MARC COPLAND QUARTET – DREAMING

The first album by the Marc Copland Quartet sparked unanimous enthusiasm upon its release in 2022: "Someday, one of the best quartet recordings of recent years." (Philippe Vincent, Jazz Magazine). "If someone asks you what jazz is, simply answer 'it's Someday and the Marc Copland Quartet!'" — Francesco Cataldo Verrina, DoppioJazz.it, Italy. "The music is magical in the hands of this group, and Marc Copland is the master magician." — Dan McClenaghan, allaboutjazz.com, United States. With Dreaming, how could the group surpass its previous creation? "We didn't really change our approach, because Someday represented who we are," explains Copland. "We listen to each other, give each other space, the music gives us space, and we feel where the music wants to take us before diving in. That said, we push harmonic boundaries, particularly in the two challenging pieces by Drew Gress; adding an open ballad by Robin Verheyen; adding layered rhythms, as in All That’s Left; deepening the intensity of interaction." Marc Copland is a pianist and composer whose output as a leader is staggering: over 40 critically acclaimed CDs, in solos, duos, trios, quartets, and quintets. The albums, recorded for more than ten different labels, feature major voices in jazz past and present: John Abercrombie, Ralph Alessi, Joey Baron, Mike Brecker, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Mark Ferber, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Victor Lewis, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Gary Peacock, Bill Stewart, Robin Verheyen, Ken Wheeler, and others. Copland continues to evolve: "I have never seen anything like it," says saxophonist Robin Verheyen. "He is a source of inspiration, constantly offering new ideas and new sounds. It's the kind of energy and growth you expect from someone in the prime of their creative life. And he is not only a major voice with such a distinctive sound and approach — you won't find a better accompanist." After years of recording for many of the most prestigious labels in the world (Challenge, ECM, Hatology, Nagel-Heyer, Pirouet, Savoy, Sketch, Soul Note, etc.), Copland took the plunge in 2016 and launched his own label. The pianist's foray into the record industry has expanded every year, bucking the general downward trend in CD sales. His latest album, John (illusions / mirage), received an "Editor’s Pick" from DownBeat magazine, the CHOC from Jazz Magazine (France), "CD of the Month" from Stereoplay (Germany), and five stars from Rondo (Germany) and Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Switzerland). Dan McClenaghan of allaboutjazz.com put it succinctly: "Copland is a genius… he creates the loveliest sound." The respected blog jazzstation awarded him the title of "#1 Acoustic Pianist of the Year".