Biography
Born the seventh son of Italian immigrants, Copinha launched his musical education at nine under the guidance of his older brother Vicente Cópia, whose siblings all pursued music as well. He took up the flute and turned professional in 1924, providing live accompaniment for silent films until the arrival of sound in 1930. The clarinet and saxophone entered his arsenal in 1928, leading to widespread performances around town. That same year he made repeated appearances on Rádio Paulista alongside Garoto, and the pair, together with Aimoré, Armandinho on acoustic guitar, and vocalist Moreira da Silva, cut his debut recording. With brothers and nephews he assembled Orquestra Irmãos Cópia, which operated steadily through 1934 and featured crooners Rui Rei, Nuno Roland, and Grande Otelo. After completing an engineering degree he briefly practiced that profession, yet never curtailed his heavy musical workload. In 1931 he toured Germany with Spartaco Rossi’s quartet; the following year he backed Mário Reis and Francisco Alves. By 1933 he was performing on Rádio Cruzeiro do Sul with Maestro Gaó’s Orquestra Columbia, a collaboration that became regular between 1937 and 1939. His activities reached Rio de Janeiro in 1936 when Rádio Ipanema engaged him and he shared stages with Pixinguinha at the Eldorado gafieira. Remaining an in-demand sideman through the 1930s and 1940s, he belonged to Simon Bountman’s orchestra from 1939 to 1943 and then joined Carlos Machado’s ensemble at the Cassino da Urca from 1944 to 1946, appearing at other casinos as well. His own orchestra formed in 1946 and held a long residency at the Casino of the Copacabana Palace Hotel until 1959; during those years, as bossa nova emerged, João Gilberto, João Donato, Milton Banana, and numerous other figures of the movement passed through its ranks or worked under its direction.
Throughout the Golden Age of song in the 1930s and 1940s he accompanied Carmen Miranda, Francisco Alves, Mário Reis, Carlos Galhardo, Orlando Silva, Sílvio Caldas, Nuno Roland, Rui Rei, and many additional luminaries. During the bossa-nova era of the late 1950s and early 1960s he supported Elizeth Cardoso, João Gilberto from the latter’s very first album onward, and further movement icons. He participated in Pierre Barouh’s soundtrack for the celebrated film Un Homme et une Femme alongside Baden Powell, Milton Banana, and the Castro-Neves brothers Oscar and Iko. From the 1970s into the 1980s he served as sideman for Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola, Roberto Carlos, Gilberto Gil, and others. His solo endeavors also achieved international reach and often anticipated developments later pursued by his own orchestra. In 1958, after appearing on Elizeth Cardoso’s historic Canção do Amor Demais—the album that announced bossa nova—he was asked by Tom Jobim to feature on João Gilberto’s debut recording. He remained active in session work throughout the bossa-nova period. In 1966 his orchestra Copinha do Rio performed in Monaco; the next year, joined by pianist Dom Salvador, drummer Chico Batera, and bassist Sérgio Barroso, the group played engagements in Miami, Dallas, and Minneapolis. His half-century career was marked by the 1975 release of the LP Jubileu de Ouro on Som Livre.
Throughout the Golden Age of song in the 1930s and 1940s he accompanied Carmen Miranda, Francisco Alves, Mário Reis, Carlos Galhardo, Orlando Silva, Sílvio Caldas, Nuno Roland, Rui Rei, and many additional luminaries. During the bossa-nova era of the late 1950s and early 1960s he supported Elizeth Cardoso, João Gilberto from the latter’s very first album onward, and further movement icons. He participated in Pierre Barouh’s soundtrack for the celebrated film Un Homme et une Femme alongside Baden Powell, Milton Banana, and the Castro-Neves brothers Oscar and Iko. From the 1970s into the 1980s he served as sideman for Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola, Roberto Carlos, Gilberto Gil, and others. His solo endeavors also achieved international reach and often anticipated developments later pursued by his own orchestra. In 1958, after appearing on Elizeth Cardoso’s historic Canção do Amor Demais—the album that announced bossa nova—he was asked by Tom Jobim to feature on João Gilberto’s debut recording. He remained active in session work throughout the bossa-nova period. In 1966 his orchestra Copinha do Rio performed in Monaco; the next year, joined by pianist Dom Salvador, drummer Chico Batera, and bassist Sérgio Barroso, the group played engagements in Miami, Dallas, and Minneapolis. His half-century career was marked by the 1975 release of the LP Jubileu de Ouro on Som Livre.