Dreaming by Marc Copland

The 2022 debut recording of the Marc Copland Quartet---with saxophonist Robin Verheyen, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Mark Ferber---is a tough act to follow. Here’s why:

“CHOC (highest rating)...One of the best quartet recordings of the last few years.”
---Philippe Vincent, Jazz Magazine, France

“If someone asks you what jazz is, simply say ‘it’s Someday and the Marc Copland Quartet!”
---Francesco Cataldo Verrina, DoppioJazz.it, Italy

“Music is magic in this group's hands, and Marc Copland is the master magician.”
---Dan McClenaghan, allaboutjazz.com, USA

So what approach did this band use to try and top their previous creation? “We didn’t really change our approach, because that first CD is who we are,” says Copland. “We listen to each other, give ourselves and the music space, and feel where the music wants to take us before we jump in. That said, we’re developing and stretching what we do--pushing harmonic boundaries, especially in the two challenging tunes by Drew Gress; adding a free ballad by Robin Verheyen; adding some layered rhythms, as in All That’s Left; and deepen8ing the intensity of interaction.” Let’s see what the pianist is talking about.

Eronel (Monk) opens the new album. “Coltrane said that Monk was a musical architect of the highest order, and all of us enjoy improvising on his music,” says the pianist. This version takes the usual Copland-esque twists and turns as it unwinds.

All That’s Left (Copland) is in ¾ time, a deceptively simple harmonic progression that allows plenty of room for open blowing by the band. The hook is an unusual layering of a repeating 8/8 figure over the ¾ foundation, creating a tension between the two time signatures. An extended solo by drummer Ferber leads to the out head.

Gress’s Dreaming, the haunting and colorful title track, is for Copland “one of the most challenging tunes I know” ---this coming from the pianist who is well known for his command of harmonic complexity. The airy melody stretches out over the chord changes, weaving consonance and dissonance together in an unusual yet logical way. Dreamy and evocative, it’s quite unlike most other jazz compositions…..except for Figment. More on that soon.

LST (Copland) is simply an acronym for “little swing tune.” Originally recorded by Marc and Drew with John Abercrombie’s band on ECM, this is a happy, bright version that swings from beginning to end. Verheyen’s solo shows off one of the hallmarks of his style--an unusual ability to use some historically classic tenor sax phrasing techniques in a modern way. A fine solo by drummer Ferber here, and interplay from all on the out vamp as the track draws to a close.

Destination Unknown (Verheyen) opens the second half of the album. This is a gorgeous, lyrical even-eighth note composition with unusual but beautiful chord sequences. It proves an apt vehicle for all the soloists, starting with Gress, whose rich sound and command of the bass are on full display. Note the supportive comping from Copland behind Verheyen, whose solo does full justice to his tune. Copland’s solo is a masterpiece of development, unfolding from a single repeated note, almost like a flower reaching for the sun as its lines and textures spiral and climb.

Passing Through (Verheyen) is a free ballad. The head is rubato, and the blowing is unstructured. The band finds its way without any premeditated plan: “I don’t think I had any idea Robin was going to sit back and let somebody else play first,” says Copland, “so I had to kind of jump in, and it was cool, just stream of consciousness off some of the melodic and harmonic ideas in the tune.” After Copland’s solo winds down, Verheyen enters with a slow but steady stream of lines, a fountain of musical ideas, and Copland finds a carpet for all of them.

And now the aforementioned Figment (Gress). Copland says, “I’ve recorded this two or three times over the years, and I think this time we really got it. A few years ago Liebman (David) looked at me after we played it and said—‘that’s a really heavy tune!’---and I agree!” Verheyen nimbly navigates through the chord changes, making them sound much easier than they really are. The track closes with Ferber slicing and dicing his way through the hook.

Yesterdays (Kern) closes out the album. For Copland, “This is kind of who we are. No rehearsal or talk through, we just hit it. Everybody plays loose, nice space and textures, the whole thing is really improvised---the solos, the order of the solos, the beginning, the ending. It hangs together because everybody is plugged in and listening.” This then, is the Marc Copland Quartet, doing what they do best—four musicians making improvised music as if the band were one living organism. As the critic Steve Greenlee wrote in the Boston Globe many years ago after seeing Copland in trio with Gary Peacock and Bill Stewart, “Spontaneous, not formulaic--jazz as it was meant to be.”

Marc Copland, recognized for his unique style, is a prolific jazz pianist and composer. A longtime resident of New York, he was a close collaborator for nearly a half century with both John Abercrombie and Gary Peacock.. He has released almost 40 lead and solo albums since 1988, and has been a sideman on dozens more.