Tributes from Music Community and Friends of Thomas Chapin on the occasion of his tenth year of passing, "Lift Off! Remembering Thomas Chapin" concerts in New York City, Feb. 13 and 15, 2008.
From the Voices of Musicians, Poets and Music Promoters...
John Zorn Tom Chapin was the real deal. A complete musician in every sense, he created work that was honest, imaginative, well crafted and cathartic. Putting himself into each and every note, he played with a rare and intense passion. His energy was absolutely astounding. He is sorely missed.
Bruce Lee Gallanter Thomas Chapin was one of the greatest saxists and flutists ever! I caught Thomas dozens of times and he never failed to blow his audiences away. He could swing his tush off and he could go as far out as any of the heavy spirits like Trane or Eric Dolphy. He was also a fine composer who drew from the vast history of jazz, world, rock and more outside streams and made it his own. Whether knowing him as a friend or experiencing him on stage, you knew he was an exuberant, radiant and positive spirit/force. I was truly honored to be his friend and to help him get some of the recognition he deserved. These two concerts will celebrate his life and his music. It's been ten years since his passing and it is time to remember... Thomas Chapin!
Mario Pavone His best changes playing was never captured on records, to a great degree.... When I look at it now, every solo he took was with the thought in mind that he might not be around to play another. Every solo was like two solos.... He was smart, well-informed, full of incredible energy, a virtuoso, experimenting and pushing the envelope all of the time, never letting up.... It is wonderful to honor the music and memory of Thomas Chapin... his music stands that sure test of time. I include Chapin pieces on my current concert playlist. I keep his stuff alive because it is alive.
Michael Sarin Thomas had a lot of sides that were often in conflict with one another. This made for great theater and wonderful artistic creation. I miss his laugh and curiosity about the world. I miss seeing how he would have grown musically, and I just miss Thomas. And, I wish he and my son could have met each other.
Arthur Kell Thomas believed! And, soon after meeting him, so did you. It wasn't just the vivid, ferocious energy and the feeling that he could tap a deep musical well at will; he had so much heart and soul about him. You not only walked away more convinced of the wonders of this world, you also felt the love.
James Spaulding Tom was really one of the first alto players who cited me openly in his public notes as one of the alto players by whom he was much influenced. I wore his admiration very proudly while playing my horn. Thomas was certainly most sincere with his admiration and his compliments. I believe, were Tom here, still amongst us, his musical achievements would parallel those of the most recognized of our peers.
Paul Jeffrey Thomas didn’t like to transcribe solos. I told him that was okay, because he knew the changes. I realized that Thomas could play his way, and more traditionally, so why not let him go his way? Because he was always reaching for different things, things that might not fit within the structure of the music we were playing.... I kept trying to get Thomas into Hamp’s band, but Hamp didn’t know him. When Hamp called me for one job, I said I would only take the gig if he’d also hire Thomas. The day after that gig, Hamp called and said, “That guy really can play.” Pretty soon he was Hamp’s musical director, and I got Hamp to hire the whole Rutgers sax section.... We had quite a few conversations about individuality. He always wanted to do it his way.... He was on the verge of becoming one of the leading voices on the alto. He was at the forefront on that instrument.
David CasT Playing next to Thomas Chapin in any endeavor always brought out the best musically from all involved. It was just that when Thomas was present, the music coming from his instrument of choice at any given moment, was so pure an expression that to attempt anything less by everyone around him would be a glaring insult to the music.... Thomas was a real presence, and a humble and humbling presence... a real brush with truth in this universe.
Walter Thompson He was such a very special person and a great artist! Thomas was a big supporter of my work, Soundpainting, and always encouraged me to continue its development. I think of Thomas often and remember the early days of our meeting... He would often have very constructive comments on how to codify certain gestures and concepts. He encouraged me to continue in this direction and to develop Soundpainting as far as I could take it.... I once asked Thomas, referring to a difficult section of one of my compositions, if he would be able to play it. He said, very confidently, ""I don't have any technical problems on any of my instruments, I can play anything!"" He was absolutely right - he played the passage without a flaw.... He was not only a visionary composer and performer, on many instruments, but he was also a fantastic visual artist!... The visual works he showed me focused on his layering paper materials and tearing away the layers to reveal the different levels and textures. Thomas had quite a number of these works. They were excellent!
Peggy Stern Thomas was one of the most open, most clear, and most alive, happy, and curious people I have ever met. He was a very good friend to have, and he is sorely missed.
Armen Donelian Thomas was a powerhouse of ideas and passion, and his music often gushed from him in torrents, yet he understood when and what not to play as well. His solo on my tune ""Mexico"" is a perfect example of his ability to sculpt musical architecture from the first note to the last, to build from silence into an inexorable climax, and then to recede into nothingness once again. In addition, Thomas was one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I miss him terribly.
Pablo Aslan I formed Avantango in 1994 to explore the mixture and confluence of tango and jazz, looking for a spontaneous way to play tango, no arrangements, just blowing. I received a lot of impetus from hanging out and talking to Thomas. When he discovered I played tango, he was immediately into the idea of getting together and blowing on some tangos. I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity, so I picked up the challenge and got the band together. At first we were a sextet, but over a couple of years we trickled down to the trio with Ethan Iverson. It was an unbelievably creative experience for me, one that in hindsight becomes more of a defining moment in my life and career than I [realized] at the time. Thomas' virtuoso playing, his incredible zest and enthusiasm, his sharp musicality, and his sweetness as a person were all a great part of this.
Steve Dalachinsky in the music we play this impending dance ..... dear sweet saxophonist present in the Rumi's open heart where music's ears buzz like a headswelling fever…
Thomas my thoughts are with you in this city of cities, this alternative to paradise. May you always walk peacefully through the tropics you so loved.
Michael Rabinowitz Prior to a rehearsal in our Brooklyn apartment (unlike many musicians Thomas loved to rehearse), Thomas found my two-year-old daughter's plastic Fisher-Price toy instrument set. This toy could be taken apart and reassembled into different hybrid flutes. his face was lit with boyish joy at the discovery and if I had not aksed him to take out his sax, he woujld have played with that toy all afternoon. That was Thomas.
Robert Musso He used to wear a button on his shirt pocket back then that said, “I Read”. We used to say he could read around the corner. That's how good he was. So when it came time to putting Machine Gun together, years later, he was the obvious choice. Before Machine Gun the only time that we had played together was in the jazz ensemble, which was with probably 30 or 40 musicians. He was always the lead soloist. I still miss Thomas ‘Rage” Chapin. We had so many good times together. He was unbelievable. He had so much energy!
Steve Swell As a musician, what can you say about Tom Chapin who spent his whole life playing this music with such dedication, energy and good humor? Just that he truly was one of us.
Vernon Frazer Thomas was one of the leading saxophonists of the 1980s and 1990s. I've met very few artists in any medium who shared his commitment to keeping his work fresh and original. In his time, Thomas was way ahead of the curve. In this time, people still have to catch up to him.
Ned Rothenberg Thomas remains an inspiration. Whenever I tire of the grind that the music 'biz' can throw at you, he bucks me up. Thomas paid all kinds of dues (how many years with Lionel Hampton?) but he never lost that sheer joy of musical creation. Man, he could burn it up. He looks at me from the wall of my studio and sometimes when I'm feeling creatively stuck I look over at his photo and I feel him saying – ‘come on babe, work it on out.‘
Ara Dinkjian The last time I was with Thomas, at his apartment, he played his newest recording, Sky Piece. I was overwhelmed by the music, and by the prospect of losing this friend and musician at a time when he was at a new peak (to my ears). I will never forget: he told me he treasured life. I am grateful for having had him in my life.
Brett Ryan Even though I never met Thomas, it is clear to me that there is no separation between the music he played and who he was as a person. Whenever I listen to his recordings, I feel that a radiant, humorous, passionate, and sensitive human being is right there along side me.
Ineke Van Doorn His playing impressed me a lot. My first impression was that although he was playing very free, energetic and anarchistic he was easy to follow and he never lost contact with his trio-members nor with the audience. After the concert I talked shortly with him and this was like his music: lively, open and with a lot of humour. More than two years later... Marc van Vugt and I decided to ask Thomas to play as a featured guest with our group Vandoorn.... This was more or less a spontaneous idea so we only called him three weeks before it should happen. At one way or the other it 'clicked' immediately. Thomas didn't need to hear a tape of us first and because of the narrow time schedule he bought a plane ticket himself. A written down confirmation? Nothing of this was necessary. When I asked him later if he was always so full of trust towards other people, he answered that he always followed his intuition and that this always worked. I found this quite remarkable.
Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier We were both lucky to work with Thomas a bit--Sylvie in Holland in Quartet and Duo in New York, and Mark in his Trio plus Strings and with the Walter Thompson Big Band. Thomas was a great musician who always gave 100%. I remember his positive energy. He will always be remembered and missed.
Tom Melito Thomas was exactly what you wanted in a jazz musician in that he really had his own beautiful sound, and it mirrored his personality. If you weren't lucky enough to know him, the music he left us will take you on a journey to his spirit that will leave you with a smile. Quite a feat for such a brief life…
Steven Bernstein I met Thomas in 1983... he was so advanced... ahead of all the rest of us... the first musician in ""our community"" on a jazz record (by great trumpeter Johnny Walker), first leading his own band at a jazz club (55 Bar), first to make his own cd's (on the Knit label), first to take his own band to Europe....I asked him for a LOT of advice.......and he was the first to go...... was just on tour with Mario Pavone and Mike Sarin....we talked about ""Chape"" every day....thank you for your spirit....you led the way....wish you were here today...
From the Voices of Family and Friends…
Gilbert John Barretto In a mirror world, between fantasy and reality, Thomas found us and altered the direction of our lives. This i do believe.
Paul Mayer We still mourn our Sweet Prince of Jazz. We miss his free troubador spirit and, above all, his good heart. On this auspicious anniversary of his passage may we all be blessed tenfold by his still living music, memory and energy.
Stephanie Castillo Thomas Chapin's spirit was always vibrant, fresh and open to the new and old. I remember him with great fondness because he brought an understanding of jazz to my life – an openness to freestyle and the experimental. His genius created out of the clouds, dark and light of the soul. Moving, reshaping, every day another note, another form. Thomas? A steady, true human being whom we miss so dearly.
Terri Castillo-Chapin Thomas Chapin was not only a huge player-composer, he was a huge spirit and he touched a lot of people with his presence. Every year I see more and more just how much and I think, ""This man left behind a lot of good, a lot of good karma.""