(Post Bop, Contemporary Jazz) Thomas Chapin - Radius - 1984, APE (image+.cue), lossless

Thomas Chapin:
"Built into my music is a lot of sarcasm. I like to have fun. I like to tease." - from Jazziz
"Playing, for me, is about changing my state of mind, moving out of my ordinary self. I've noticed that when I play, it's almost like a different person takes over, someone who I don't deal with in my day to day life, but who is inside me. I try to let this creative force take over. I try not to get too much into my conscious thought. It's more a matter of setting up conditions - gaining mastery of my instrument, mapping out structures, that kind of thing - that will allow the conduit to open. And when the conduits do open, when that other person takes over, I just sit back and watch the show, and see what comes out. To me, that's what's divine about all of this. That's why I love to play."
"...Somebody who has a personal sound on their instrument, to me, is ideal [to play with], this is what I strive for in myself - my own voice."
"Sometimes I approach the saxophone differently from the saxophone. Often I try to play the instrument in a way that I don't know how to play it, and I don't know if that's a good idea. Sometimes I try to play it from a different angle within myself. A feeling will come over me, and I'll just strive for some different sound, like some different personality that wants to say something. It's very interesting to watch."
"...I've spent a lot of time in free improv situations, and I've found that the forms arise very naturally. Whether that was our conditioning from playing written music or hearing it, how our minds formulated it...well, it wasn't a conscious thing. I'll just be improvising and out will come an idea that will strike me, and I'll say, 'Hmm, here's a point for further exploration.' That's where the writing process starts for me. It's very inspiration oriented."
"There are ways of contriving things and there are ways that you can contrive to spur yourself on to do things you wouldn't normally do - and you have to do that, it's required of you - but sometimes you hear the contrivance in the music, and sometimes you don't hear the contrivance. I prefer not to. In other words, the concept is merely the vehicle for an emotion - though I don't mean sentimentally emotional - I mean a very direct communication."
Radius
Limited number of copies of this rare, long and extremely out of print CD on the MuWorks label (also long defunct). Thomas was a fine saxist and flautist and was one of the originals of the downtown/Knitting Factory scene, and if my memory serves me, he was the very first artist signed to the (also long dead) Knitting Factory label. The release finds him with Ronnie Mathews-piano, Ray Drummond-bass and John Betsch-drums on 5 originals and "Jitterbug Waltz" by Fats Waller.
The great, late reedman Thomas Chapin with Ronnie Mathews, Ray Drummond, John Betsch and guests Ara Dinkjian, Sam Turner. Intense modern jazz with a great improv edge! Completely unavailable otherwise!

Thomas Chapin [a s, fl]; Ronnie Mathews [p]; Sam Turner [congas]; Ara Dinkian [oud (#3)]; Ray Drummond (b); John Betsch [d].