New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 2: Voices is a sequel to
Marc Copland's March 2006 date
New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 1: Modinha, but with a slightly different lineup.
Copland is still on acoustic piano, and
Gary Peacock is still on upright bass; however, the drummer on Voices (which was recorded three months after
Modinha) is
Paul Motian instead of
Modinha's drummer,
Bill Stewart.
Copland,
Peacock, and
Motian are certainly an appealing combination, and the three of them enjoy a consistently strong rapport on a 47-minute CD that is dominated by
Copland and
Peacock compositions. The only thing on this album that was not written by either
Copland or
Peacock is
Miles Davis' "All Blues," which receives an unusually impressionistic treatment. Many other recordings of "All Blues" have favored a strong groove factor, but
Copland's intriguing version chooses to probe and reflect rather than groove. Voices, which was recorded about two weeks after
Copland's 58th birthday, does not go out of its way to be accessible; the performances tend to be on the cerebral side -- not cerebral in an avant-garde or free jazz way, but cerebral in a post-bop way -- and listeners will need to play Voices several times before they can fully appreciate all of the nuances in
Copland's solos (which still underscore his appreciation of
Bill Evans,
Keith Jarrett, and
Chick Corea). Those who do not demand instant gratification from music will find Voices to be a worthwhile follow-up to
Modinha and a solid example of acoustic post-bop trio pianism. ~ Alex Henderson