Pianist Marc Copland has been spending much time as a sideman with John Abercrombie, but he returns to his leadership role on this strong and lyrical album of originals. He’s assembled a top notch team, such as the intuitive Joey Baron/dr, rich toned Ralph Alessi/tp and nimble Drew Gress/b, and except for the kinetic and snappy take of Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence,” they work on band created pieces. Alessi’s horn glows while Copland sparkles on gentler pieces such as “Dark Passage” and “Gone Now” while the dreamy “Room Enough For Stars” mixes Alessi’s muted horn with the leader’s crystalline ivories.
With Baron, there’s always room for exploration, and the team has some fun with the freely flowing “Mr DJ” and “ Twister,” as the drummer creates a pocket that joyfully leaks, as opposed to the loose swing of the ESP-ish “Who Said Swing.” This is a rich and textured album that must be a gas to see performed. They coming to LA soon?