"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
"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 ---
"Remarkable Al Copley plays with soul, excellent technique and great commitment."
JAZZ JOURNAL
"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, and back home to the US in 2010.
Al has been performing extensively in Europe and the northeast US for the past few years, appears regularly in NYC and Paris, and continues to develop in style and taste, always noted for energy, versatility and impeccable harmony. He has been included in Chapman Roberts' 2018 "Broadway Jazz Festival" in Manhattan with stars from Chapman's hit plays "Blues in the Night," "Smokey Joe's Cafe," "Five Guys Named Moe" and "Bubbling Brown Sugar."
In 2016 Al instigated a reunion recording of the 1970s version of Roomful of Blues, which has recorded a tremendous disc to be released in 2021. The goal, according to co-founder Duke Robillard, was to "make a record equal to or better than our first record." They have succeeded in this ! Stay tuned.
In June 2002 and 2009, Al Copley performed four of his own 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:
26 years of regular appearances at CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE in Paris
30 years of annual quintet appearances for the BERN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (Marians Jazzroom over New Years)
performing regularly Off-Broadway in New York City
Resident Artist at the Ocean House, Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Resident Artist at le Grand Hotel Bellevue Gstaad
regular spots at the JAZZASCONA festival (Ascona, Switzerland -- Lago Maggiore)
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
Recordings include:
"A SUMMER PLACE" - (more great songs with Al and the Steinway)
One Mind Records OMCD 1212
"HERE’S TO LIFE" - (great songs by Al and the Steinway)
One Mind Records OMCD 1211
"BEACH BALL BLAST" - (AC Octet LIVE recording)
One Mind Records OMCD 1210
"THE SUMMER WIND” (more delicious piano soli)
One Mind Records OMCD 1209
"STARDUST" - (delicious piano soli)
One Mind Records OMCD 1208
"ALBI'S BOOGIES" - (an anthology of Al's best boogie solos)
One Mind Records OMCD 1207
"AMERICAN ARISTOCRACY" - (a new soundtrack for a classic 1917 Douglas Fairbanks film)
One Mind Records OMDVD 1206
"RADIO PLAY" - (little big band jump and swing)
One Mind Records OMCD 1205
"JUMP ON IT"- (Qunitet to Sextet jump blues)
One Mind Records OMCD 1204
"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 ("SHADES OF BLUE" -- Philly International)
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, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Egypt, with appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Bern International Jazz Festival, Mt. Tremblant Blues Festival, Rochester Jazz Festival, 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 in the US: 1-401-212-6207
Email: info@alcopley.com