New Thomas Chapin Trio Live CD

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Playscape Recordings announced the June 27th release of Ride, a never-before-available July 1995 concert recording from the legendary Thomas Chapin Trio. Recorded live at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands, this release features the classic line-up of Chapin (saxophones and flute), Mario Pavone (bass) and Michael Sarin (drums) at its creative peak. "This is the trio at its zenith, " recalls Pavone in the liner notes. "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."

Sarin concurs, writing, "On the night of the gig, we were sandwiched between Jackie McLean and Roy Haynes, and followed by David Murray, Fred Hopkins, and Andrew Cyrille, all musical heroes of ours. We had already played the festival once or twice before and there was a palpable buzz in the room from people who had seen us play in the past. Because some of our most formative influences were sharing our stage (i.e. Jackie Mac for Thomas, Roy and Andrew for me, and Fred Hopkins for Mario) we had a little extra adrenaline flowing."

"Chapin's style on all his instruments was utterly personal, " writes the All Music Guide's Chris Kelsey. "He played with rare humor, passion, and intelligence." Tragically silenced by leukemia at age 40 in 1998, Chapin helped define the New York downtown music scene as one of the first leaders to perform at the original Knitting Factory, and the first signed to its label. Influenced early on by Earl Bostic, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Jackie McLean (who he studied with at the Hartt School of Music), Chapin worked under musicians ranging from Lionel Hampton to Chico Hamilton to Ned Rothenberg before creating his own inclusive sound as a leader. As versed in mainstream jazz as he was in its experimental edges, Chapin created a diverse body of work with many notable collaborators, but his core association with Pavone and Sarin (documented on the 1999 eight-disc Knitting Factory box set, Alive) is at the heart of his influential legacy.

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