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Zenith (InnerVoice Jazz) Marc Copland On pianist Marc Copland’s new disc Zenith, the simpatico between him and trumpeter Ralph Alessi is so striking that I had to ask Copland just how much playing the two of them had done together previously. I’d thought that their music-making history was negligible, and it turned out that I was right. “Ralph and I played together up…

Until Zenith, the first release on his own label, Inner Voice Jazz, pianist Marc Copland had never played with trumpeter Ralph Alessi, but they prove an ideal match. Joined by bassist Drew Gress (who has long played with both musicians) and drummer Joey Baron (who can play anything with anybody), this might turn out to be a “classic quartet.” Alessi, 53, has…

Gratefully, pianist Marc Copland keeps things decidedly old-school jazz quartet on Zenith: exploratory, expansive, expressive, impressionistic. And then again, why shouldn’t his music invoke these motifs? His long cred certainly gives itself over to it: He, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron comprise legendary guitarist John Abercrombie’s rhythm section. Likewise, Copland and Baron have sustained the subtle muscle alongside master bassist…

Whenever pianist Marc Copland is a sideman on a session, much less leading the session, there are very high expectations for the music. Whether it is the lustrous sound he gets from the keyboard, which includes his pedalling, the dense harmonies which create shimmering harmonics or the intelligence of his lines and compositions, Copland has a unique voice and musical personality. Zenith meets…