Marc Copland

Pianist Marc Copland, dubbed "the piano whisperer" by Jazz Podium (Germany) and Jazz 'N More (Switzerland), is well known for his unique touch and sensitivity.. He possesses the uncanny ability to bring his audience into an intimate world of sound, color, silence and heart, leaving the listener hanging on each note.

Born 27 May 1948, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), Copland was a part of the vibrant “Philly” music scene as a saxophonist before going to New York. There he met and worked with John Abercrombie as a member of Chico Hamilton's quartet. He experimented with the electric alto but gradually became dissatisfied with the direction his music was taking and, leaving New York, quit playing the sax in order to study piano. He was gone for almost a decade, but upon his return to the jazz world in the mid-80s his piano playing was a revelation, his own vividly original style firmly in place. As a sideman he played with Bob Belden, Jane Ira Bloom, Joe Lovano, Tim Hagans, James Moody, Wallace Roney and many others. But his career as a sideman in New York was relatively short-lived; Copland began recording and touring in trio with Gary Peacock and Billy Hart (At Night, Paradiso). In the nineties, his reputation spread owing to three legendary recordings with the Savoy label, which put him on the road in an All-Star quintet (Randy Brecker, Bob Berg and Dennis Chambers), and later in quartet with guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Billy Hart.

At the turn of the millenium, as the ownership of Savoy changed hands, Copland exploded onto the European scene with an outpout of three to four CDs a year, for labels including Challenge, Hatology, Nagel-Heyer, Pirouet, Sketch, Soul Note, and Sunnyside. As the decade passed its halfway point Copland began recording exclusively for Pirouet, for whom he recorded some ten albums. These included the three-volume “NY Trio Series,” firmly establishing him as a unique musical voice.

In 2013, Copland's long association with both John Abercrombie and Gary Peacock---who had been mainstays of his trios and quartets for two decades---turned on its head, as he became a member of their groups. This led to four recordings for the legendary ECM label, two with Abercrombie and two with Peacock.

Returning to the life of a leader, Copland for some years has been recording for InnerVoice Jazz (Zenith, Better by Far, Nightfall) and Illusions (GARY). He returns to piano trio with the much- anticipated And I Love Her (Illusions/Mirage), featuring Drew Gress and Joey Baron, to be released this October.