Ray Copeland
Ray Copeland (born July 17, 1926 in Norfolk , Virginia , † May 18, 1984 in Sunderland , Massachusetts ) was an American jazz trumpeter of swing and modern jazz , composer and music teacher.
Life
At the beginning of his musical career, Copeland played with Cecil Scott in 1945 , with Chris Columbus in Small's Paradise in 1946, then went on tour with Mercer Ellington's orchestra in 1947/48 and worked for Al Kooper's Savoy Sultan in 1948/49 . In the first half of the 1950s he was not a professional musician, but worked in a paper mill and in his spare time played at times with Andy Kirk , Lucky Millinder , Lucky Thompson , Sy Oliver and others. From 1957 to 1958 he worked with Randy Weston , Tito Puente and in 1958 with Oscar Pettiford , Johnny Richards and 1958/59 with Gigi Gryce . From 1958 to 1961 he was active in the Roxy theater orchestra and at times led a 14-member band for club appearances. From 1962 to 1964 he played in the backing band of Pearl Bailey .
Copeland took part in many swing and hard bop sessions in the course of his musical career ; but best known are his recordings with Thelonious Monk on the album Monk's Music in 1956. Copeland played a swinging style, but could never step out of the shadow of trumpeters of his time such as Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown . In 1967 he played in the big band formation of Booker Ervin , in 1968 he toured again with Thelonious Monk, and in 1973 he played at the Newport Jazz Festival .
Copeland also recorded albums with the Oliver Nelson Orchestra, blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and Ella Fitzgerald .
Since the late 1960s, Copeland was increasingly active as a music teacher; he held workshops at public schools, at the Jazzmobile and numerous summer universities. Copeland was later professor of music at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, teaching jazz composition. His "Classical Jazz Suite in Six Movements" premiered in 1970 at Lincoln Center .
Selection discography
- Thelonious Monk: Blue Monk ( Prestige Records , 1954)
- Randy Weston: The Modern Art of Jazz ( Dawn Records , 1957)
- Phil Woods / Red Garland : Sugan ( New Jazz , 1957)
- Booker Ervin: Booker 'n' Brass ( Pacific Jazz Records , 1967)
publication
- The Ray Copeland Method and Approach to the Creative Art of Jazz Improvisation (Kaerecea, 1974)
literature
- Bielefeld Jazz Catalog, 2001
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ PR 7848 Thelonious Monk - Blue Monk, Vol. 2, Records Catalog: 7800 series at jazzdisco.org
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Copeland, Ray |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 17, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Norfolk (Virginia) |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 18, 1984 |
| Place of death | Sunderland, Massachusetts |