Marc Copland: And I Love Her

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Joey Baron (d)
Marc Copland (p)
Drew Gress (b)

Label:

Illusions Mirage

Dec/Jan/2019/2020

Media Format:

CD

Catalogue Number:

IM4004

RecordDate:

August 2017

The last Copland that I reviewed here, Nightfall (see Jazzwise 226), was an unaccompanied recital done in 2016, but this trio set has the same virtues and more. Both Baron and Gress are well used to working with each other and with Copland, and both of them play with seeming restraint while contributing significantly to the outcome – listen to Baron at times adding almost nothing (except his smile), but with an irrepressible energy that galvanises the whole enterprise. This is true of the group's originals but also of two opening standards, ‘Afro-Blue’ and ‘Cantaloupe Island’, whose semi-abstract versions apparently arose unplanned during the session. Two pop-songs later in the programme are a little closer to conventional, post-Bill Evans trio practice, but still compelling. Of interest also is a previously unrecorded tune by the late John Abercrombie, now christened ‘Love Letter’. Incidentally, the press release has detailed and musicianly notes, unsigned as far as I can see, which clearly deserve to be part of the packaging – the accompanying booklet only has a poem(!) “inspired” by the music.

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