy Jazz, 1996). More than a decade later Copland has reconvened guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Billy Hart for Another Place, an album that retains the magic of Second Look while reflecting the many changes that have taken place in the ensuing years. In 1996 Gress was still a relative up-and-comer, though he'd already established significant links with artists ranging from Fred Hersch to Erik Friedlander and Ben Monder. Now an increasingly in-demand player, he's a leader in his own right, with 7 Black Butterflies (Premonition) one of 2005's best releases. Here he contributes "Dark Horse," a soft-spoken tune with a deceptively simple veneer of ascending chords that, nevertheless, provides Abercrombie and Copland an opportunity to develop statements as much about texture and ambience as unmistakable melody. Copland, while retaining his signature ethereal harmonic ambiguity, builds a solo of unexpected and understated power.

Hart one of the busiest drummers on the scene brings a personal sense of time and swing, always sounding like himself while allowing every group he's in to build its own identity. On the album's sole standard, Cole Porter's "Everything I Love," Hart's gentle pulse keeps things in the mainstream, while pushing and probing with a delicate but persistent ride cymbal that focuses the entire group. But the real magic is the interaction between Copland and Abercrombie, two players who go right back to the 1970s loft scene, when Copland was still an altoist. Friendship and years of intersection have created a deep simpatico, allowing them to simultaneously lead and follow, with Copland's dark "Like You" dependent on their working through its lengthy head with the perfect balance of togetherness and interpretive looseness. Even more atmospheric than Second Look, the free intro to Abercrombie's "River Bend" succeeds only because everyone is playing with ears wide open. Still, there's a strength about Another Place too, with the core of "River Bend" approaching folkloric territory with a firm rhythm. But even when an unexpected swing emerges, it's only a signpost, a rallying point around which the group can coalesce before heading into more rarefied terrain. It's a place that's increasingly becoming home for Copland, and in its accessible yet oftentimes gossamer-like delicacy, one deserving greater attention. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/another-place-marc-copland-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano; John Abercrombie: guitar; Drew Gress: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Another Place

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Ron McClure Sextet - Double Triangle

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:43
Size: 167,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:45)  1. In Flight
( 7:04)  2. Night Bird
( 5:20)  3. Con Alma
( 9:12)  4. Thunder
( 4:42)  5. More Than a Notion
( 4:20)  6. Let Freedom Ring
( 9:32)  7. Minor Spree
( 9:16)  8. Maya
(11:06)  9. April in Nimes
( 6:24) 10. We'll Be Together Again

As a vehicle for documenting his original compositions, veteran mainstream jazz bassist McClure envisions his sextet as a double triangle of rhythm section (he, pianist Marc Copland and drummer Billy Hart) and front line (Rich Perry on tenor sax, Tim Hagans on trumpet, Conrad Herwig on trombone) to work as one. With such outstanding musicianship present, and the interesting pieces they have to play with, listeners have a real treat involving themselves with this finely crafted project. There are two standards, the trombone-led ballad "We'll Be Together Again" and Dizzy Gillespie's easy swinger "Con Alma," on which Herwig is up first, Perry grabs the baton on the second and repeated first melody, and the whole group joins at the end. Leader's prerogative dictates that McClure solos frequently; he does on the known numbers, but takes more license on his own. He is dominant for "In Flight" in the intro and up front through the entire, even-tempo horn chart. "Night Bird" has him long-winded in the deliberately paced undertow of hushed melody he adapted from Herbie Hancock's "Speak Like a Child." McClure also modified Joe Henderson's "Gazelle" into "Thunder" with juggernaut trombone and bass; the rest of the horns stay on top of this well-swung melody, which is concluded with the band employing potent interplay. Swinging and especially blowing from Perry is emphasized on the Jazz Messenger-ish "Minor Spree"; a steady rhythm for "More Than a Notion" allows the horns to languish in multiple lines, while freer, darker structures and Hagans' tasteful solo inspires a pounding Hart in mid-flight during "Let Freedom Ring." Another feature for Perry, "April in Nimes," has "April in Paris" references during a wonderful tenor-bass-piano unison line, and "Maya," written for McClure's daughter, goes from waltz to 4/4 bridge time with darker trombone, clarion echoes, and Copland's always colorful piano inserts. McClure has long been underrecognized as a fine bassist, improviser, bandleader and writer. This very fine CD should start to wake the jazz world to his many gifts. Highly recommended.~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/double-triangle-mw0000259830

Personnel:  Ron McClure: Bass, Tim Hagens: Trumpet; Conrad Herwig: Trombone; Rich Perry: Tenor Saxophone; Marc Copland: Piano; Billy Hart: Drums.

Double Triangle

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Ron McClure - Dream Team

Styles: Jazz, Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:25
Size: 165,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Denial's Goat
(10:59)  2. Dream Team
( 9:35)  3. One Of Us
(12:41)  4. Darius Dance
( 7:20)  5. A Song Of Love
( 7:28)  6. Tango
( 7:39)  7. Gaijin
( 9:36)  8. Aftermath

It would be hard to argue with bassist and leader Ron McClure when he assesses the musicians assembled here as being a “dream team”. Drummer Billy Hart alone guarantees the success of just about any record date he is a part of, while pianist Marc Copland has recently been turning heads with his own acclaimed series of Savoy dates. The ringer here is likely to be tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, at long last getting his due thanks to a viable gig with bandleader Maria Schneider and his own superlative SteepleChase discs. What we have here are eight modern originals penned by McClure (albeit one cut written by Copland) that have been tailor-made for the ensemble on deck. Perry’s virile and ingenious solo work is of great interest throughout, as are Copland’s expansive forays. McClure judiciously spreads his solo time throughout the set, while Hart colors each composition with a style that is marked by his innovative use of cymbal colors and textures. No need here to go into boundless track-by-track detail, except to say that fans of McClure’s mainstream fare will no doubt revel in this latest set to see an American release.~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/dream-team-ron-mcclure-steeplechase-records-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Ron McClure- bass, Rich Perry- tenor saxophone, Marc Copland- piano, Billy Hart- drums

Dream Team

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Marc Copland, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler - That's for Sure

Styles: Piano, Guitar And Trumpet Jazz 
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:22
Size: 134,2 MB
Art: Front

(8:14)  1. When We Met
(7:49)  2. That's for Sure
(6:49)  3. Kind Folk
(6:08)  4. Soundtrack
(6:21)  5. Played Straight
(8:05)  6. Dark Territory
(6:46)  7. How Deep Is the Ocean
(5:13)  8. # 114
(2:54)  9. Neba

The Netherlands-based Challenge label has brought together three masters of the art of harmonious jazz. While overall the album leans toward the avant-garde side of the genre, these e three protagonists are wise enough to make their music sufficiently accessible so that the regular run of the mill jazz fan, as well as those more advanced, can get equal pleasure from it. Kenny Wheeler's "Neba" for example, is a lovely ballad where the trumpet plays slightly off center adding a little more bite to the ballad. John Abercrombie's pensive sometimes moody guitar adds a dark hue to those cuts he is prominent on. In some cases, Marc Copland plays a foil to that mood with his sprightly piano playing, a role he assumes on other tracks as well, like the sun breaking if not through the clouds, then through the haze. This contrast in temperament is apparent on the title tune, "That's for Sure". All but one of the items on the play list are originals written by one of the members of the trio. The other is Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean". Throughout, the players create a musical vignette with each tune. Sometimes the depiction is meditative as on "Kind Folk" and there's probably no player around who is able to create a trumpet sound as Wheeler is able to do. Other places it's a bit, but not much more, lively such as on "Soundtrack". The bottom line with this album to write this is almost apostasy these days when attractive is considered passe this is very pretty music beautifully played by three highly skilled and sensitive musicians. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/thats-for-sure-challenge-records-review-by-dave-nathan.php 
 

Personnel: Marc Copland - Piano; John Abercrombie - Guitar; Kenny Wheeler - Trumpet/Flugelhorn

That's for Sure

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Steve LaSpina - New Horizon

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:20
Size: 136,4 MB
Art: Front

(1:07)  1. Folksong
(6:05)  2. You Can't Go Back
(8:50)  3. Socks
(4:01)  4. Behind You
(7:13)  5. Reunion
(4:36)  6. Vicki's Dream
(4:54)  7. Morning Run
(8:49)  8. Don't Ask
(6:19)  9. New Horizon
(7:21) 10. Folksong

Born Steven Frank LaSpina, 24 March 1954, Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. As a child LaSpina studied with his bass playing father although he had to wait until he was tall enough before he had the reach for the upright acoustic instrument. He subsequently studied at university and in Chicago with bass master, Rufus Reid. It was in Chicago that he first played professionally, working from the age of 15 with musicians such as Bunky Green and Larry Novak. In the mid- to late 70s LaSpina was a member of Chet Baker’s band, worked with Red Norvo, and also appeared with Marian McPartland, a collaboration that extended into the mid-80s and included recordings such as Personal Choice. Based in New York City from the end of the 70s, LaSpina also played with Mel Lewis’ big band, Stan Getz, and at different times with guitarists Jim Hall, Mary Osborne, Jack Wilkins, and Vic Juris. He also worked with Andy LaVerne, Dave Liebman, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Benny Carter, and Bob Brookmeyer, among many. LaSpina has worked with numerous singers over the years, among them Bill Henderson, Mark Murphy, Susannah McCorkle, Michael Feinstein, and Carol Sloane. 

For several years LaSpina taught bass and improvisation at New York University and other seats of learning. LaSpina is an accomplished composer and his recording sessions as leader feature much of his own relaxed and tuneful music. On these dates, the band is usually a quartet with regular members being Billy Drewes (saxophone), Marc Copland or Jim McNeely (piano), and Jeff Hirshfield (drums). In addition to playing the upright acoustic bass LaSpina also plays electric bass, both fretted and fretless. His playing is fluid, technically assured, and provides lift and drive to the bands in which he plays. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-laspina-mn0000036650/biography

Personnel:  Steve LaSpina - bass;  Billy Drewes - sax;  Marc Copland - piano; Jeff Hirshfield  - drums

New Horizon

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Marc Copland - Time Within Time

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 143,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. Some Other Time (C major)
(5:58)  2. River's Run
(5:22)  3. Pirouette
(6:06)  4. Footprints
(3:31)  5. Some Other Time (D flat major)
(6:03)  6. Time Was
(8:09)  7. Round She Goes
(5:52)  8. Django
(3:12)  9. Some Other Time (G major)
(6:30) 10. All Blues
(5:30) 11. You Can't Go Home Again
(3:18) 12. Some Other Time (C major)

Solo recordings have their risks and rewards. Risks, because the artist is laid completely bare, with nothing to fall back on but his or her own abilities; rewards because there is the greatest opportunity for pure and unencumbered expression. While Time Within Time is not pianist Marc Copland's first solo release which was the '01 Sketch release Poetic Motion it does give one the opportunity to assess the continued evolution of a pianist who, quietly and without any fuss, is emerging as one of the most significant pianists of the last twenty years. Part of the reason for this emergence has to do with the number of releases Copland has been putting out since '00. With Time Within Time and his new trio disc with guitarist John Abercrombie and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Brand New, representing his 12th and 13th releases as a leader or co-leader in the past five years, and new trio and quartet discs in the offing for later this year, Copland's exposure has never been greater. And yet, while he is as meaningful an artist as Brad Mehldau, for example, he remains in lower profile, without the same level of recognition.

Time Within Time utilizes a conceit familiar to fans of Copland's earlier Hatology discs, using multiple interpretations of the same tune to subdivide the album into chapters of sorts. On Haunted Heart and Other Ballads it was "My Favourite Things; on And... it was Paul Simon's "Old Friends"; and now, to tie into the "time" theme, Copland uses the Leonard Bernstein composition "Some Other Time." Copland's four readings demonstrate an increasing penchant for abstract impressionism, a characteristic that defines much of the recording. While the almost iconically familiar theme is never far from the surface, Copland surrounds it with more oblique harmonies and spacious textures, giving each interpretation its own complexion. In fact, while Copland's reputation for lyricism and romanticism remains intact, in particular on his renditions of the John Lewis classic "Django" and Don Sebesky's sentimental "You Can't Go Home Again," elsewhere he demonstrates a more abstruse side. The original composition "River's Run" may be a blues, but it's so harmonically altered as to be nearly unrecognizable as one. And when Copland looks at two widely recorded classics, also blues Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" and Miles Davis' "All Blues" while he is clearly true to their essence, he liberally reharmonizes them, taking them both to darker places. In contrast to solo works by Keith Jarrett and Mehldau, whose recent Live in Tokyo included a twenty-minute stream-of-consciousness "Paranoid Android," Copland works more in miniature, never running the risk of overstaying his welcome. And, as much as improvisation is an unequivocal component, Copland always works within a structure. Still, he exploits, to great effect, the ability to be freer with time than is possible in larger group contexts; possibly the meaning behind the title. Time Within Time is a rich and hauntingly beautiful recording from an artist whose eye is always on the core of song, and whose formidable abilities are always the means, never the end. ~ John Kelman  https://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-within-time-marc-copland-hatology-review-by-john-kelman.php
 

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano.

Time Within Time

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Tim Hagans - Beautiful Lily

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:48
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:55)  1. Prologue
(7:33)  2. Space Dozen
(8:10)  3. Beautiful Lily
(5:51)  4. Doyle's Foil
(2:11)  5. Interlude I
(8:43)  6. The Sun At The Zenith
(5:38)  7. Buck Eyes
(2:06)  8. Interlude II
(8:54)  9. Footprints
(7:56) 10. Emazing
(1:45) 11. Epilogue

While he's been by no means inactive, it's been six years since trumpeter Tim Hagans released his last album, Re-Animation: Live in Montreal, which found him exploring his own version of electronica/fusion. Beautiful Lily returns him to a mainstream acoustic setting, but with his stellar quartet featuring pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Bill Stewart it's anything but conventional. Hagans and Copland have crossed paths before, most notably on Copland's Softly (Savoy, 1997) also featuring Stewart and on their duet disc Between the Lines (Steeplechase, 2001), which put their clear chemistry front and center. Clearly they share much in common, but under Hagans' leadership Copland is a considerably more outgoing player than he has been on his own recent releases, including the trio recording Some Love Songs (Pirouet, 2005) and his profoundly moving solo album Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005). 

Still, there's no question that Hagans' more extroverted approach and Copland's more introverted abstraction do cross-pollinate. The four duet tracks that bookend and break up the quartet tracks "Prologue," "Interlude I," "Interlude II," and "Epilogue" are all relatively dark-hued and oblique. Copland's 5/4 tone poem "The Sun at the Zenith" is equally somber, revolving around a haunting bass pattern but retaining Copland's obscure melodic sense and sparsely played but nevertheless dense harmonics. Hagans' "Space Dozen" is also based on an elliptical bass line and more obscure harmonies, but Gress and Stewart give it a little more swing. Both Hagan's title track and "Emazing" are closer to the center, and offer gentle Latin references, but in the hands of Copland, Gress, and Stewart the allusion is less obvious and more suggestive, with Hagans' solos economical and lyrical. In contrast, Copland's "Doyle's Foil" is a spirited swinger that gives Hagans the chance to demonstrate a greater range, especially after Copland's solo, where Hagans and Stewart go it alone during one of the disc's most energetic moments.

Hagans favours a warm, vibrato-less sound, but he's more Woody Shaw than Miles. On the boppish "Buck Eyes" he proves, like Kenny Wheeler, that it's possible to aim for the high notes without being brash, although he avoids the huge intervallic jumps that so strongly define Wheeler's approach. Beautiful Lily marks the third time that Copland has been heard covering Wayne Shorter's classic "Footprints" this year. But while his own solo and trio versions were as enigmatic as Shorter himself, Hagans' quartet arrangement straddles the fence between mystery and clarity. Beautiful Lily's mainstream approach is nevertheless considerably left of center. In part it's the material both Hagans and Copland are more modernistic in their harmonic and rhythmic ideas. 

But equally it's the interpretation of the quartet, especially Gress' and Stewart's open-minded approach which maintains a pulse without beating you over the head with it. Proof positive that the mainstream can retain a sense of adventure and contemporary edge, Beautiful Lily is also a welcome return for Hagans as a leader. Let's hope we don't have to wait another six years for the followup. ~ John Kelman  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/beautiful-lily-tim-hagans-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Tim Hagans: trumpet; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Bill Stewart: drums.

Beautiful Lily

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