Marc Copland – Alter Ego

Although an heir apparent to Bill Evans, Marc Copland had never ventured into one of the fields explored by his elder: the piano duo with himself.

In fact, it was at the request of Swiss radio, which wanted to showcase two recently restored Steinway pianos, that Copland embarked on this adventure in the studio, but in front of a small audience of a few dozen listeners.

The musician’s harmonic science and delicate touch are well known, not to mention his taste for melody. Here, on an eclectic repertoire, he deploys a magnificent inventiveness that makes this disc a treat for any lover of fine piano music.

It is indeed a pleasure, renewed with each new theme, to follow the way Copland weaves the interplay of his four hands into a rhythmic and melodic tangle. For this performance, Copland chose a varied repertoire: two of his own compositions, two by Thelonious Monk (including a highly original version of “Round Midnight”), a few standards and a theme by his late friend John Abercrombie.

Essentially ballads and medium tempos, where his lyricism can express itself at will, for a festival where Copland admirably delves into the harmonic frameworks of the themes he has chosen.

This is an album to remember in the abundant discography of a major musician we never tire of listening to.