Chapman launched Caleb Chapman's Soundhouse in 1998 and continues to oversee the 20+ award-winning bands and nearly 400 musicians in the program. He personally directs Caleb Chapman's Crescent Super Band, the Voodoo Orchestra, Caleb Chapman's Little Big Band, and La Onda Caribeña.[2] His bands have been featured on the Sirius XM “Real Jazz” Channel and released 10 full-length albums on the Big Swing Face record label.
The Utah-based Caleb Chapman's Soundhouse trains young musicians of all ability levels, providing opportunities to perform, tour, and work with celebrity musicians. Former graduates of the program include Wayne Sermon and Andrew Tolman (both founding members of Imagine Dragons), as well as Ritt Momney.
Chapman has been invited to present at various conferences including the Midwest Clinic,[3] the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Annual Conference, and various state music educator conferences across the United States.
Chapman co-founded the Osmond Chapman Orchestra with longtime collaborator, David Osmond, part of the musical Osmond family and nephew of Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond. The band's debut album, "There's More Where That Came From" was released on Club 44 Records in June of 2016.[4] The album release concert was held at the Rose Bowl on a double bill with Earth, Wind and Fire.
Neon Trees
In 2017 Chapman was invited by bassist Branden Campbell to perform with the Neon Trees at Dan Reynolds' inaugural LoveLoud Festival opening for Imagine Dragons. The following year, Chapman joined the band as a touring member on their US tour which included performances at Hollywood's Troubadour and Manhattan's Bowery Ballroom.
Chapman's bands have been featured at many festivals worldwide including the Fiesta Del Tambor (Cuba), the North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Jazz a Vienne (France), the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), Tuscany Jazz Festival (Italy), Birmingham Jazz Festival (UK), and the Puerto Vallarta Jazz & World Music Festival (Mexico). Chapman has also had feature performances in China, Spain, Canada, Denmark, Croatia, and several other countries.
Chapman and his bands are a staple at the Telluride Jazz Festival where they have held a spot on the main stage virtually every year since 2008. They have frequently been joined by guest artists at the festival including National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabackin, and Joe Lovano among others. In 2022, Stanton Moore invited Chapman to guest with Galactic on their headlining performance at the festival.
Carnegie Hall
In May 2013, Chapman and the Crescent Super Band headlined a concert at New York's famed Carnegie Hall, featuring GRAMMY-winning saxophonist David Sanborn and trumpeter Wayne Bergeron.[8]
Chapman and the Crescent Super Band are one of just a handful of groups invited to perform multiple times on evening concerts at the Jazz Education Network's annual conference. In 2014, they headlined one of the evening concerts with special guests Randy Brecker and Ed Calle.[2] In 2017 they were featured at the conference in New Orleans with Branford Marsalis, Victor Wooten, Randy Brecker, Kirk Whalum, John Beasley, Rashawn Ross (of the Dave Matthews Band), Jeff Coffin, David Paich, Tony Dagradi, Stanton Moore, and Johnny Vidacovich. In 2022 Chapman and the Crescent Super Band were again invited to headline one of the evening concerts at the conference in Dallas, Texas with guests Tom Malone and Randy Brecker.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Chapman and the Crescent Super Band have been invited to play during the halftime show for the NBA’s Utah Jazzbasketball team on many occasions. Most recently, they were invited to perform along with NBA personality Thurl Bailey at the 2023 NBA All Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.[10]
Chapman was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire. At the age of 3, his family moved to Derry, New Hampshire where he lived until leaving for college in 1991.
Chapman and his wife, Tommie, currently live in Orem, Utah. He is the father of four children and five step-children, many of whom have also found success in the music industry.[13]
Awards and honors
State of Utah
In 2023, Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared January 25 to be "Caleb Chapman's Soundhouse Day in Utah" in recognition of "the many contributions that Caleb Chapman and the Soundhouse have made to music education, culture, the music industry and Utah."
On January 4, 2021 Utah celebrated 125 years of statehood and marked the occasion with a television special "Thrive125: A Utah Celebration" that aired on all four Utah network affiliates and PBS. Governor Spencer Cox requested that Chapman, along with David Osmond and the Crescent Super Band close out the special with a performance of "The Way You Look Tonight".[14]
While serving as Utah governor, Gary Herbert honored Chapman with the 2013 "Utah Performing Artist Award" in a special dinner reception at the Governor's Mansion.[2] The following year Herbert appointed Chapman to the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors as the board representative for the music discipline.[15] Herbert invited Chapman and his band to be the featured performers at the annual Governor's Gala on multiple occasions.
DownBeat Magazine
Since 2005, Caleb’s program has been honored with 109 different awards by DownBeat Magazine. As the oldest publication in the jazz industry, DownBeat celebrates high-caliber jazz education with its annual awards. The Crescent Super Band, the Voodoo Orchestra, the Soul Research Foundation, Caleb Chapman’s Little Big Band, the Hooligans Brass Band, Lo-Fi Riot, La Onda Caribeña, and several other Soundhouse bands have all been recognized with at least one award from the magazine.[2]
In 2015 DownBeat Magazine honored Chapman with their "Jazz Education Achievement Award".
Utah Best of State Awards
On multiple occasions Chapman was selected as "Best Educator" in the Music Education category and in 2016, the "Best Educator" in all categories, by the Utah Best of State awards. In total, Chapman and his program have received over 50 Best of State medals and 3 Best of State Statue Awards since 2007. [16]
Pinkerton Academy
In 2015 Chapman was inducted in to the Pinkerton Academy Hall of Fame in Derry, New Hampshire joining other notable members such as poet Robert Frost and astronaut Alan Shepard.[17]
Jazz Band of America
In 2013 Chapman was appointed Director of the prestigious Jazz Band of America, an all-star jazz band consisting of the top high school jazz students from across the United States sponsored by Bands of America. The group performed at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis in March, 2014 along with guest artist, Robin Eubanks.[18] Chapman joins a list of past directors and guest artists with the ensemble that include Wynton Marsalis, Patti Austin, Wayne Bergeron, Wycliffe Gordon, and Ndugu Chancler, among others.[18]
John LaPorta Award
In 2011 Chapman was named the "John LaPorta International Jazz Educator of the Year" by Berklee College of Music and the Jazz Education Network. The Berklee President at the time, Roger Brown, presented Chapman with the award in a ceremony at the JEN Conference in New Orleans.[19][20]
Snow College
In 2007 Chapman was named the inaugural inductee of Snow College's Horne School of Music Hall of Fame.
Nonprofit Work
Sound Support Foundation
In 2023 Chapman launched his charity, the Sound Support Foundation. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the aim of providing music and performance scholarships to youth and training opportunities to educators.
Jazz Education Network
From 2016-2018 Chapman held the title of President of the Jazz Education Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. He also designed and launched the organization's JENerations Jazz Festival in 2014. The festival is held concurrently with JEN's annual conference, and features student groups who perform for celebrity clinicians in a non-competitive adjudicated festival environment.
In his tenure as president, Chapman doubled the organization's membership.[2]
Publications
Books
In 2013, Caleb released a method book with Alfred Music, titled The Articulate Jazz Musician.[21] The book focuses on Chapman's celebrated method for teaching jazz articulation and style to young musicians. It features 14 original tunes from multi-GRAMMY-winning member of the Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Coffin, and a play-along CD that includes Coffin, Chris Walters, and GRAMMY winners Victor Wooten and Roy “Futureman” Wooten.[22]
Chapman was invited by Mary Jo Papich to be a contributor to the 2019 book, "Rehearsing the Jazz Band" released by Meredith Publishing. Among additional contributors to the book are several Chapman collaborators, including Gordon Goodwin, John Clayton, Greg Yasinitsky, and Steve Wiest, among others.[23]
Articles
Chapman has had his articles published in leading music industry publications including DownBeat Magazine and JAZZed Magazine.[24]
Previously, Chapman authored a column on arts education titled "Sound Thinking" for the Utah Daily Herald newspaper. The articles covered topics such as mentoring, helping young students decide which instrument to play, and how parents can help their children discover their educational passions.[12]
