James Forbes Chapin ( ) (July 23, 1919 – July 4, 2009) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer and the author of books about

jazz drumming Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

. He is in the

Percussive Arts Society The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abr ...

Hall of Fame and was posthumously inducted into the ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...

'' Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life

Chapin was born in Manhattan, New York, the son of Abigail Forbes and painter James Ormsbee Chapin. Chapin first played piano and clarinet, and left college at the age of 18, when he started to play the drums, studying with Sanford Moeller.

Later life and career

After stints in an assortment of bands, Chapin played with

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His recor ...

in 1943. Chapin coined the term "coordinated independence" to describe the skill of a drummer where "both hands and feet are performing parts which are rhythmically independent from one another". His ''Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer'' textbook was published in 1948. At the time, it was perhaps the only such book targeted only at drummers. In 2009, a writer for ''

Drum! ''Drum!'' is an American educational drumming magazine. It features artist profiles, product reviews, lessons and advanced transcriptions covering rock, pop and related styles of music. The magazine was launched in 1991 with Andy Doerschuk as ed ...

'' magazine wrote that it was "arguably the most important drum set text ever written". In 1954, Chapin led a band that played weekly at Birdland in New York City; this continued into 1956. His sextet of Don Stratton (trumpet),

Billy Byers William Mitchell Byers (May 1, 1927 – May 1, 1996) was an American jazz trombonist and arranger. Early life Byers was born in Los Angeles on May 1, 1927. He suffered from arthritis from a young age and was unable to continue his plans of a ca ...

(trombone),

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began t ...

(alto sax), Sonny Truitt (piano), and

Chuck Andrus Charles Edmund Andrus Jr., best known as Chuck Andrus (November 17, 1928 – June 12, 1997) was an American jazz double-bassist. Andrus was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, raised in New England, and studied at the Manhattan School of Music. In the ...

(bass) recorded the album ''Jim Chapin Ensemble'' in 1954; it was reissued in expanded form as ''The Jim Chapin Sextet'' around 1960. The following year, he led an octet of

Jimmy Nottingham James Edward Nottingham, Jr. (December 15, 1925 – November 16, 1978), also known as Sir James, was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He was born in New York, United States, and started performing professionally in 1943 in Brookl ...

(trumpet),

Urbie Green Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green (August 8, 1926 – December 31, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle. He played on over 250 recordings and released more than twenty albums a ...

(trombone),

Bob Wilber Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his caree ...

(tenor sax), Phil Woods and George Dorsey (alto sax),

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

(piano), and

Wilbur Ware Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for ...

(bass) that recorded ''Profile of a Jazz Drummer''. Chapin played with bassist

Marshall Grant Marshall Garnett Grant (May 5, 1928 – August 7, 2011) was the upright bassist and electric bassist of singer Johnny Cash's original backing duo, the Tennessee Two, in which Grant and electric guitarist Luther Perkins played. The group became k ...

between 1958 and 1960. For eight months from October 1968, Chapin taught drummer

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...

weekly, helping Krupa in his recovery following

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

. In 1971, Chapin's ''Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Volume II'' was published. Chapin traveled around the world teaching and presenting seminars, including teaching

Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is an American musician, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and an occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established th ...

, after he left the group

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

in the early 1980s. A Chapin instructional video, ''Speed, Power, Control, Endurance'', was released in 1992. Chapin died in Florida on July 4, 2009.

References

External links

Article on Jim Chapin at ''Drummerworld''2004 oral history interview for the National Association of Music Merchants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Jim 1919 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American jazz drummers American jazz musicians Jazz musicians from New York City 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Chapin family (show business) Drum educators Drummers from New York City