Tim Hagans - Alone Together (2013)

Tim Hagans: trumpet; Marc Copland: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Jochen Ruckert: drums.

On the surface, Tim Hagans' Alone Together looks more like a Marc Copland disc with trumpeter Hagans as the leading voice. The rhythm section is Copland's longstanding trio, responsible for albums that include the pianist's resplendent Some Love Songs (Pirouet, 2005). The set list, like many of Copland's, is a mix of re-imagined standards and the pianist's own writing, which (while undeniably mainstream) occupies a position left of center, the result of a uniquely ambiguous and sophisticated harmonic aesthetic.

But Alone Together belongs to Hagans by virtue of its greater propensity for fiery swingers. Hagans' first Pirouet disc, the sublime Beautiful Lily (2005), more clearly inhabited Copland's stylistic territory, with greater emphasis on impressionistic writing and playing, though the trumpeter contributed four of that album's eleven tracks, alongside two Copland tunes, one standard, and four spontaneous duet inventions. To be sure, while Copland has never been averse to pulling out some stops, as he did on his Both / And (Nagel-Heyer, 2006), his albums invariably lean towards introspection. Alone Together does gaze inward occasionally, but is largely brighter and more boisterous than most of Copland's discography. ~John Kelman