by Peter Watrous - New York Times, July 4, 1994
Friday's concert at Bryant Park, part of the JVC Jazz Festival, incited two standing ovations, and the groups that provoked them could hardly have been more different. The saxophonist Thomas Chapin set up dance-like ostinatos to improvise over. And Julius Hemphill, a founder of the World Saxophone Quartet (and its most imaginative member), brought his six-saxophone group to the stage for a set of ruminative, lush pieces featuring his distinctive harmonies.
Mr. Chapin's show, which started in the afternoon, was the most energetic of the day, as he led his trio through tightly rehearsed rhythms. His arrangements have saxophone, drums and bass rhythmically harmonized, and they use stop-time sections, jerky rhythms or elegant swing to keep the audience's interest. The music occasionally sounded as if it were built on a model suggested by Ornette Coleman, folklike and rhythmic, but Mr. Chapin avoided a direct comparison with his improvisations, which mixed more conventional saxophone playing, rhythm-and-blues ideas and a touch of Mr. Coleman.
Mr. Chapin and Mr. Hemphill, made the audience feel good without an iota of condescension, a lesson that isn't always paid attention to, but one that is invaluable.