King Of The Keys
Pianist Copeland Davis Has A Unique Style That Blends Jazz And Classical Genres
Copeland Davis' brand of jazz piano is thoroughly captivating.
As his fingers fly across the keys, his music explodes in bold rhythms and then meanders into softer, more mellow realms. Davis is at home in almost any style – from jazz and classical to pop and rock. In fact, his mastery of the keyboard is so great – and his style so creative – that he has been called one of America's greatest symphonic piano innovators.
"I like injecting classical music into light jazz," says Davis, 67. "Beethoven is one of my favorite composers and Rachmaninoff, too, because they use the entire range of the piano. I sometimes stop in the middle and go straight back to classical."
Davis' talent emerged early. Born in Orlando and raised in Winter Park, he was able to memorize all the pieces his teacher played for him without even learning to read music. By the age of 16, he was thrust into the world of jazz.
"I was baptized by fire," he explains. "Someone was looking for a keyboard player, and no other keyboard players would take the job at the time. I didn't know arrangements, jazz, style or improvisation when I started."
But he learned fast. Then, inspired by Peter Nero's unusual blend of classical and jazz, he went on to study classical piano and arranging at Seminole Community College and Florida Atlantic University. He stayed in South Florida after that and performed in clubs.
But things changed quickly a few years later when he was offered a chance to appear on the "Tonight Show." Fame hit almost overnight. That led to several years in Las Vegas, and his playing became so admired that he was inducted into the International Who's Who in Music as well as the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2014.
Today, Davis lives in Wellington and continues to perform nationally and at local venues such as the Kravis Center. He admits that some things have changed. For instance, technology has transformed his field. But he still prefers an acoustic piano. Electronic keyboards "don't have the same dynamic capacity," he insists.
By continuing to go his own way, Davis remains both an innovator and a traditionalist in the world of jazz. O