Keith Copeland

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title: "Keith Copeland" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1946-births", "2015-deaths", "american-jazz-drummers", "academic-staff-of-the-hochschule-für-musik-und-tanz-köln", "queens-college,-city-university-of-new-york-faculty", "rutgers-university-faculty", "the-new-school-faculty", "jazz-musicians-from-new-york-(state)", "american-male-drummers", "drummers-from-new-york-(state)"] description: "American jazz musician (1946–2015)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Copeland" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American jazz musician (1946–2015) ::

Keith Copeland (born in New York City on April 18, 1946, died in Germany on February 14, 2015) 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. He later worked with the Heath Brothers, but Percy Heath disliked his style, leading to arguments and to Copeland quitting.

During his musical career, Copeland played with Sam Jones, Billy Taylor, Johnny Griffin, Stevie Wonder, Rory Stuart, George Russell, and Hank Jones. 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, Darren Beckett and Adam Cruz.

Discography

Source:

As leader

• On Target (Jazz Mania, 1993)
• The Irish Connection (SteepleChase, 1996)
• Round Trip (SteepleChase, 1997)
• Postcard from Vancouver (Jazz Focus, 1998)

As sideman

With Howard Alden

• Misterioso (Concord Jazz, 1991) With Ben Besiakov
• You Stepped Out of a Dream (SteepleChase, 1990) With Paul Bley
• BeBopBeBopBeBopBeBop (SteepleChase, 1990) With Joshua Breakstone
• Echoes (Contemporary, 1987)
• Evening Star (Contemporary, 1988)
• Sittin' on the Thing with Ming (Capri, 1993)
• Remembering Grant Green (Evidence, 1993)
• The Music of Bud Powell (Double Time, 2000)
• Tomorrow's Hours (Capri, 2002) With Charles Brown
• All My Life (Bullseye Blues, 1990) With Chris Conner
• As Time Goes by (Enja, 1992) With Stanley Cowell
• Sienna (SteepleChase, 1989)
• Departure #2 (SteepleChase, 1990)
• Hear Me One (SteepleChase, 1996) With Meredith d'Ambrosio
• The Cove (Sunnyside, 1988)
• Love Is Not a Game (Sunnyside, 1991) With John Dankworth
• Echoes of Harlem (Compendia, 1988) With Stanton Davis
• Brighter Days (Outrageous Records Incorporated, 1977) With Frank Foster and the SDR Big Band
• A Fresh Taste of the Blues (Intercord, 1996) With Hugh Frasier/Jean Toussaint Quartet
• Back to Back (Jazz Focus, 1998) With David Gazarov
• Autumnal Giant Steps (Episode Records, 1994) With Al Grey
• Christmas Stockin' Stuffer (Capri, 1992) With Johnny Griffin
• Return of the Griffin (Galaxy, 1978) With Johnny Hartman
• Once in Every Life (Bee Hive, 1980) With the Heath Brothers
• In Motion (Columbia, 1979)

With Sam Jones

• The Bassist! (Interplay, 1979) With Mark Kirk
• Lavender Mist (Jazz Mania, 1993) with Steve Gilmore With Ann Malcolm
• Incident'ly (Sound Hills Records, 1994) With Susannah McCorkle
• I'll Take Romance (Concord Jazz, 1992) With Sandy McLeod
• Conversations with Love (CGM, 2003) With Jackie Paris
• Nobody Else but Me (Audiophile, 1988) With Bill Pierce
• Complete William the Conqueror Sessions (Sunnyside, 1995) With Mike Richmond
• Dance for Andy (SteepleChase) (1989) With Bob Rockwell
• Shades of Blue (SteepleChase, 1996) With Charlie Rouse
• The Upper Manhattan Jazz Society (Enja, 1981 [1985]) with Benny Bailey With George Russell
• Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (Soul Note, 1980)
• So What (Blue Note, 1987) With Perico Sambeat
• Uptown Dance (EGT, 1992) With Larry Schneider
• Just Cole Porter (SteepleChase, 1991)
• Blind Date (SteepleChase, 1992)
• Freedom Jazz Dance (Steeplechase, 1996) With Jurgen Seefelder
• Naide (Westwind Records, 1996) With Louis Smith
• Ballads for Lulu (SteepleChase, 1990)
• Once in a While (SteepleChase, 2000) With Rory Stuart
• Hurricane (Sunnyside, 1986) With Billy Taylor
• Where've You Been? (Concord Jazz, 1981) With Chris Walden
• Ticino (ACT, 1996) With Chris White
• The Chris White Project (Muse, 1992) With Martin Wind
• Gone with the Wind (September, 1993) with Bill Mays
• Tender Waves (A Records, 1995)

References

References

1. "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. (4 May 2014). "Mostly music: Conversations with Mr KC - Keith Copeland Interviewed - Part 2".
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. (2021-09-16). "Keith Copeland - record archive".
9. "Keith Copeland {{!}} Album Discography".
10. "You Stepped out of a Dream - Ben Besiakov {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
11. "The Cove - Meredith d'Ambrosio {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
12. "Love Is Not a Game - Meredith d'Ambrosio {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
13. "Echoes of Harlem - John Dankworth {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
14. (15 March 2011). "Stanton Davis' Ghetto/Mysticism - Brighter Days".
15. (1996). "Frank Foster And The SDR Big Band - A Fresh Taste Of The Blues".
16. "Hugh Fraser - Back to Back Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic".
17. "David Gazarov - Autumnal Giant Steps Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic".
18. "Lavender Mist - Mark Kirk {{!}} Release Info".
19. (1994). "Ann Malcolm - Incident'ly".
20. "Conversation With Love - Cindy McLeod {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
21. "Jackie Paris - Nobody Else But Me Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic".
22. "The Complete William the Conqueror Sessions - Bill Pierce {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
23. "Dance for Andy - Mike Richmond {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
24. "Shades of Blue - Bob Rockwell {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
25. Cook, Richard. (2008). "The Penguin guide to jazz recordings".
26. "Freedom Jazz Dance - Larry Schneider {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
27. "Jurgen Seefelder - Naide Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic".
28. "Ballads for Lulu - Louis Smith {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
29. "Once in a While - Louis Smith {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
30. "Hurricane - Rory Stuart {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
31. (1996). "Chris Walden - Ticino".
32. "The Chris White Project - Chris White {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic".
33. (18 October 1993). "Martin Wind, Bill Mays, Keith Copeland - Gone With The Wind".

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