Customer Reviews

Alone Together

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On this extraordinary CD, featuring four new compositions by pianist Marc Copland, trumpeter Tim Hagans proves, once again, that he is one of the most exciting and versatile musicians in jazz. The lack of Hagans originals here does nothing to diminish the spontaneity, the verve, and the lyrical lungpower of Hagans' trumpet, which connects beautifully and brings out the best in Copland's piano, Drew Gress's bass, and Jochen Ruckert's percussion.

The most astonishing track on ALONE TOGETHER is a Copland-Notar composition, "Not Even the Rain," a suble and elliptical meditation of surpassing beauty in which every component achieves an elevated expression that is almost mystical. Copland's piano and Hagans' trumpet are like those rare birds in nature from whom we can hear two sympathetic tones out of a single throat. In fact, the ensemble is so perfectly integrated and inspired that at one point a series of rimshots on the snare sing with a power of penetration that matches anything else on the track. One wonders whether Jason Seizer, who engineered the session in Munich in November 2006, realized that he was recording something historic, a track that, if there is justice in jazz (and there often is), will come to be recognized as one of the finest recodings ever made. John Coltrane and Miles Davis would have loved it, and might have been found studying it the way Matisse, already a master in his own right, was said to have once tried to duplicate a Picasso "to find out how he did it."

ALONE TOGETHER is the sort of CD that will appeal equally to the seasoned enthusiast and to the jazz novitiate. In its fortuitous combination of talent, ALONE TOGETHER has the feel of an instant classic, and it suggests that Hagans and Copland are ready for ever more daring collaborations. As for "Not Even the Rain," such an achievement defeats superlatives: it has to be heard, and if anybody needs to know what jazz can do that nothing else can, play them "Not Even the Rain."

For his second album on Pirouet, trumpeter Tim Hagans reunited with pianist Marc Copland, cooling things down for this 2006 quartet session, recorded in Munich along with bassist Drew Gress and Jochen Ruckert on drums.

ALONE TOGETHER unfolds at a leisurely pace with a majority of tunes penned by Copland ("See You Again," "Not Even the Rain," "Sweet Peach Tree," "Over and Back"), and three standards ("You Don't Know What Love Is," "Alone Together," "Stella By Starlight") rounding things out. All in all, a familiar but exciting collection, with strong performances throughout.

Fans of Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet era will especially appreciate this CD.

Trumpeter Tim Hagans heads a quartet comprising Marc Copland on piano, Drew Gress on bass, and Jochen Rückert on drums. The music is intense but not intimidating, with plenty of lyrical interest. The first four compositions are by Copland, and then the program closes with performances of "You Don't Know What Love Is," "Alone Together," and "Stella by Starlight." Throughout, the four musicians play with intensity and drive, making the nearly 53 minutes pass by in an enjoyable whole. If your tastes run to straight-ahead jazz with a modern twist, this is a great release for you.

What is it about the European Sound? ECM has it, now Pirouet. Every nuance captured, and this is nuanced music. Copland and Hagans have that musical ESP from a long working history. If you lost your heart to Middle Miles, you'll lose it all over again on this one. Would that Miles had had engineering like this.