Marc copland trio at zinc bar, nyc, Mar 21, 2023

• photography by ©Clara Pereira; text by Filipe Freitas

On Tuesday, March 21, we headed to Zinc Bar in Manhattan’ Greenwich Village to attend the first set of accomplished pianist Marc Copland with bassist Drew Gress (a longtime collaborator) and drummer Billy Drummond (a member of his trio since 2021). I first listened to Copland on the albums Second Look (Savoy, 1996) and Marc Copland And… (hatOLOGY, 2003), both with the late guitarist John Abercrombie with whom he recorded extensively, and since then I’ve been following his work.

After being properly introduced, Copland asks the audience if they want a jazz standard or a totally improvised piece for a start. The majority chose the latter option, which they performed with subliminal interactive communication and inventiveness. In any case, the first standard arrived next: “On Green Dolphin Street” was delivered with tact and feeling, implanted with a wonderful rhythmic figure in the A section and caressed by Drummond’s brushes. Gress’s “Figment” made us search for something more but everyone’s heart melted with the marvelous balladry of “When I Fall in Love”.

My favorite piece was Copland’s “Round She Goes”, where piano and bass tackle the melody conjointly on top of an entrancing modal mood. Following the constant tension and release created by the pianist, Drummond soloed loud and clear. This illuminated number was included in four albums of the pianist, the last of which being Someday (InnerVoice Jazz, 2022), whose quartet lineup also features Gress. The session ended harmoniously with “Blue in Green”, a serene poem credited to Miles Davis but actually composed by Bill Evans.