Jazz Articles about Marc Copland

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Marc Copland: Some Love Songs

by John Kelman
September 19, 2005

Were almost any other artist to put out an album called Some Love Songs, we might expect an album filled with saccharine sentimentality and syrupy romance. When pianist Marc Copland does it, though, chances are its going to be a lot more like the reality of love--complex and multifaceted, as bittersweet as it is tender, and as ambiguous as it is unmistakable.

For his third release this year--following the interactive chamber jazz of Brand New and the hauntingly beautiful solo ...

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Marc Copland/John Abercrombie/Kenny Wheeler: Brand New

by Eyal Hareuveni
May 3, 2005

Pianist Marc Copland, guitarist John Abercrombie, and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler need no introduction. Each is a truly original improviser with an individual voice, and all three are established leaders in their own right. They have collaborated through the years in various formations, most recently as a trio on That's for Sure, recorded by the same Dutch label, Challenge, four years ago.

The aptly titled Brand New is a remarkable masterpiece from great musicians who always opt for the ...

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Marc Copland: Growth Through Collaboration

by John Kelman
April 11, 2005

Pianist Marc Copland is one of those rare artists who have had a shot at two careers in music. Starting out as a saxophonist in the '70s, he would ultimately put down the instrument and move exclusively to the piano, the instrument that has ultimately defined his career, as he developed a style as distinctive in its attention to detail as it is in its innate lyricism that, nevertheless, always avoids the obvious. Copland is a truly ...

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Marc Copland: Time Within Time

by John Kelman
March 31, 2005

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 ...

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Marc Copland and Greg Osby: Night Call

by Clifford Allen
October 31, 2004

The duet is a difficult beast; depending on the circumstances and the players involved, it can be a powerful display of improvisational ability or a lesser statement. With Night Call, a somewhat low-key but still fairly free-wheeling set of duets, pianist Marc Copland and alto saxophonist Greg Osby have created a rather personal document. Copland began his career working with Chico Hamilton in the 1970s and has since worked regularly with saxophonist Dave Liebman and Osby, among others.

The set ...

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Marc Copland with Greg Osby: Night Call

by John Kelman
September 25, 2004

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, ...

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Marc Copland: Night Call

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
September 17, 2004

Although the piano is my favorite instrument, it can be tricky for me to identify who's playing it. For most pianists, it may take several choruses before I can pinpoint their style or sound; it often comes down to a choice among several similar players. (Reading all those blindfold tests where even The Stars hem and haw, I feel freer to confess this critical fallibility.) In my experience, there's only a small percentage who are so distinctive as to be ...