From
Erroll Garner to
Cecil Taylor to
Bill Evans, and from
Chick Corea to
Thelonious Monk, a wide variety of acoustic jazz pianists have thrived in the time-honored piano trio setting (piano, bass, and drums) over the years. It's a setting that has never gone out of style in jazz, and it's a setting that has served acoustic pianist
Marc Copland well in his
New York Trio Recordings series. The lineup has varied from one volume to the next; on
New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3: Night Whispers,
Copland is joined by bassist
Drew Gress and drummer
Bill Stewart (whereas he was joined by bassist
Gary Peacock and
Stewart on
Vol. 1 and by
Peacock and drummer
Paul Motian on Vol. 2). The constant in the series, of course, has been
Copland, who is in good form throughout this 2008 recording and enjoys a nice rapport with
Gress and
Stewart.
Copland obviously enjoys the role of acoustic trio pianist, and his enthusiasm is evident on three
Copland originals ("Scattered Leaves," "The Bell Tolls," and the title track) as well as on impressionistic performances of the standards "Emily" (no less than three different takes are included) and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." The whole album, in fact, is very impressionistic -- even
Miles Davis' "So What." The
Davis standard has often had a strong groove factor; "So What" has been recorded by countless artists since
Davis unveiled it on
Kind of Blue back in 1959, and many of them have used it as a chance to groove. But
Copland's version is more angular and less groove-minded than most versions.
Night Whispers falls short of essential, but it's still an enjoyable addition to
Copland's
New York Trio Recordings series. ~ Alex Henderson