Even if Marc Copland was a household name and selling albums by the truckload, he'd still be underrated.
As it is, the Philadelphia-born pianist is one of those musicians who is prized by his fellow musicians – he’s a fixture in the bands of John Abercrombie and Gary Peacock – but still relatively unsung compared with the “big name” pianists among whom he deserves a place.
The 67-year-old's immaculate trio, with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Barron, is everything a jazz group should be – sympathetic, intuitive, open and explorative.
The addition of trumpeter Ralph Alessi on this, Copland's first release for his own label, makes for a thrilling new quartet from the heart of the American jazz tradition, at once both fresh and classic – a gold standard in contemporary acoustic jazz.
