Keith Copeland Explained

Keith Copeland (born in New York City on April 18, 1946, died in Germany on February 14, 2015)[1] was a jazz drummer and music educator.

Career

His father, Ray Copeland, was a jazz trumpeter, and he learned by watching him, but he decided to play drums after studying Art Blakey's records with The Jazz Messengers.

In his teens he played with Barry Harris.[2] He later worked with the Heath Brothers, but Percy Heath disliked his style, leading to arguments and to Copeland quitting.[3]

During his musical career, Copeland played with Sam Jones, Billy Taylor, Johnny Griffin, Stevie Wonder, Rory Stuart, George Russell, and Hank Jones.[4] He also led his own European-based groups, including one with Irish bassist Ronan Guilfoyle.

Copeland taught at The New School University in New York City, Rutgers, and Berklee College of Music before moving to Germany in 1992 and teaching in the Hochschule system. His students include Terri Lyne Carrington,[5] [6] Darren Beckett and Adam Cruz.[7]

Discography

Source:[8]

As leader

As sideman

With Howard Alden

With Ben Besiakov

With Paul Bley

With Joshua Breakstone

With Charles Brown

With Chris Conner

With Stanley Cowell

With Meredith d'Ambrosio

With John Dankworth

With Stanton Davis

With Frank Foster and the SDR Big Band

With Hugh Frasier/Jean Toussaint Quartet

With David Gazarov

With Al Grey

With Johnny Griffin

With Johnny Hartman

With the Heath Brothers

With Sam Jones

With Mark Kirk

With Ann Malcolm

With Susannah McCorkle

With Sandy McLeod

With Jackie Paris

With Bill Pierce

With Mike Richmond

With Bob Rockwell

With Charlie Rouse

With George Russell

With Perico Sambeat

With Larry Schneider

With Jurgen Seefelder

With Louis Smith

With Rory Stuart

With Billy Taylor

With Chris Walden

With Chris White

With Martin Wind

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music - COPELAND, Keith.
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=tqPnM_e4CPYC&pg=PA331 Thinking in jazz: the infinite art of improvisation by Paul Berliner, pgs 314, 331, 332, 364, 410, 423, 426, and 442
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=MSqCZBIKcJoC&pg=PA185 I walked with giants: the autobiography of Jimmy Heath by Jimmy Heath and Joseph McLaren, pgs 177, 184, and 185
  4. Web site: Mostly music: Conversations with Mr KC - Keith Copeland Interviewed - Part 2. 4 May 2014.
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=wdIvXeHsAiYC&pg=PT21 The drummer's almanac by Jon Cohan
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=bs0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA134 Ebony, April 1977
  7. https://books.google.com/books?id=I5wrGL-a-Q8C&pg=PR3-IA84 The rough guide to jazz by Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, Brian Priestley, pg iii
  8. Web site: 2021-09-16 . Keith Copeland - record archive . 2023-02-14 . 2021-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210916205733/http://www.keithcopeland.com/media/records.html . bot: unknown .
  9. Web site: Keith Copeland Album Discography . AllMusic. 10 July 2017.
  10. Web site: Lavender Mist - Mark Kirk Release Info . 2023-02-13 . AllMusic . en.
  11. Book: Cook, Richard . The Penguin guide to jazz recordings . 2008 . Brian Morton . 978-0-14-103401-0 . Ninth . London . 223804125.

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