Marc Copland

Marc Copland is a modern jazz pianist, composer, and recording artist whose nickname "the Piano Whisperer" was earned by his rich harmonic technique and crystalline sound. Despite first building a reputation as a saxophonist, Copland (then going by his birth name, Marc Cohen) was dissatisfied with what he perceived to be its harmonic limitations, and he spent a decade studying piano and developing his own technique on the instrument. At the age of 40 in 1988, he cut his first date as a leader with My Foolish Heart (credited to the Marc Cohen Quartet). Among the highlights of dozens of albums to follow were several trio dates with <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Gary Peacock</a> (he was a member of <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Peacock</a>'s trio for 2015's Now This, in celebration of the bassist's 80th birthday). The solo piano tribute Gary arrived in 2018, followed by 2020's John, a tribute to <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">John Abercrombie</a>. Copland's quartet albums, 2022's Someday and 2023's Dreaming, showcased his group with saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:0yAZTeTYv16ixbOqEIUQlt">Robin Verheyen</a>, bassist <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Drew Gress</a>, and drummer Mark Ferber.

Born Marc Cohen in Philadelphia in 1948, Copland initially started out on the piano at age seven, before switching to the alto saxophone around age 10. His early musical studies were with noted altoist Joe Allard. He also studied composition under Romeo Cascarino and <a href="spotify:artist:3zho2WixzX35N0bdCkiLjD">Meyer Kupferman</a>. By the early '60s, while still a teen, he became an integral part of Philly's jazz scene. Copland moved to New York in 1966 to attend Columbia University. He studied music theory, composition, and improvisation under various instructors including pianist <a href="spotify:artist:6VoQTYD2vUVvm1H031lp3e">Lennie Tristano</a>. He graduated with a B.A. in music in 1970.

As a saxophonist, Copland worked often on the city's burgeoning jazz scene. He lent his talents to a number of bandleaders, including <a href="spotify:artist:31NF3yc9DoAdh2bgR6mY04">Chico Hamilton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3JyE16s8xvc8ryAVdPjOHu">Cameron Brown</a>, and Jeff Williams, and collaborated with other young players including guitarists <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">John Abercrombie</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1tbxopipOkDjnRDfMKj535">Ralph Towner</a>. Despite his growing reputation as an original saxophonist (not to mention steady work), Copland was dissatisfied with what he perceived to be the harmonic limitations of his instrument. He left New York in the mid-'70s, seemingly abandoning music entirely. In the decade he spent away, he returned to studying the piano and began to develop his own technique on the instrument. When he returned to N.Y.C., he found work as a sideman with a number of artists including <a href="spotify:artist:6cnrqEXNTOdahJ83kLCX1I">Bob Belden</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4aEpM8RuVFDhH7ry8TUn4M">James Moody</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:14RXohtx6NiBGFTW8IdmAK">John Scofield</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6ycoXr0Ayd89vFUT6BOiWo">Herbie Mann</a>. He also reunited with <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>.

At the age of 40 in 1988, Copland cut his first date as a leader (credited to the Marc Cohen Quartet) with <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>, bassist <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Gary Peacock</a>, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:52O6frArSmachHxpz0NSTZ">Jeff Hirshfield</a>. It was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Jazz+City%22">Jazz City</a> as My Foolish Heart. The same year, he appeared on drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6g23EYtQQXDz44soLZMS39">Bill Stewart</a>'s Think Before You Think along with saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:36YE6h8aN09ZKG4EhneDSf">Joe Lovano</a> and bassist <a href="spotify:artist:1bqaQBqbqbEXPxLF0v6AAH">Dave Holland</a>. Between his debut and his sophomore effort, 1990's Blues All Night, the pianist changed his last name to "Copland," put more distance between himself and the influence of the pianists who inspired him (namely <a href="spotify:artist:4jXfFzeP66Zy67HM2mvIIF">Bill Evans</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2ZvrvbQNrHKwjT7qfGFFUW">Herbie Hancock</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0F3Aew9DSd6fb6192K1K0Y">Keith Jarrett</a>), and began to grow into his mature style of playing and improvisation. Copland spent the rest of the '90s releasing trio recordings and occasionally dabbling in other settings, from duo to quintet, on a variety of labels. Especially notable among his releases during this period are 1991's At Night, 1993's Stompin' with Savoy and Songs Without End (co-billed to duo partner <a href="spotify:artist:1tbxopipOkDjnRDfMKj535">Towner</a>), 1995's Paradiso, and 1996's Second Look. He established long-lasting recording and touring relationships with <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Peacock</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5DFipPOMNcZT3XMGx59s5I">Billy Hart</a>.

In 2000, the pianist and trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:6MACuJx69EQiikIyZsEbFr">Tim Hagans</a> played as a duo on the Steeplechase date Between the Lines; it was the kickoff to a prolific decade in which Copland made up for lost time, much of it recording and touring in Europe with smaller groups. Among the highlights are two dates with <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2GIms8u3bruipn5MOR5wcs">Kenny Wheeler</a> (2000's That's for Sure and 2004's Brand New); three co-billed to <a href="spotify:artist:429bUEZe2Hq5QJvO2CmhLn">Dave Liebman</a> (2001's Lunar, a quartet side, and the duo sets Bookends and Impression from 2002); a pair of duo recordings with <a href="spotify:artist:1O62I5mxJcYBXcIzY6IMYT">Greg Osby</a> (2002's Night Call and 2003's Round and Round); and several trio dates with <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Peacock</a> (including his first two celebrated albums for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pirouet%22">Pirouet</a>, Some Love Songs in 2005 and New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 2: Voices -- which also included <a href="spotify:artist:4VIPZJwfn4EGbJxYVHJ0WX">Paul Motian</a> -- in 2006). Copland marked the last year of his fifties with the quartet session Another Place. <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>, bassist <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Drew Gress</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5DFipPOMNcZT3XMGx59s5I">Hart</a> were his sidemen. At 60, he cut the solo offering Alone (released a year later) and a trio date with <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Gress</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6g23EYtQQXDz44soLZMS39">Stewart</a> entitled New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3: Night Whispers. A 2009 duo offering with <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Peacock</a>, entitled Insight, was widely celebrated for its intimate dialogue.

In 2010, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pirouet%22">Pirouet</a> released Five on One by the quintet <a href="spotify:artist:0ugfkCaVssT0fELBeQ8JeG">Contact</a>, which placed Copland in the company of frequent collaborators <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Gress</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5DFipPOMNcZT3XMGx59s5I">Hart</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:429bUEZe2Hq5QJvO2CmhLn">Liebman</a>. It was followed by Speak to Me, a duo with the guitarist, and Crosstalk, a quartet set with <a href="spotify:artist:1O62I5mxJcYBXcIzY6IMYT">Osby</a>, drummer <a href="spotify:artist:1cF1EPqYh5bucTrzSQQr0y">Victor Lewis</a>, and bassist <a href="spotify:artist:1saP3owFxRlgBXeJkD6oaq">Doug Weiss</a> in 2011. Copland issued his most unusual recording in 2013 for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Vision+Fugitive%22">Vision Fugitive</a> label. Entitled Le Long de la Plage, it was a piano and spoken word date with French writer <a href="spotify:artist:2ZEjp34sfFmCYCDgkUCSb5">Michel Butor</a>.

The pianist was a member of <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">Abercrombie</a>'s quartet with <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Gress</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0sQXx1Ji0yvldYg6cuEAOW">Joey Baron</a> for 2013's 39 Steps on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a>. Copland's second appearance on the label was as a member of <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Peacock</a>'s trio for 2015's Now This (which also included <a href="spotify:artist:0sQXx1Ji0yvldYg6cuEAOW">Baron</a>) in celebration of the bassist's 80th birthday. He then paired with bassist <a href="spotify:artist:6OVDHYgly14Fwh9s28xl4t">Daniel Schlappi</a> for the intimate, 2017 duo session More Essentials. A busy year, 2017 also saw him return to a solo piano format with the Nightfall and appeared on When the Birds Leave with saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:0yAZTeTYv16ixbOqEIUQlt">Robin Verheyen</a>, bassist <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Drew Gress</a>, drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5DFipPOMNcZT3XMGx59s5I">Billy Hart</a>, and Better by Far with <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Gress</a>, trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:2yHcAgHAPUdUhVuiIWWcba">Ralph Alessi</a>, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:0sQXx1Ji0yvldYg6cuEAOW">Joey Baron</a>. Another solo piano session, Gary (a tribute to longtime friend <a href="spotify:artist:2k1Qcdf3sOJYCNZEPus58Y">Gary Peacock</a>), appeared in 2018, followed by a third duo album with bassist <a href="spotify:artist:6OVDHYgly14Fwh9s28xl4t">Schlappi</a>, 2019s Alice's Wonderland. In 2020, he again paid tribute to close associate, this time focusing on <a href="spotify:artist:1OCdpTg8d7Ehpj8B9j4iqa">John Abercrombie</a> for 2020's solo piano album John. He then returned to his quartet with <a href="spotify:artist:0yAZTeTYv16ixbOqEIUQlt">Verheyen</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4HMyzDtVu6uNLYQZqYeOXK">Gress</a>, and drummer Mark Ferber for 2022's Someday. Another quartet album, Dreaming, arrived the following year. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi