Quick Facts
Biography
Thomas Wilkinson Coppola (better known as Tom Coppola) (born June 6, 1945) is a pianist and arranger, known for being a principal member of the group Air. He also formed Evans and Coppola with vocalist Lucianne Evans and is currently performing as part of the Tom Coppola Trio in Asheville, North Carolina.
Tom Coppola began working as a musician in Manhattan in the 1960s, where he met Googie Coppola and Air was first formed. Air's self-titled first album was released in 1971. The band's best known album, Shine the Light of Love was released in 1980. Subsequently, the group went on permanent hiatus.
He worked for NBC as a music producer on Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1990. In 1991 Coppola went to the University of Southern California to study jazz. He later moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where he has since performed in several groups, including Evans & Coppola and the Tom Coppola Trio, and has taught in the music department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Publications
- Jazz Standards for Piano , Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, Jan 1, 1998