Troy Chapman got his first guitar at age 7. Not much happened. At age 14 he got his second guitar. This time his musical education coincided with his years spent growing up in environment of the Yellow Door Coffee House in Montréal Canada and it’s constant stream of guitar players coming through the door. Surrounded by exceptional musicians and armed with a $50 guitar from Rufus’ Music (then Montréal, now Vancouver) he was hooked for life.
The fingerpicking of Mississippi John Hurt soon gave way to a love of jazz and the inspirations of guitarist Jim Hall and saxophonist John Coltrane. Other inspirations include Canadian guitarist Sonny Greenwich, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, Lenny Breau, Ted Green, James Blood Ulmer and so many more. A musical education in jazz studies included Concordia University, Montréal and The American Conservatory of Music, Chicago.
After 21 years in Chicago playing a wide variety of styles of music from big band jazz to some years indulging his desire to plug into an amplifier and play REALLY LOUD, Troy moved to the pacific northwest and Whidbey Island.
In 2001 a love affair with the music of Django Reinhardt, begun in 1977, was rekindled by surprise tickets to a concert by the brilliant Robin Nolan Trio and Pearl Django. In 2002 he began the gypsy group Billet-Deux which has released two CDs to date: Alita and Deux.
From 2010-2016 Troy was a member of the renowned gypsy jazz group Pearl Django. He appears on three releases "System D ", "Eleven", and "Time Flies", contributing original compositions as well. He has also been honored to play with some fabulous musicians including guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Martin Taylor, legendary jazz group The Manhattan Transfer, superb vocalists Gail Pettis and Greta Matassa and countless other brilliant musicians.
In 2014 The Troy Chapman Group released "Time and the Hour", a collection of original jazz compositions.
In 2016 Troy released, with pianist Gary Way, "Evans Hall". A tribute to two of jazz's greatest players: pianist Bill Evans and guitarist Jim Hall.
In 2017 The Hot Club of Troy released our first gypsy jazz CD "Django" featuring a playlist of compositions by legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.
in 2020 Troy released Re-Consolations, tone poems written for and inspired by, internationally reknowned poet David Whyte.
Based on Whidbey Island, WA, Troy can be found playing gypsy jazz with The Hot Club of Troy, modern jazz guitar with The Troy Chapman Group and Baroque Lute with The Island Consort.
He likes to play guitar.
PRESS
South Whidbey Record Sept 21,2016