Jen Chapin's music is jazz-tinged urban folk -- story songs that search for community and shared meaning, powered by the funk, soul and improvisation of the city. Critics have hailed her work on albums Linger (2004) and Ready (2006) as "thoughtful.. worth-savoring" (People), "smart, observant, lyrically deft, politically aware and emotionally intuitive" (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), "addictive" (Boston Globe), "supremely confident, slightly off-center, and instantly compelling." (River City Reader) and "brilliant.. soulfully poetic" (NPR). JazzTimes has called her "a first-rate storyteller" while Relix regards her as "one of the freshest voices singing today." She has been featured on "Late Nite with Conan O'Brien," honored by the USA Songwriting Competition, appeared on stage with Bruce Springsteen, and opened up for Bruce Hornsby and the Neville Brothers.
In Jen's newest release, the CD/DVD Light Of Mine, the musician-activist applies her formidable artistic insight to the repertoire of iconic songwriters such as David Bowie, Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, to explore notions of power and fear, resignation and protest. Two original compositions, Insatiable and Lullabye, underscore the message of the project, an affirmation of a growing movement away from the politics of fear towards the politics of possibility.
The band is the critically acclaimed Rosetta Trio, led by husband/bassist [A:http://www.stephancrump.com|Stephan Crump] and featuring guitar work from [A:http://www.jamiefoxguitar.com|Jamie Fox] and [A:http://www.libertyellman.com|Liberty Ellman]. Political subtexts aside -- or are they front and center? -- their performances, captured live on Light of Mine and in stages across the country and abroad, are a groovefest, a playground of spirited dialogue, passionate expression and forward momentum.
Jen's music reflects a diversity of experience in life and music. She is a mother to 3 year-old Maceo Crump, who most often accompanies his parents on tour. She is an activist, with a life-long involvement in [A:http://www.whyhunger.org|WHY], an organization that supports innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. She is an educator, leading workshops and presentations to college, community and church groups, with a background teaching full-time in Brooklyn classrooms. And she is a student, with a BA in International Relations from Brown University, additional studies at Berklee College of Music, extensive travels in Zimbabwe and Mexico, and an ongoing passion to learn more about the world, and its emerging pathways to greater social justice.