Thomas Chapin (March 9, 1957 – February 13, 1998) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and multi-instrumentalist. His music spanned the full range of 20th century creative music, from his time as Lionel Hampton's bandleader to modern jazz and his own avant-garde explorations. He helped create the Knitting Factory scene in New York City in the early 80's and was the first artist signed to Knitting Factory Records. Though primarily an

alto saxophonist The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E, smaller tha ...

, he also played sopranino, as well as

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

baritone sax The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxop ...

es and

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

. Many of his recordings as a leader were in a trio with bassist

Mario Pavone Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was an American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted mensch." Early life Pavone was bor ...

and drummer Michael Sarin. Chapin studied with

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

Paul Jeffrey Paul Jeffrey (April 8, 1933 – March 20, 2015) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and educator. He was a member of Thelonious Monk's regular group from 1970–1975, and also worked extensively with other musicians such as Charles ...

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

, and

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

. He died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

at age 40. He played at a benefit concert two weeks before his death.

Career

Chapin was born on March 9, 1957, in

Manchester, Connecticut Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 59,713 ...

. He attended

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

in Andover, Massachusetts, where he studied

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and

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 ...

. In the late 1970s, he attended the

Hartt School of Music The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov, Hartt has been part of the University of Hartford since it ...

at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, studying with saxophonist

. He played frequently in the Hartford and Amherst, Massachusetts areas until moving in 1980 to Brooklyn, New York with fellow musicians Dave Phillips and George Kormendi. He studied at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

with saxophonist

, pianist

, and guitarist

Ted Dunbar Earl Theodore Dunbar (January 17, 1937 – May 29, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. Career Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Dunbar trained as a pharmacist at Texas Southern University, but by the 1970s he only did pharmac ...

. He graduated from Rutgers in 1980. From 1981 to 1986, he toured with

as lead saxophonist and musical director. He performed with

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, f ...

's band from 1988 to 1989. In the late 1980s, he formed quartets, quintets, and a band and album devoted to Brazilian music, ''Spirits Rebellious'' (Alacra). He founded Machine Gun with guitarist

Robert Musso Robert Musso is a New York City-based guitarist, composer, engineer, and producer. He is the founder of the independent record label MuWorks as well as the record label - MussoMusic.com. Over the course of a 40 - year career, Musso has produced, mix ...

and a trio with bassist

and drummers Steve Johns and later Michael Sarin. In 1994, the trio performed at Madarao Jazz Festival in Japan, where he also played with Betty Carter, and at the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

in 1995. He formed larger groups (Trio with Brass, Insomnia, Haywire, and Trio with Strings) and performed with

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

Sonny Sharrock Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock (August 27, 1940 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. His first wife was singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he recorded and performed. One of only a few prominent guitarists who participated in the fir ...

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

, Walter Thompson,

Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to: Entertainment * David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer * Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter * Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), American ...

Marty Ehrlich Marty Ehrlich (born May 31, 1955) is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flutes) and is considered one of the leading figures in avant-garde jazz. Biography Though born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the portion of Ehrlich's youth spent in ...

, and

Ned Rothenberg Ned Rothenberg (born September 15, 1956) is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. He specializes in woodwind instruments, including the alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). He is known ...

. He recorded over fifteen albums as a leader. Chapin died of

in 1998 at the age of 40.

Discography

As leader and co-leader

As sideman

With Machine Gun * ''Machine Gun'' (MU 1988) * ''Open Fire'' (Mu New York 1989) * ''Pass the Ammo'' (MuWorks, 1991) * ''WFMU'' (MuWorks, 2000) * ''Live at CBGB's Vol 1 06/02/87'' (Musso Music, 2007) * ''Live at the Gas Station 12/03/88'' (Musso Music, 2007) With

* ''Sharpeville'' (Alacra, 1988) * ''Toulon Days'' (New World/CounterCurrents, 1992) * ''Song for Septet'' (New World/CounterCurrents, 1994) * ''Dancers Tales'' (Knitting Factory, 1997) With others * Borah Bergman, ''Toronto 1997'' (Boxholder, 2003) * Michael Blake, ''Kingdom of Champa'' (Intuition, 1997) *

& Mario Pavone, ''

Seven Standards 1995 ''Seven Standards 1995'' is an album by pianist/improviser Anthony Braxton and bassist Mario Pavone's Quintet recorded in 1995 and released on the Knitting Factory Works label.

'' (Knitting Factory, 1995) *

Barbara Dennerlein Barbara Dennerlein (born 25 September 1964 in Munich) is a German jazz organist. She has achieved critical acclaim for using the bass pedalboard on a Hammond organ and for integrating synthesizer sounds onto the instrument, and was described by ...

, ''Junkanoo'' (Verve, 1997) *

Armen Donelian Armen Hrant Donelian (born December 1, 1950) is a jazz pianist, composer, educator and author. Donelian was classically trained at the Westchester Conservatory of Music in White Plains, New York. He has appeared since 1975 as a featured soloist ...

, ''Quartet Language'' (Playscape, 2003) *

, '' Continuum'' (Arabesque, 1994) *

Pamela Fleming Pamela Fleming (born 10 October 1957) is an American musician who composes and plays trumpet and flugelhorn. Born in New York City, her family moved to the suburb of New City, New York when she was a child. She grew up in New City and graduated ...

, ''Fearless Dreamer'' (Infinite Room, 1998) *

, ''Made in Japan'' (Glad-Hamp, 1984) * Lionel Hampton, ''Sentimental Journey'' (Glad-Hamp, 1985) * William Hooker, ''Crossing Points'' (NoBusiness 2011) * Frank London, ''Scientist at Work'' (Tzadik, 2002) *

Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass. The band is influenced by musical traditions including funk and hip hop and ...

, '' Notes from the Underground'' (Accurate, 1992) *

, ''Active Resonance'' (Tokuma, 1992) *

, ''Overlays'' (Moers Music, 1991) * Ned Rothenberg, ''Real and Imagined Time'' (Moers Music, 1995) *

Daniel Schnyder Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music. Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. He has record ...

, ''Tarantula'' (Enja, 1996) *

Peggy Stern Margaret "Peggy" Stern (born September 22, 1948, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American jazz pianist and synthesizer player. Career Stern studied piano at the Eastman School of Music, receiving her bachelor's degree in 1968, then attended the ...

, ''The Fuchsia'' (Koch, 1997) * Walter Thompson, ''The Colonel'' (Nine Winds 1998) *

Axel Zwingenberger Axel Zwingenberger (; born 7 May 1955) is a German blues and boogie-woogie pianist and songwriter. Biography Zwingenberger was born in Hamburg, West Germany, and enjoyed eleven years of classical piano training. After listening to recordings by ...

, ''The Boogie Woogie Album'' (Telefunken, 1982)

Books

* Thomas Chapin. ''Ten Compositions'' (sheet music book of original compositions) (Peace Park Publishing/Akasha; US)

Documentaries

Music Man: Thomas Chapin
directed by Terri Castillo, 1989 * directed by Terri Castillo, 1991 * with features of the Thomas Chapin Trio directed by Richard Buxenbaum for Festival Productions, 1995 * directed by Stephanie J. Castillo, 2004 *''Night Bird Song: The Thomas Chapin Story'' directed by Stephanie J. Castillo, released in 2016, winner "Best Story" Award, 2016 Nice (France) International Film Festival; shown at Monterey (CA) Jazz Fest, Sept., 2016

References

External links

Thomas Chapin official siteThomas Chapin Film siteThomas Chapin Papers.
Rubenstein Library, Duke University
"The Thomas Chapin Era"
''Jazz Halo'', July 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Thomas Avant-garde jazz musicians Phillips Academy alumni 1957 births American jazz alto saxophonists Deaths from leukemia in the United States Arabesque Records artists 1998 deaths Rutgers University alumni 20th-century American saxophonists Machine Gun (band) members Knitting Factory Records artists NoBusiness Records artists