Born 27 May 1948, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Copland was a part of the vibrant music scene in Philadelphia as a saxophonist before going to New York where he met John Abercrombie and also played with Chico Hamilton, and others. He experimented with the electric alto but gradually became dissatisfied with the direction his music was taking and, leaving New York, quit playing the sax in order to study piano. He was gone for almost a decade but upon his return to the jazz world in the mid-80s his piano playing was a revelation, his own vividly original style firmly in place.
Copland began recording and touring in trios with bassists Drew Gress / Gary Peacock and drummers Billy Hart / Bill Stewart (Jazz City, Sunnyside, Soul Note). In the nineties, his reputation in the USA spread owing to three legendary recordings with the Savoy label, which put him on the road in an All-Star quintet (Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, and Dennis Chambers), and in quartet with guitarist John Abercrombie, Gress, and Hart. Beginning in 2002, he recorded for several European labels (Challenge, Hatology, Pirouet, Sketch, Soul Note). The three-volume "NY Trio Series" on Pirouet cemented his reputation as a unique stylist, described as "the piano whisperer" and "the king of harmony", with a unique sense of touch. In 2016, he launched the label innerVoice jazz, which releases his recordings as soloist and bandleader. He has continued recording as a supporting artist with other labels such as ECM and Sunnyside.