Thomas Chapin, Dancing Chicken Man, Part II

Dancing Chicken Man: Thomas Chapin directed by Terri Castillo. 1991. Visit www.thomaschapin.com. Avant jazz master Thomas Chapin was a key player in the downtown music scene of the 80s and 90s in New York City and left an indelible mark on those with whom he collaborated and those listeners with whom he enthralled, and continues to today. Many said his death at age 40 in 1998 was too soon and that his music and career was just "gaining altitude." A saxophonist-flautist, Chapin was an original. A virtuoso jazz musician, according to the critics, who was schooled in traditional jazz as well as free jazz. He was "lifting off," his peers and admirers said, ready to soar into the heights and breadth of the music stratosphere, taking his place among the jazz greats. He left behind many excellent albums and performances, an acclaimed music legacy and was an exemplar role model that the internationally renowned saxophonist John Zorn calls "the real deal." Chapin continues to inspire his peers, challenge new players, re-energize old fans, and draw in new fans, because of the quality of his music and playing that is always timeless and new. In the 1991 short video, "Dancing Chicken Man," Chapin is fresh off one of his Trio's first European tours sponsored by his NYC club and record label, The Knitting Factory. Mario Pavone plays bass and Steve Johns drums. Chapin rediscovers movement, moving with a joyous, organic athleticism as he plays and reconnects with the lost art of dancing he put away as a child. This physicality and natural motion, sway and swing of his body, being at one with his instrument became a trademark of his playing style--"And it feels good!" declares Chapin. Also discover the NYC Chinatown "dancing chickens" (now extinct) from whom Chapin feels a camaraderie--as they reflect his ambivalence about performance and its "routine," yet paradoxically playing was his greatest love and joy and which made him remark often, even in his final year: "I have a great life!"

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