Marc Copland: Alter Ego Lausanne 2022

Pianist Marc Copland began his jazz journey playing the alto saxophone. It was an electric alto saxophone. Plugged-in saxophones are not heard much in jazz. And that is a shame. It seems like a good idea, juicing up the horn and making new sounds. But Copland soon found this way of making music limiting. He went to the piano—not an easy switch. But he pulled it off, big time. His saxophone days were in the 1970s. His began a fruitful piano journey—recording wise—in 1988, with My Foolish Heart (Jazz City), a trio outing featuring bassist Gary Peacock and guitarist John Abercrombie, with Jeff Hirshfield sitting in on drums. This set became a template of sorts for a large segment of Copland's future outings with Abercrombie and Peacock and others, diving deep into explorations of melody on his compositions and those of others, notably the standards—and embracing harmonic sophistication at a genius level.

Near four decades after his debut recording Copland sits atop a marvelous discography of almost 50 albums as a leader. A good percentage of these come close to a 'masterpiece' level: 2009's Insight (Pirouet Records), the three New York Trio Recordings on Pirouet Records, released in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and Nightfall (2017), Gary (2018) and John (2020), all on his InnerVoice jazz label.

Copland's sound in his trio and solo outings is diaphanous—pastel curtains wafting away from the walls on a cool breeze. His supple touch is a thing of exquisite beauty. His treatment of melody—familiar or not so familiar—is unsurpassed, equaled only by a small and elite group of fellow pianists—Bill Evans, Kenny Werner, Frank Kimbrough, Enrico Pieranunzi, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch.

With Alter Ego: Lausanne 2022 Copland doubles down—to borrow a phrase often connected to a reprobate politician—on his solo piano mode by duetting with himself, laying down an initial track then improvising over it.

It is the same Copland sound, times two, richer and denser, but still containing a lightness, like another curtain layer of the same fabric as the first one, colorful and made of a thin fabric, hung over the original set, wafting on the same wind, not in perfect synchronicity but dancing with the same angels' wings-like purpose.

Copland and Copland explore Thelonious Monk ("'Round Midnight" and "Let's Cool One"), John Coltrane ("Crescent"), Richard Rodgers ("Glad To Be Unhappy"), his old running mate Abercrombie ("Another Ralph's") and Ron Carter ("Eighty-One"), a couple of his originals. The sound quality is excellent (so necessary on a piano album) and Copland is in top form in front of a studio audience (sitting in for the overdubbing) not heard until the final tune, "Some Other Time," from the pen of Leonard Bernstein.

Put Alter Ego: Lausanne 2022 into the 'essential Marc Copland' category.