(Trio Was at) Very Evolved PlaceMario Pavone, Bassist, Thomas Chapin Trio

(from “Ride” CD liner notes, 2006)

This is the trio at its zenith. Touring with the trio was hard work and great fun. By the time we played the North Sea again in ’95, the trio was hitting festivals all over Europe and the music was at a very evolved place.

The inclusion of “Pet Scorpion,” a difficult up-tempo piece with abrupt turns, starts and stops is important to this release. We worked hard and long on this tune and here it is at its high point. This is a good example of my feeling that Thomas often wrote “big band music” for trio.

“Ticket to Ride” was our reward for giving a great performance. The European audiences went crazy. Thomas scored this piece around a three-note riff. That was what Ringo Starr had played on three different drums. It was visual and incredible fun.

Thomas epitomized masterful jazz saxohone playing. His incredible energy and rigorous standards were significant in his pursuit to fuse inside/outside thrusts in the music through a universal language.