# Chris Lightcap

Chris Lightcap is an American double bassist, bass guitarist and composer born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

## Career

In addition to his work as a bassist he has led a variety of bands since 2000 and has produced six albums of original music. Lightcap's first two CDs as a leader, Lay-Up (2000) and Bigmouth (2003) were released on the Fresh Sound New Talent label and featured a quartet line-up with Gerald Cleaver on drums and Tony Malaby and Bill McHenry on tenor saxophones. Two years later he expanded the group to a quintet, naming it Bigmouth and establishing a line-up of Craig Taborn on keyboards, Chris Cheek and Malaby on tenor saxophones and Cleaver on drums. In 2010 Bigmouth recorded Deluxe, Lightcap's third CD as a leader, on Clean Feed Records with alto saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo also joining the group on three selections. The Wall Street Journal called the recording "superb".
In 2006 he received a commission to compose for the ensemble counter)induction, which premiered his piece Wiretap at the Tenri Cultural Center on October 16, 2006. In 2011 he received a New Jazz Works grant from Chamber Music America. Bigmouth premiered Lightcap's resulting work, Lost and Found at the Earshot Jazz Festival on October 28, 2012 in Seattle, WA. The work was subsequently broadcast on NPR for the show Jazzset with Dee Dee Bridgewater. A performance of the piece the following year was reviewed by The New York Times. Bigmouth's 2015 release on Clean Feed Records, Epicenter features this batch of music along with a cover of The Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties". 2018 saw the release of his all-electric project Superette on Royal Potato Family which also featured guests Nels Cline and John Medeski. He received a second CMA New Jazz Works grant in 2016, the result of which was SuperBigmouth (which combined his Bigmouth and Superette bands), released on Pyroclastic Records in 2019. Lightcap's albums have appeared on year-end "best of" lists published in The New York Times, NPR, the Village Voice, Jazz Times, and Rolling Stone, among other publications.
Lightcap has worked with Marc Ribot, Regina Carter, Craig Taborn, John Medeski, Tomasz Stanko, John Scofield, The Swell Season, Mark Turner, Joe Morris, Chris Potter, Glen Hansard, Sheila Jordan, James Carter, Butch Morris, Ben Monder, Ghost Train Orchestra, Tom Harrell, and others.
Lightcap is the cousin of Acetone guitarist Mark Lightcap.

## Selected discography
### As Leader

| Year released | Title | Label | Notes |
| 2019 | Superbigmouth | Pyroclastic Records | Featuring Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Chris Cheek (tenor saxophone), Craig Taborn (keyboards), Jonathan Goldberger (electric guitar), Curtis Hasselbring (electric guitar), Gerald Cleaver (drums), Dan Rieser (drums) |
| 2018 | Superette | Royal Potato Family | Featuring Jonathan Goldberger (electric guitar), Curtis Hasselbring (electric guitar), Dan Rieser (drums), Nels Cline (guest, electric guitar), John Medeski (guest, keyboards) |
| 2015 | Epicenter | Clean Feed Records | Featuring Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Chris Cheek (tenor saxophone), Craig Taborn (Wurlitzer, piano, organ), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2010 | Deluxe | Clean Feed Records | Featuring Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Chris Cheek (tenor saxophone), Craig Taborn (Wurlitzer, piano), Gerald Cleaver (drums), and guest, Andrew D'Angelo (alto sax) |
| 2003 | Bigmouth | Fresh Sound Records | Quartet, with Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2000 | Lay-Up | Fresh Sound Records | Quartet, with Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |

### As Bassist

| Year released | Leader | Title | Label | Notes |
| 2001 | Craig Taborn | Light Made Lighter | Thirsty Ear | Trio, with Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2017 | Craig Taborn | Daylight Ghosts | ECM | Quartet, with Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), David King (drums, percussion) |
| 2017 | Regina Carter | ’’Ella: Accentuate the Positive’’ | Sony | with Marvin Sewell (guitar), Xavier Davis (piano), Alvester Garnett (drums) |
| 2013 | Regina Carter | ’’Southern Comfort’’ | Sony | with Marvin Sewell (guitar), Will Holshouser (accordion), Alvester Garnett (drums) |
| 2010 | Regina Carter | ’’Reverse Thread’’ | E1 | with Yacouba Sissoko (kora), Adam Rogers (guitar), Gary Versace (acc) Will Holshouser (acc), Alvester Garnett (drums) |
| 2003 | Regina Carter | ’’Pagannini: After a Dream’’ | Verve | |
| 2009 | The Swell Season | ’’Strict Joy’’ | Anti- | with Glen Hansard, Chad Taylor, Thomas Bartlett, Javier Mas |
| 2014 | Plymouth | ’’Plymouth’’ | RareNoiseRecords | with Joe Morris, Jamie Saft, Mary Halvorson, Gerald Cleaver |
| 2014 | Matt Wilson | ’’Gathering Call’’ | Palmetto | with John Medeski, Jeff Lederer, Kirk Knuffke |
| 2020 | Matt Wilson | ’’Hug’’ | Palmetto | with Jeff Lederer, Kirk Knuffke |
| 2009 | Matt Wilson | ’’That’s Gonna Leave a Mark’’ | Palmetto | with Jeff Lederer, Andrew D’Angelo |
| 2009 | Chad Taylor | Circle Down | 482 Music | trio, with Angelica Sanchez (piano) |
| 2014 | Joe Morris | Balance | Clean Feed Records | Quartet, with Mat Maneri (violin), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2000 | Joe Morris | At the Old Office | Knitting Factory | Quartet, with Mat Maneri (violin), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 1999 | Joe Morris | Underthru | Omnitone | Quartet, with Mat Maneri (violin), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 1998 | Joe Morris | A Cloud of Black Birds | AUM Fidelity | Quartet, with Mat Maneri (violin), Jerome Deupree (drums) |
| 2009 | James Carney | ’’Ways And Means’’ | Songlines | with Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Peter Epstein (tenor sax), Mark Ferber (drums), Josh Roseman (trombone), Ralph Alessi (trumpet) |
| 2007 | James Carney | ’’Greenwood’’ | Songlines | with Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Peter Epstein (tenor sax), Mark Ferber (drums), Josh Roseman (trombone), Ralph Alessi (trumpet) |
| 2008 | Gerald Cleaver | ’’Detroit’’ | Fresh Sound Records | with J.D. Allen (tenor sax), Andrew Bishop (tenor sax), Ben Waltzer (piano), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet) |
| 2008 | Anthony Coleman | ’’With Every Breath’’ | Knitting Factory | with Marc Ribot (guitar), Brad Shepik (guitar), Jim Pugliese (percussion) |
| 2012 | Anthony Braxton | ’’Quintet (Tristano)’’ | Braxton House |
| 2019 | Rob Brown | From Here to Hear | Roguart | with Steve Swell (trombone), Chad Taylor (drums) |
| 2011 | Rob Brown | Unexplained Phenomena | Marge Records | with Matt Moran (vibes), Gerald Cleaver (drums) |
| 2000 | Rob Brown | Jumping Off the Page | No More | with Roy Campbell (trumpet), Jackson Krall (drums) |
| 1998 | Rob Brown | Scratching the Surface | CIMP | with Assif Tsahar (tenor sax), Lou Grassi (drums) |
| 2004 | Whit Dickey | In a Heartbeat | Clean Feed Records | with Roy Campbell (trumpet), Joe Morris (guitar), Rob Brown (alto sax) |
| 2001 | Whit Dickey | Big Top | Wobbly Rail | with Joe Morris (guitar), Rob Brown (alto sax) |
| 2001 | Whit Dickey | Transonic | AUM Fidelity | with Rob Brown (alto sax) |