Recording for the Munich, Germany-based Pirouet label in the mid- to late 2000s,
Marc Copland was heard in a variety of acoustic-oriented post-bop settings (including quartets and piano trios). And on his 2008/2009 recording
Alone, the Philadelphia native is exactly that -- alone.
Copland plays unaccompanied solo piano throughout this 69-minute CD -- no bass, no drums, no guitar or horns, just
Copland and his acoustic piano -- and the result is an album that is as absorbing as it is introspective. One of the things that makes
Alone a creative success is the fact that
Copland uses an intriguing variety of songs for his introspection. In addition to embracing three
Copland originals ("Blackboard," "Into the Silence," and "Night Whispers"), the pianist interprets material ranging from Sammy Cahn's "I Should Care,"
Bronislaw Kaper's "Hi Li Hi Lo,"
Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes," and
Wayne Shorter's "Fall," to three
Joni Mitchell songs: "Michael from Mountain," "Rainy Night House," and "I Don't Know Where I Stand." One certainly cannot accuse
Alone of adhering to an all-warhorses-all-the-time policy; only a few of the tunes have been recorded often enough to be called standards. "Fall" isn't one of
Wayne Shorter's better-known compositions, and many of the listeners who have heard countless jazz recordings of Kaper's "Invitation" may not even be familiar with "Hi Li Hi Lo." Further,
Copland deserves a salute for recognizing the jazz possibilities in
Mitchell's incredibly rich songbook; although her albums generally fall into the folk-rock/folk-pop category, she has long had jazz influences (
Mitchell, clearly, is the best singer/songwriter to recommend if one's ultimate goal is to get
Joan Baez or
Sarah McLachlan fans to start listening to
Chris Connor,
Anita O'Day,
Helen Merrill, and
June Christy).
Copland takes his share of chances on the excellent
Alone, and they pay off handsomely. ~ Alex Henderson