Above: Marty Khan, jazz producer/manager/writer on why Thomas Chapin deserves a film.
Why A Film About Thomas Chapin?
Does he deserve a film?
From John Phillips, jazz festival promoter
Emphatically yes!
He was a dynamo, an incredibly creative force. (When he passed in 1998), he was just starting to fill an very important niche in the jazz world and in the larger arts world as well, where the avant garde -- the improvisational jazz community -- and the traditional jazz community, there was a schism between them. Thomas was totally a bridge to that. He might have been the first bridge between those two worlds.
And he was unique because he could do that, I don't think other people could. In that respect, I think he is definitely worthy of a documentary and further documentation. People should be introduced to his music. (John put Thomas and his trio on the big stages of jazz festivals like Newport, and others in Japan, Canada, Europe.)
This just in from Jazz & Friends
Howard Mandel, jazz writer and blogger
Thomas Chapin made lovely music, which people world-wide could enjoy for decades (at least!) to come. His way-to-early death put some damper on the distribution of his music, and a documentary about him would provide a higher profile for his artistry, which remains very enjoyable and relevant to listeners of creative music today.
Thomas Chapin made lovely music, which people world-wide could enjoy for decades (at least!) to come. His way-to-early death put some damper on the distribution of his music, and a documentary about him would provide a higher profile for his artistry, which remains very enjoyable and relevant to listeners of creative music today.
Mario Pavone, bassist for The Thomas Chapin Trio
"Bassist/composer/bandleader Mario Pavone has a stellar reputation among fans of avant-garde jazz, particularly given his years as bassist for the Thomas Chapin Trio. But Pavone's agreeable music should hold appeal for listeners of both inside and outside persuasions, from those enamored of hard bop and post bop through to those favoring more open-ended styles of jazz exploration." www.mariopavone.com
He was a unique artist for sure, and an incredibly determined disciplined spiritual artist for his time. Very, very innovative. I mean things have changed in the 15 years since his passing, but his music still holds up very well -- bringing together more traditional and less traditional camps and schools and followings of the music. There are players that now bring together these two fields, the music moves on, and partly because of Thomas’, the Trio's, amongst all many great artists, Ornette Coleman, and along with the whole lineage of the music. But, there are not many players or anyone playing exactly (like Thomas), bringing these elements together. And so he still remains unique, his music still remains unique. His pursuit of it is unique.
More . . .
I have always spoken about his choruses. We measure how many choruses people take and form in the music, in Jazz for instance. Well, Thomas, he would take 10 choruses or 15 choruses, let us say, and play for a certain amount of time. Most people took two or three choruses to put, where he would put in each of the chorus. I always felt he put two, twice the amount of information, twice the amount of emotion, twice the amount of swagger in each chorus, in each segment. So there is one reason to tell the story. People do achieved things in a short amount of time in fields of art, but he definitely qualifies.
He was a unique artist for sure, and an incredibly determined disciplined spiritual artist for his time. Very, very innovative. I mean things have changed in the 15 years since his passing, but his music still holds up very well -- bringing together more traditional and less traditional camps and schools and followings of the music. There are players that now bring together these two fields, the music moves on, and partly because of Thomas’, the Trio's, amongst all many great artists, Ornette Coleman, and along with the whole lineage of the music. But, there are not many players or anyone playing exactly (like Thomas), bringing these elements together. And so he still remains unique, his music still remains unique. His pursuit of it is unique.
More . . .
I have always spoken about his choruses. We measure how many choruses people take and form in the music, in Jazz for instance. Well, Thomas, he would take 10 choruses or 15 choruses, let us say, and play for a certain amount of time. Most people took two or three choruses to put, where he would put in each of the chorus. I always felt he put two, twice the amount of information, twice the amount of emotion, twice the amount of swagger in each chorus, in each segment. So there is one reason to tell the story. People do achieved things in a short amount of time in fields of art, but he definitely qualifies.