Marc Copland solo
Marc Copland Trio: with Drew Gress (bass) / Billy Drummond (drums)
Marc Copland Quartet: with Robin Verheyen (sax) / Drew Gress (bass) / Mark Ferber (drums)
Marc Copland Quartet: with Mark Feldman (violin) / Drew Gress (bass) / drummer TBA
Marc Copland Quartet: with Jean-Charles Richard (sax) / Stephane Kerecki (bass) / Daniel Humair (drums)
Copland became part of the jazz scene in Philadelphia in the early 1960s as a saxophonist, and later moved to New York City, 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.
Copland was born on May 27, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began taking piano 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. 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.
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 Belden, 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 Sohot. His rio and quartet gigs and were 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.
In the 1990s, on the recommendation of Peter Erskine 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 Bob Berg. Because of the limited distribution in the U.S. 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.
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 from 2000 to 2006 can be divided into solo piano work, duos, trios, and quartets.
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. In Poetic Motion, references to Bill Zavatsky‘s poem of the same title are everywhere. 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.
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. A final duo release from this period featured Copland in duets with another pianist with a harmonically advanced bent, the American Bill Carrothers: Perhaps the album most responsible for opening the door to wider public acceptance for Copland during the new millennium was his return to the trio format with his regular working band of the period, with Drew Gress 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, and USA and 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.
In the nineties, Copland wrote and arranged extensively for his quintet and quartet; he returned to this format with four CDs in the 2000s.
During this period Copland recorded exclusively for Pirouet. His output during this period included mostly trios, but also duos, quartets, and a quintet album. 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 the three-volume “NY Trio Series”; he later returned to the trio of Gress and Rueckert for “Some More Love Songs.”
Booking in collaborazione con NAM Music Agency
Discografia
“ZENITH” – MARC COPLAND QUARTET – InnerVoiceJazz (IVJ 101, 2016)
Copland (p), Ralph Alessi (tp), Drew Gress (b), Joey Baron (dr)
Sun at the Zenith / Mystery Song / Air We’ve Never Breathed / Waterfall / Best Bet / Hurricane
“NOW THIS” – GARY PEACOCK TRIO – ECM (2015)
Copland (p), Gary Peacock (b), Joey Baron (dr)
Gaia / Shadows / This / And Now / Esprit de Muse / Moor / No Blues / Christa / Vignette / Gloria’s Step / Requiem
“39 STEPS” – JOHN ABERCROMBIE QUARTET – ECM (2013)
Abercrombie (g), Marc Copland (p), Drew Gress (b), Joey Baron (dr)
Vertigo / LST / Bachrach / Greenstreet / As it Stands / Spellbound / Another Ralph’s / Shadow of a Doubt / 39 Steps / Melancholy Baby
“SOME MORE LOVE SONGS” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – Pirouet (2013)
Copland (p), Drew Gress (b), Jochen Rueckert (dr)
I don’t know where I stand / My funny valentine / Eighty-one / Rainbow’s end / I’ve got you under my skin / I remember you / When I fall in lov
“SPEAK TO ME” – COPLAND & ABERCROMBIE DUO – Pirouet (2013)
Copland (p), Abercrombie (g)
Left behind / Speak to me / Seven / If I should lose you / Blues conntations So Long / Falling again / Talkin blues / Witchcraft
“CROSSTALK” – COPLAND, OSBY, WEISS, LEWIS – Pirouet (2011)
Marc Copland (p), Greg Osby (as), Doug Weiss (b), Victor Lewis (dr)
Talkin’ Blues / Diary of the Same Dream / Ozz-thetic / Tenderly / Crosstalk / Slow Hand / Hey It’s Me You’re Talkin’ to / Three Four Civility / Minority
“ALONE” – COPLAND PIANO SOLO – Pirouet (2010)
Marc Copland (p)
Soul Eyes / I Don’t Know Where I Stand / Night Whispers / Into The Silence / Rainy Night House / I Should Care / Fall / Blackboard / Michael From Mountain / Hi Li Hi Lo
“INSIGHT” – COPLAND & PEACOCK DUO – Pirouet (2009)
Marc Copland (p), Gary Peacock (b)
All Blues / The Wanderer / Blue In Green / Rush Hour / River’s Run / Matterhorn / The Pond / Goes Out Comes In / Late Night / Cavatina / In Your Own Sweet Way / Benediction / Sweet And Lovely
“NIGHT WHISPERS/NY TRIO RECORDINGS VOL. 3” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – Pirouet (2009)
Marc Copland (p), Drew Gress (b), Bill Stewart (dr)
Emily / The Bell Tolls / Night Whisperers / Emily / So What / Like It Never Was / Space Acres / Emily / Scattered Leaves / I Fall In Love Too Easily
“ANOTHER PLACE” – MARC COPLAND QUARTET – Pirouet (2008)
Marc Copland (p), John Abercrombie (g), Drew Gress (b), Billy Hart (dr)
Like You / River Bend / Dark Horse / Car Blue Lady / Another Place / Ballad In Two Keys / Everything I Love
“VOICES/NY TRIO RECORDINGS VOL. 2” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – Pirouet (2007)
Marc Copland (p), Gary Peacock (b), Paul Motian (dr)
Vignette / Albert / River’s Run / Voices / Runner / That’s it? / All Blues / At Night
“MODINHA/NY TRIO RECORDINGS, VOL. I” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – (Pirouet PIT3018, 2006)
Marc Copland(p) / Gary Peacock (b) / Bill Stewart (dr)
Half a Finger Snap / Modinha / Flat Out / Rain / Slap Happy / Sweet Peach Tree / Aglasia / Yesterdays / Taking a Chance on Love
“BOTH/AND” – (Nagel-Heyer 2067, 2006)
Marc Copland (p) / Randy Brecker (tp, fl) /Ed Howard (b) / Victor Lewis (dr)
Through the Widnow / I Loves You Porgy / Over the Hills / The Sidewinder / Both / And / Around the Horn / When the Wind Stops / Bookends
“NO CHOICE” – COPLAND AND CARROTHERS PIANO DUETS – (Minium MIN004, 2006)
Marc Copland (p), Bill Carrothers (p)
Lonely woman / You and the Night and the Music / The Needle and the Damage Done / Dim Some / Take the A Train/Blue in Green (Chorale) / Blue in Green (Theme and Variations) / Masqualero / Bemsha Swing / Lonely Woman
“SOME LOVE SONGS” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – (Pirouet PIT3015, 2005)
Marc Copland (p) / Drew Gress (b) / Jochen Rueckert (dr)
Rainy Night House / Round She Goes / Time Was / Glad to be Unhappy / Spartacus Love Theme / Footprints / My Foolish Heart
“TIME WITHIN TIME” – SOLO PIANO – (Hatology 619, 2005)
Marc Copland (p)
Some Other Time (C Major) / River’s Run / Pirouette / Footprints / Some Other Time (D flat Major) / Time Was / Round She Goes / Django / Some Other Time (G Major) / All Blues / You Can’t Go Home Again / Some Other Time (C Major)
“BRAND NEW” – (Challenge CHR 70122)
Marc Copland (p) / John Abercrombie (g) / Kenny Wheeler (tpt & flugel)
Monk Spring / Lights Out / Jive Samba / Reach for that Other Place / Take Four / Brand New / Odyssey / Watching Simona / Taking a Chance on Love
“WHAT IT SAYS” – DUO WITH GARY PEACOCK – (Sketch 333040, 2004)
Marc Copland (p), Gary Peacock (b)
Ladder / Vignette / Watching the Silence / Around in the Air / Colors of Hue / Talkin’ Blues / Calls and Answers / In a Dance / From the Well / Skim / Requiem / Vignette (solo)
“NIGHT CALL” – DUO WITH GREG OSBY – (Nagel Heyer 2048, 2004)
Marc Copland (p), Greg Osby (as)
Autumn Wind / Cyrille in Motion / Echoes of Another / Night Call / Cire / Skippin’ Around / A Time Ago / Forge / Soul Eyes
“MARC COPLAND AND …” – MARC COPLAND – (Hatology, 2003)
Michael Brecker (ts) / John Abercrombie, (g) / Drew Gress (b) / Jochen Rueckert (dr)
Old Friends / See You Again / Blue in Green / Balloonman / Old Friends 2 / Air Conditioning / Spring Song / Canteloupe Island / You and the Night and the Music / Old Friends 3
“ROUND AND ROUND” – DUO WITH GREG OSBY – (Nagel Heyer, 2003)
Marc Copland (p), Greg Osby (as)
Silent Attitude / Balloonman / Round She Goes / Mentor’s Praise / Whatever the Moon / The Wizard / Copious / Deed-Lee-Yah / Easy Living
“BOOKENDS” – COPLAND / LIEBMAN DUO – (Hatology 2-587, 2002)
Marc Copland (p) / David Liebman (ts, ss)
CD 1: Bookends I / The Searcher / Blackboard / Lester Leaps In / When Your Smilin’ / In Your Own Sweet Way / Nadir / Bookends II
CD 2: Cry Want / Maiden Voyage / Impressions / WTC / Blue in Green
“POETIC MOTION” – MARC COPLAND, SOLO PIANO – (Sketch 333020, 2001)
Marc Copland (p)
Second Sight / Blackboard / Not Going Gently / Nevertheless / Spartacus Love Theme / When We Met / Bittersweet Road / Dark Territory / Naima
“LUNAR” – MARC COPLAND – (Hatology 583, 2001)
Marc Copland (p) / David Liebman (ts, ss) / Mike McGuirk, (b) / Tony Martucci (dr)
Cry Want / Lunar / Pirouette / You and the Night and the Music / All That’s Left / Standoff / Brother Ernesto / Naima
“HAUNTED HEART AND OTHER BALLADS” – MARC COPLAND TRIO – (Hatology 581, 2001)
Marc Copland (p) / Drew Gress (b) / Jochen Rueckert (dr)
My Favorite Things 1 / Crescent / Dark Territory / Greensleeves / When We Dance / My Favorite Things2 / Soul Eyes / It Ain’t Necessarily So / Easy to Love / Haunted Heart / My Favorite Things 3
“THAT’S FOR SURE” – A COOPERATIVE TRIO – (Challenge Records 70098, 1999)
Marc Copland (p) / John Abercrombie (g) / Kenny Wheeler (tp)
That’s for Sure / Haunted / Neba / How Deep is the Ocean / One Fourteen / New Song / Kind Folk / Monk’s Spring / Dark Territory / Played Straight
“DOUBLE PLAY” – (Steeplechase 31509, 2001)
Marc Copland (p) / Vic Juris (g)
Who Can I Turn To / I Loves You Porgy / Dark Territory / Stella by Starlight / Vaults / Jive Samba / I Concentrate On You / Blackbird / Twenty-Five / Con Alma
“BETWEEN THE LINES” – (Steeplechase 31-488, 2000)
Marc Copland (p) / Tim Hagans (tp)
Nefertiti / Passing Giants / Three in One / I Loves You Porgy / When Will the Blues Leave / Estate / Green Dolphin Street / Rainy Night House / Canteloupe Island
“SOFTLY” – (Savoy / Denon CY10876, 1998)
Mike Brecker (ts), Joe Lovano (ts), Tim Hagans (tp), Gary Peacock (b), Bill Stewart (dr)
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise / I Love You / Country Home / So In Love / Blue / What’s Goin On / Not a Ballad / Three Stories / My Foolish Heart
“SECOND LOOK” – (Savoy / Denon CY18001, 1996)
John Abercrombie (g), Drew Gress (b), Billy Hart (dr)
Second Look / Happy Stance / Timeless / Snowfall / Au Privave / Dark Territory / Suite Sixteen / Amie / If I Should Lose You
“STOMPIN’ WITH SAVOY” – (Savoy / Denon CY75853, 1995)
Randy Brecker (t), Bob Berg (ts), James Genus (b), Dennis Chambers (dr)
Equinox / I Got Rhythm / I Loves You Porgy / Footprints / Easy to Love / Lover Man / Woody’n You / Blue in Green / One Finger Snap / All Blues
“PARADISO” – (Soul Note 121283-2, 1995)
Marc Copland (p) / Gary Peacock (b), Billy Hart (dr)
Bloomdido / Billy’s Bounce / Hiding Place / Lovers and Other Strangers / Lover Man / Dark Territory / But Not Forgotten / Paradiso
“SONGS WITHOUT END” – (Jazz City Spirit TKCB-70405, 1994)
Marc Copland (p) / Ralph Towner (g)
Nardis / Zingaro / Tern / Goodbye / Freebop / All That’s Left / Jamaica Stopover / Snowfall / Blue in Green
“NEVER AT ALL” – (Future Music Records 05-28193, 1992)
Copland, piano and string synthesizers with Stan Sulzmann, winds
Sirens of the Deep / Never at All / New-ness / Rainforest / Harri / Phobos and Diemos / Eris / Journey / Guinevere
“AT NIGHT” – (Sunnyside 1059D, 1992)
Gary Peacock (b), Billy Hart (dr)
All That’s Left / Estate / All of You / At Night / Trading Places / Rain / Milestones / Masqualero
“ALL BLUES AT NIGHT” – (Jazz City PCCY00244, 1989)
Tim Hagans (tp), Gary Peacock (b), Bill Stewart (dr)
On Green Dolphin Street / All Blues / At Night / Lunar / Estate / For the Music / Think Before you Think / My One and Only Love
“MY FOOLISH HEART” – (Jazz City D28Y0206, 1988)
John Abercrombie (g), Gary Peacock (b), Jeff Hershfield (dr)
Snowfall / My Foolish Heart / Walkin’ / So Long Age / I Fall in Love Too Easily / When Will the Blues Leave / At Night / Mash / Just In Time / In Blue