Eric
Copeland
THE JAZZ IN ME
THE JAZZ IN ME marks
the return to original jazz music by producer, keyboardist,
and songwriter Eric Copeland. After releasing albums of his
own in the 90's, including the funky, synth jazz "Cooler"
and the seminal, laid back "Stolen Moments", Copeland
began producing albums for national and international artists
full-time. In the past few years though, Copeland began retooling
some older songs he had written for other artists (My Steps
Are Ordered, Come to Me), new takes on classic hymns (Softly
and Tenderly, Just As I Am), polishing up a few he had previously
released (Have Thine Own Way), and writing new tunes that defined
his current place in life (In Between Dreams, On the Side).
The result is THE JAZZ IN ME.
All this has been accompanied
in the last few years by a sudden and intense need to study
jazz history, and dive deeper into why jazz is such an important
part of his life. THE JAZZ IN ME is more than a new CD, it's
the result of study, prayer, and hours of listening, playing,
and talking about jazz.
"I've found that
my love for jazz is deeper than just a genre or niche my music
happens to fall under. The elements that make up jazz: improvisation,
composition, rhythm, melody, structure, harmony, repetition...these
are things that are part of EVERYTHING I do, not just music.
And then the history of jazz is just a fascinating and, historically
speaking, relatively recent ascension of a whole new music,
that like classical before it, has it's own forefathers: Louis
Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker,
Miles Davis, John Coltrane, etc."
"There is also
my whole passion for Christian music, and trying to bring something
different to the table there. God gave me quite different gifts
and thought processes than other musicians, producers, and writers.
I think it has taken this far in my life to see how and where
my personal music, blending jazz and gospel, fits in. But I
believe there is plenty to say about God in the context of jazz,
that I could make CDs for a lifetime and never get it all out.
THE JAZZ IN ME is a step in that direction."
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