About The Film
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How Stephanie Found the Film
"It is not often that a film idea grabs you as a filmmaker and captures your attention so strongly that you feel compelled to put all aside and commit to giving it life. My last film, shown on PBS, was made in 2006. I had been waiting for another strong idea to grab me, but the ideas kept eluding me. I even thought perhaps I had made my last film, and I was done with passion projects that take so much time, energy and money.
"But there was one story I knew should be told; but the time never felt right. And I wasn't sure I was the one to tell it. Until now. The urge to tell the story of Thomas Chapin had been around me for a long time, since just before his death in 1998.
"I was there in New York City with his loved ones when he and my sister Terri married three months before he died. That day, I saw him walking down the "aisle" of a hospital conference room, with I.V. drips in his arms, held up by his brother, as a poignant James Taylor tune played.
"I was there in that Providence, Rhode Island hospital room with his family in that quiet moment of tears and sadness when Thomas took his last breath.
"And the night after Thomas had passed, when Terri and I sat in a car as she read aloud his obituary in the New York Times and as a Boston NPR radio station paying tribute Thomas played his music, I was there. Ever since then the sense that Thomas should be known and remembered has never left me.
"Now with his family's excitement and agreement that it is time to share his story with the world, and with my sister Terri ready to help and encourage me, this all-important journey is before me. I'm ready. I'm ready to take this story on. I'm ready to tell the story of this amazing man, whose passion-driven life has meaning for us all and whose powerful music is deeply etched in so many hearts and minds.
"So many of those who I plan to interview hold Thomas with deep gratitude for his brilliant gifts that he left behind in his music; their appearance in the film will be their 'thank you' to him.
"I'll be writing a blog about the making of this film and hope you will join me behind the scenes."
What Are Stephanie's Hopes for the Film?
"To tell a good story and to tell it well. To inspire you, to enrich you, to give you a story about creativity, passion, spirit, love and a Divine Art called Jazz. And because Thomas Chapin lives on because his music is alive, to share the lessons his life can teach us about living--how to live with passion, how to go to the edge of fear with boldness, how to find courage, how to dream, to dance, to be free. I'm doing it for all of you."
What Does the Film's Title Mean?
The film’s title, NIGHT BIRD SONG, is from a Thomas Chapin Trio signature tune inspired by the striking melodic turns of a bird’s song that Chapin heard while on a midnight walk. The title evokes the arc in his music career that reveals he was solidly rooted in tradition yet straining its boundaries at every turn. Jazz critic Larry Blumenfeld said "the arc corresponded less to common categories of 'downtown,' 'mainstream' and more to the flight paths of birds Chapin seemed to favor in song titles. With grace and individuality, Chapin took us to places—lofty and striking and sometimes dangerous—that forced a change of perspective." The film will take us to some of these places.
Capturing His Musical and Spiritual Legacy
As the film reveals Chapin's musical ascension and steadfast spiritual journey, it will explore the deeper, complex and sometimes perplexing sides of his personal life. While he radiated joy on the outside, privately he was searching deep within his soul, seeking for that hallowed place which grounded and connected him to a higher purpose. He was looking for answers, questing in a lot of different ways, a true intellectual who knew a lot about a lot of different things. He loved life and music.
Personal and intimate, NIGHT BIRD SONG: THE THOMAS CHAPIN STORY will reveal what only a small circle of insiders --fellow jazz players, close friends, critics, devoted fans, family, and his wife Terri--knew of him. "I promise," says Stephanie, "his fiery playing and passion will fill the screen, and his joyful expression and love of what he does will infect you."