# CD review: Marc Copland – And I Love Her 2020: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2020/01/26/cd-review-marc-copland-and-i-love-her-2020-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2020-01-26T16:24:57+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**In a recording studio somewhere, the drummer drops into a groove: a ghost of a
backbeat; a shuffling, even quavered, funky vibe, punctuated by propulsive kicks.
Joey Baron has got their attention. Drew Gress adds pushy little bass figures and
they’re cooking. Marc Copland’s listening. **

I imagine him with eyes closed and head tilting back before draping a few chords
over the now pulsing bass. The harmony makes them seem to bend and warp, before 
Copland finds a choppy, repeating riff that skips between gaps in the bass line.
It’s utterly infectious. The recording space is in New York and this is _Mitzi &
Johnny_ from the trio’s new release _And I Love Her_. It’s a spontaneous moment,
the locked tight but relaxed togetherness notwithstanding, and so good they couldn’t
leave it off the final release.

This trio finish each other’s sentences. They’re long standing collaborators in 
different contexts and, famously, joined John Ambercrombie as a unit on two ECM 
albums in the latter part of his career. Their loose, organic feel whilst remaining
totally together suited Abercrombie perfectly. On this album it’s applied to an 
eclectic range of sources.

A free-wheeling group conversation led by the bass evolves into _Afro Blue_, which
gets the full Copland treatment, reshaping often distorting harmony on the fly, 
seemingly led by the shape of the melody rather than any underlying form. _Cantaloupe
Island_ get’s a makeover. There’s plenty of drive, but an introspective edge and
unpredictable spiraling lines weave a different kind of spell. _Figment_, a Gress
composition has the air of tone poem, provoking meditative, abstract solos. _Might
Have Been_ and _Day and Night_, Copland compositions, have a strong melodic content
and bounce along with solos flowing freely. They close the set with a Cole Porter
tune, _You Do Something To Me_, swinging irresistibly. Copland alternates between
single, twisting lines and fuller, shifting and flowing harmony.

This is music that catches the attention with a muted intensity and then insinuates
its beauty into the consciousness without being too direct. It’s acoustic trio jazz
that sets a standard and these three musicians are without peers when it comes to
weaving a spell. A top drawer album from a unique band.

**Track List: **

Afro Blue;

Cantaloupe Island;

Figment;

Might Have Been;

Love Letter;

Day and Night;

And I Love Her;

Mitzi & Jonny;

You Do Something to Me.

![Image result for marc copland and i love her"](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-
images-amazon.com/images/I/71IbmaVJP1L._SL1181_.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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