Biography

"Capable of evoking at once Jay McShann, Memphis Slim or... Art Tatum...; Copley interprets the blues most joyfully by his great sense of humor... his sense of swing and phrasing are a wonder... great conviction...
BULLETIN OF THE JAZZ HOT CLUB OF FRANCE

"With such illustrious blues men as Sammy Price and Memphis Slim playing every day on the piano stand in Piazza San Carlo it could have hard to grab the limelight, but Copley took his chance to become the most favoured pianist of the seven featured soloists."
FINANCIAL TIMES, LONDON

"Boogie-woogie, slow blues, and swing --- Copley and the T-birds have a lock on them all. But Copley has the spotlight on "Good Understanding," and he handles it well."
LIVING BLUES

..."unerringly swinging"
BILLBOARD

"Remarkable Al Copley plays with soul, excellent technique and great commitment."
JAZZ JOURNAL, LONDON

"Copley is a magnificent soloist as solid raunchy or elegant as the situation requires...equally at home with New Orleans rum-boogie to Ellington era ballads."
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

"It's not easy to be a soloist in front of an audience of thousands. Pianist Al Copley seemed to ignore that fact and gave a brilliant performance."
MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL

"Jazz/Blues pianists able to present a concert all by themselves have become rare... COPLEY has the courage and ability to do so. His style is the faultlessness of style... if there is a Copley characteristic it is the virtuosity of orchestral piano... his easy command of the tempo, sensitive feeling and dynamic intensity capture his audience.
"...his blues interpretations are rooted in the liveliness and spontaneity of sudden inspiration. A long blues story may tend to cliché but Copley gives it individual expression and value with temperament and wit...
"His stage presence underlines his strong jazz personality. His very high musical intelligence and dexterity- which he brings to new heights, are vividly framed in light hearted humor."
HERMANN SCHROER, ZURICH

AL COPLEY: A SHORT MUSICAL BIO

Pianist and singer; arranger and co-founder of "Roomful of Blues" - the renowned American jump band nominated for two Grammy Awards while he was with them. After 16 years with Roomful, relocated to Europe in 1984.

In June 2002, Al Copley performed two of his full symphonic orchestrations before an audience of more than 25,000 with the Boston Festival Orchestra at Summer Pops.

Some Highlights at Stravinski Hall on the MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL:

• opening for BOB DYLAN

• opening for ERIC CLAPTON'S "LEGENDS"

• opening the BLUES SUMMIT with ETTA JAMES and B.B. KING

• guesting in with JIMMIE VAUGHAN

• doing a duo of Jazz-Hot with JEFF HEALEY

Other events at MJF have included:

• playing on B.B. KING JAMS

• CONCERTS ACOUSTIQUES

• the FIRST TRANSATLANTIC JAM SESSION on the INTERNET (NYC-MTX)

• hosting jam sessions with ROY HARGROVE, VAN MORRISON, EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, GEORGIE FAME etc

• the first MONTREUX JAPAN JAZZ FESTIVAL with McCOY TYNER and GEORGE DUKE

Other highlights include:

• Featured performer & bandleader on the New Orleans Music Festival tours of Germany & Austria (2001 & 2002)

• playing with JIMMIE VAUGHAN opening for ERIC CLAPTON at 12 concerts at ROYAL ALBERT HALL, London

• featured at the COGNAC BLUES FESTIVAL

• opening the JAZZ IN MARCIAC festival

• playing JAZZ EN TOURAINE; JAZZ EN MARTINIQUE

• concert at the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM in Davos, Switzerland

• RADO SWISS OPEN TENNIS, and CINEMUSIC, Gstaad

• annual appearances for the UNICEF gala on German television

• a world cruise of concerts onboard the "MARCO POLO" (Orient Lines)

• repeat headliner at LES NUITS DE JAZZ-BOOGIE PIANO FEST, Paris

• and bringing AL COPLEY'S BLUES TRAIN, featuring SIL AUSTIN and DUKE ROBILLARD to the BERN INT. JAZZ FEST, Bern, Switzerland

Recent Recordings include:

• "RAINY SUMMER" - (Piano Solos)
  One Mind Records OMCD 1203

• "GOOD UNDERSTANDING"
  Al Copley and the Fabulous Thunderbirds
  Bullseye Blues Records BB 9596, USA

• "BLUE PARIS NIGHTS"
  One Mind Records OMCD 1202
  Picked by the Critics Circle of the French edition of Keyboard Magazine as No. 2 Record of the Year 1995

• "LIVE AT MONTREUX"
  One Mind Records OMCD 1201
  A MUST for boogie-woogie and blues piano lovers

• "ROYAL BLUE"
  Black Top Rec. BT 1054, New Orleans

Has recorded with (aside from the first 7 Roomful albums):

• Lou Rawls

• The Fabulous Thunderbirds: ("BUTT ROCKIN," "TUFF ENOUGH" - US Platinum Award; and "DIFFERENT TACOS")

• Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (Best Trad. Blues Grammy nomination)

• Big Joe Turner (Best Trad. Blues Grammy nomination)

• Duke Robillard ("AFTER HOURS SWING SESSION")

• Greg Piccolo ("HEAVY JUICE") and others...

Has also performed with: the original Blues Brothers (John Belushi / Dan Ackroyd), Etta James, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Snooks Eaglin, John Hammond Jr., Big Mama Thornton/ George "Harmonica" Smith, Otis Rush, Big Walter Horton, Helen Humes, Benny Waters, Hal Singer, Arnett Cobb, Scott Hamilton, Big Jay McNealy, Roy "Good Rockin" Brown, and a host of others... and is also a stalwart at Roomful Reunions...

Has performed solo on numerous concerts and festivals in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, England, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Morocco, Greece, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Egypt, with appearances at the Montreux Jazz, Jazz in Marciac, Birmingham Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham, Brussels Blues Festival, San Remo Blues Fest, Hannover Jazz Week, Blues to Bop (Lugano), Int. Rheinknie Jazz session (Basel), Amsterdam Blues Festival, Black Top Bluesarama (New Orleans), Rotterdam Boogie-Woogie Fest, a U.S.I.A. tour of Morocco, Milano Blues Festival, Fondation Roma/Europa, Burghausen Jazz Fest, Heidelberg Jazz Fest, Balverhöhle Fest, Belgian R&B Fest, Festivale de la Côte d'Opale (France), Cambridge University (U.K.), Prague Int. Jazz Festival... just to mention a few; and has performed numerous times on American and European radio and T.V.

Al Copley Management
Tel & Fax: In the US: 1-212-658-9110
In Europe: +32 2 706 5214
Email: info@alcopley.com