Marc Copland on WBGO

[JSngry]

Recieved via e-mail:

Dear Friends:

Recently, I taped my next one-hour show for the "Jazz From the Archives" series. Presented by the Institute of Jazz Studies, the series runs every Sunday on WBGO-FM (88.3).

In the early 1970s, Marc Copland (b. 1948) was one of New York City's most promising young jazz saxophonists. (An album he recorded as a leader received 5 stars in DownBeat magazine.)

But then an extraordinary thing happened: Copland decided that his real instrument was the piano. So he left New York, settled in Washington, D.C., and developed his skills. By the time he moved back to New York in the early '80s, he had become a much-admired pianist, with a touch and harmonic concept that were very personal. His reputation has grown steadily in the past two decades.

We'll hear Copland the pianist in a variety of recordings with bassists Gary Peacock

and Drew Gress, drummer Billy Hart, singer Ethel Ennis, saxophonist Dave Liebman, and others.

The show will air this Sunday, July 10, from 11 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Daylight Time.

NOTE: If you live outside the New York City metropolitan area, WBGO also broadcasts on the Internet at www.wbgo.org.

Best,

Bill Kirchner

www.jazzsuite.com

[Michael Fitzgerald]

In case there are those who are straining to remember Marc Copland the saxophonist, don't. He was Marc Cohen at that time (and through 1990 it seems). I believe the 5-star album mentioned was "Friends" with John Abercrombie, Clint Houston, and Jeff Williams.

Bruyninckx tries but gets it wrong - two separate listings and a note under Cohen that says "This artist is also known as Marc Crawford, but it is not known if he also recorded under that name." As expected, Lord has copied even the errors of Bruyninckx - "Also known as Marc Crawford." Duh.

But Copland's own website is not much more help. The discography section does not list the Cohen name nor the early albums and only 1988's "My Foolish Heart" (also with Abercrombie) is the clue, since it came out under the name of Cohen.

http://www.marccopland.com/discography.htm

This interview http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article_print.php?id=17196 seems to think that the 1988 record was the first as a leader and that the only other album with Abercrombie is from 1996.

There's nearly 20 years of good music by this guy to be found if you know where to look.

Mike

[bertrand]

I remember that he used to gig in D.C. under the name Cohen. The name change may in fact have coincided with his departure from D.C. Never did catch him though - I was a poor graduate student at the time, and barely went to any gigs.

Why the name change? I hope it's not for the reason that I think...

Bertrand.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I believe another pianist Marc Cohen was already on the scene. I suspect these guys are mixed up in the discographies. I don't know enough about each of them to separate out at this point.

Mike

[bertrand]

I think I remember that was the reason mentioned by the D.J. who announced the name change.

Yeah, sorting 'em out will be tough. Too tough for Lord, that's for sure.

Bertrand.