Tom Coppola

American pianist and arranger (June 6, 1945 - December 29, 2023).

Coppola began working as a musician in Manhattan in the 1960s as a member of [a=Herbie Mann]'s backing band (which then became [a1743668]) in the late 60's / early 70's. During the late 60's, he met his future wife Carolyn Brooks (later known as [a381969]). The two became musical collaborators, co-founded the group [a1743668] and played together with Herbie Mann, [a74210], [a88228], [a19599], [a122381] and others. He joined the NYC Musician's Union, Local 802 in 1973. From 1984 to 1990, he wrote, recorded, arranged and produced music for NBC's Saturday Night Live. He was a member of the Broadway orchestra of “Dreamgirls.” He served as a Synclavier consultant for [l1411982]. He was a writer-performer on CBS TV’s “As the World Turns,” with [a253349] and [a200785] and one of his original tunes (“House of Cards”) was featured on the show. He recorded jingles, including the original synthesizer sound for the very end of the Duracell “Coppertop” commercials. He had extensive credits in producing and arranging. Additionally, he arranged and released a book, [i]Jazz Standards For Piano,[/i] (Hal Leonard #HL00310342).

In 1991, he earned a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California He later moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where he taught Jazz Studies in the music department at the University of North Carolina during the 2000's. In 2014, Coppola moved to Hartsdale, New York.

During his long and storied career, Mr. Coppola collaborated with many top stars, including Paul Simon, Herbie Mann, Sheridan Lee, Marvin Gaye, Brook Benton, Cissy Houston, the Average White Band, Patti LuPone, Orchestra Harlow, Tito Puente, the Tommy Dorsey Band, Otis Blackwell, Chet Baker, Marcus Miller, David “Fathead” Newman, Dave Valentin, Jeff Berlin, Manolo Badrena, Carlos “Patato” Valdes, Tony Levin, Mark Egan, Eddie Gomez, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Dave Bargeron, Leon Pendarvis, Steve Turre, Jon Faddis, Kenny Kirkland, Dave Taylor, Chris Parker, Will Lee, Paulinho da Costa, Ernie Watts, Bernard Purdie, Anthony Jackson, Cornell Dupree, Paul Jackson Jr, Manhattan Transfer, The Fatback Band, Chic, Bill Withers and Lucianne Evans. He also led his own trio.