As the 1970s began, Chase found himself thinking of creating his dream band. The group evolved over six months into the four trumpets, four rhythm instruments and one vocalist arrangement which earned the group a “Best New Artist” grammy nominationin 1971.
The trip to the top was swift. Chase was soon in demand by Johnny Carson, The Smothers Brothers and many of the other hot variety shows on television. His live performances entranced audiences around the U.S. and abroad, and the dynamic excitement of his musical arrangements captivated music educators. His “Get It On” was a staple of halftime performances across the nation.
In 1974, Chase chartered a plane to take him and three band members to a performance in Jackson, MN. The weather was bad with a low ceiling, and the airport in Jackson had little communications equipment. The plane went down, but was not found until the next day. There were no survivors.
I was in high school jazz band when these guys were in their prime. One of the songs we played was “Get It On”. It was major fun to play stuff that we saw on prime time television.
I had all three of their albums.
The First album, Chase, contained the hit “Get It On” but the best song on the album was the first one, “Open Up Wide”.
The Second album, Ennea, had an interesting collection of songs about Greek Mythology.
The Third album, Pure Music, had my favorite – “Weird Song #1”.