Alongside his work with The Old Dance School and The Urban Folk Quartet, Tom enjoys a variety of other projects whenever schedules permit. See the above dropdown links for recent and ongoing collaborations.


Past work

Tom was lead percussionist with Joe Broughton's 50-80 piece Conservatoire Folk Ensemble for six years. The band toured regularly and proved to be an excellent training ground for many musicians who've gone on to professional careers. Tom can be heard playing and singing on the Folk Ensembles 2008 album, "Sardines" and their live DVD. Tom was also instrumental in helping UFQers Joe Broughton and Paloma Trigas set up Lichfield's Wildfire Folk and has guested with The Guildhall Folk Ensemble, including a gig at The Vortex Jazz Club in London with Roby Lakatos.

In 2006 Tom guested with acoustic punks, Violent Femmes at Shepherd's Bush Empire on their 25th Anniversary Tour. This performace also featured Dick Parry, sax player from Pink Floyd and avant garde maestro Dr. Eugene Chadbourne. 



Although not playing jazz regularly these days, Tom still takes time for selected projects and has enjoyed regular work with Neil Yates, the pioneer of Celtic/Jazz trumpet. In 2010 Tom performed with Neil, Percy Pursglove and Zsolt Bende at The Manchester Jazz Festival.

"Cool Ceol Quartet is Yates' vehicle for jazz/folk fusion. Guitarist Zsolt Bende is the most conventionally jazz, with his Tal Farlow-like flurries, but percussionist Tom Chapman augments a spare kit with a cajon. Even the straight-down-the-line standard "If I should Lose You" is enlivened by the hypnotic thrumming of Yates' bodhran. Percy Pursglove is a bassist without flaw. A magnificent hybrid, and some of the most purely pleasurable music of the festival."

Dyverse Music



Another jazz project of note is a piano trio with Jim Wynn, inspired by the economical piano jazz of the late 50's, particularly Ahmad Jamal.

"They kept the mood restrained with an exceptional subtle and quiet swing. It kind of crept up on you to apply its beguiling sting. Chapman's sense of groove and Wynn and Livingstone's ability to lock into it made this a real treat."

Peter Bacon, The Jazz Breakfast