INTERVIEW: Osmond Chapman Orchestra debuts new big band record
Photo: David Osmond and Caleb Chapman are leaders of the Osmond Chapman Orchestra. Photo courtesy of Russ Dixon / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
Saxophonist Caleb Chapman has joined forced with vocalist David Osmond — yes, that Osmond — to form the Osmond Chapman Orchestra, a group that brings to life a contemporary big band swing sound. Their debut album, There’s More Where That Came From, is now available from Club44 Records, according to press notes.
On the recording, listeners can hear unique renditions of classic and contemporary tunes, including Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” The album serves as an eclectic mix of old and new; plus, there are a few original compositions, including the title song, thrown in for good measure.
Osmond comes from one of the most famous singing families of all time. He was discovered by Bob Hope for The Osmonds 2nd Generation, a group that consisted of Alan Osmond’s sons, according to his official biography. He also followed in his uncle Donny Osmond’s footsteps when he took over the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has also been outspoken about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis and the journey he has been on.
Chapman is a multi-hyphenate who has been producing, writing and playing saxophone for quite some time. His career has included stints working alongside members of Maroon 5, Journey, The Killers and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, among others. He was also a touring member of the Neon Trees, and his playing has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Apollo Theater.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Osmond and Chapman about their new project with each other. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did you two first start collaborating?
OSMOND: Caleb and I had the same booking agent for several years. She had suggested to both of us for a while that we should collaborate. We would bump into each other at events and casually talk about it, but after a few years of discussing it, we said, “We need to do this!” So we sat down over lunch and hammered out some ideas and a vision for what the Osmond Chapman Orchestra could look like. Then we went to work.
CHAPMAN: When we started putting together the album, we were both busy with other endeavors, so it was really a casual side project. But then my family moved homes, and I found out a few weeks later that I had purchased the house literally next door to David! We had been looking at houses across eight different cities, so it was absolutely the weirdest coincidence that we ended up as neighbors. We both took that as a sign and went full force at the project!
What can audience members and listeners expect from the debut album?
CHAPMAN: In addition to spending a lot of time in the pop and rock world, much of my career has been centered in jazz, including serving as president of the Jazz Education Network, the world’s largest organization for jazz advocacy and education, so I’m incredibly familiar with the great jazz vocalists out there. What excited me about this project was combining David’s incredible voice, which is not a straight-up, jazz-trained voice, and the power of a hard-swinging big band. So really what people are going to find with this album is something completely unique, the artistry of the band’s stellar musicians paired with this world-class voice that brings his own style to the music.
OSMOND: We utilize songs typically associated with the Great American Songbook but also some of the fantastic music that’s more current — songs from Bruno Mars and Stevie Wonder have really become part of the American music canon as well. People who enjoy the music of Michael Bublé or Harry Connick, Jr., or other great singers in that genre, are going to love the album, but there’s a whole new angle and excitement to it that they may not have heard in a project before!
The songs you have chosen are quite broad, encompassing standards and modern-day tunes. Why was it important to include many different types of songs?
CHAPMAN: With the Osmond Chapman Orchestra, our aim was to have broad appeal to all ages. Our band is comprised of mostly young musicians, ages 25-35, and the demographic that listens to our music really spans from teens on up.
OSMOND: We wanted to make sure the music we were presenting really connects with our entire audience base, not just one segment or another. We certainly wanted to go way beyond the typical audience that might be associated with big band music.
What do you like about the original compositions for the project?
CHAPMAN: Any time you get to write music with one of your best friends, it’s awesome. That was definitely the case for David and me, and it was such a fun process for us to connect with Nashville’s Roger Brown and just lock ourselves in a room for a day and coming up with the originals on this album. We definitely enjoyed both the process and the result. We can’t wait to write more for the next album!
OSMOND: What’s really thrilling to us is that when we play these new songs on stage, the audience response is often the best in the program. We take that as a huge compliment! We wanted our originals [to] have a timeless quality. Fans have said they feel like the new compositions fit on the album and fit the band. Caleb and I are proud of that.
What do you love about the big band swing era of music? Who are some of your influences from that time period?
OSMOND: I think what maybe people have forgotten, or didn’t realize in the first place, is that when big band music first debuted, it was the pop music of the day. It was the Beyoncé, it was the Justin Timberlake, it was the Billboard Top 100. Because the music is a few generations old at this point, some may think of big band as irrelevant, but today, it’s just as powerful, energetic and exciting as when it took the music scene by storm. And I think that’s really the spirit we wanted to capture in our performances.
CHAPMAN: For those that haven’t heard a big band live, there is a power to that ensemble that you really can’t capture with recorded music. The raw acoustic energy of these world-class musicians is almost unreal! They’re not just great players, they’re great performers, and that comes straight from the influences of the big band era. If you listen to the dynamism of the classic vintage bandleaders like Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman and Louis Prima and see the swagger of the crooners like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, you can see what we’re talking about. But we take that attitude and combine it with fresh arrangements, modern tunes and incredible technical playing. The result is immensely entertaining. Not just from a musical standpoint, but the entire experience.
What does the future hold for you two and for the orchestra?
CHAPMAN: This is our debut album, and the critical reception has been fantastic. Audiences are loving the live show. We really couldn’t be any happier with the launch of the project. David and I are excited to get working on our next recording and put together a national tour of performing arts centers. In the tradition of some other famous Osmonds, we’re working on a Las Vegas residency, too.
OSMOND: We’re bringing this music to the whole country. Really, it’s just what the name of album says — “there’s more where that came from.” We are just getting started!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Osmond Chapman Orchestra’s debut album is called There’s More Where That Came From. Click here for more information.
