Bill Chase
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Bill Chase (October 20, 1934 - August 9, 1974) was an American trumpet player and leader of a jazz-rock fusion band that bore his name. He was born William Edward Chiaiese in Boston, Massachusetts, but his family changed their name to Chase, realizing Chiaiese was difficult to pronounce.
Chase built his reputation with Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton, and during the early- and mid-1960s he played lead trumpet in Woody Herman's Thundering Herd.
In 1970 he started his own band, known as Chase, which released its eponymous debut in early 1971. Bill Chase was joined by Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, three veteran jazz trumpeters who were also adept at vocals and arranging. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Johnson on bass, and Jay Burrid on percussion. Rounding out the group was Terry Richards, who was featured as lead vocalist on the first Chase album. The album contains Chase's best-known song, "Get It On," which was released as a single and spent thirteen weeks on the charts starting in May of 1971. It features what Jim Szantor of Downbeat magazine called "the hallmark of the Chase brass - complex cascading lines; a literal waterfall of trumpet timbre and technique."
Late in 1971, Chase released their second album, "Ennea." The original lineup was retained, except for Gary Smith on drums, and G. G. Shinn replacing Terry Richards on lead vocal. Whereas the first Chase album sold nearly 400,000 copies, "Ennea" was not as well received by the public. A possible reason for this may have been the shift of focus away from the trumpet section. As Bill Chase put it in a Downbeat interview, "I don't want people to be heavily conscious of a trumpet section. They should just hear good things, but not be clobbered over the head with brass." A single, "So Many People," received some radio play, but the side-two-filling "Ennea" suite, with its tightly-chorded jazz arrangements and lyrics based on Greek mythology, was less radio-friendly.
Following an extended hiatus, Chase reemerged early in 1974 with the release of "Pure Music," their third album. With an entirely new lineup, but keeping the four-trumpet section headed by Bill Chase, the group moved further from the rock idiom, placing their focus more heavily on jazz. Variety magazine said that "Pure Music" was "probably Chase's most commercial effort, and their brand of jazz could have a commercial impact." The songs were written by Jim Peternik of the Ides of March, who also sings on the two songs on the album with lyrics, backing up singer and bassist Dartanyan Brown.
On August 9, 1974, while on tour promoting the "Pure Music" album, Bill Chase died in a plane crash in Jackson, Minnesota. Also killed along with the pilot were Wally Yohn, keyboardist, Walter Clark, drummer, and John Emma, guitarist. With the death of Bill Chase came the death of the group Chase. (Ironically, as the first song on "Chase" is called "Open Up Wide," the last song on "Pure Music" is called "Close Up Tight.")
References
- Szantor, Jim, Downbeat magazine, articles of February 4, 1971, and February 3, 1972.
- "New Acts" column, Variety magazine, March 13, 1974.
- "Obituaries" column, Billboard magazine, August 31, 1974.