Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Lightcap: Deluxe

351

Chris Lightcap: Deluxe

Chris Lightcap: Deluxe
Bassist Chris Lightcap released a CD called Bigmouth on Fresh Sound-New Talent in 2003, featuring a quartet with drummer Gerald Cleaver and the unusual frontline of two tenor saxophonists, Tony Malaby and Bill McHenry. Seven years later, Lightcap returns to the concept, with "Bigmouth" now the name of the band rather than the CD. In the intervening period, the band and the concept have evolved considerably. Cleaver and Malaby are still present, but the second tenor saxophonist is now Chris Cheek, while Craig Taborn is playing piano, both in its acoustic form and a Wurlitzer electric. Alto saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo appears on three of Lightcap's eight compositions here.

As might be expected from the frontline, it's a band of real power, but there are other dimensions as well. Lightcap works from a broad compositional palette, developing strong grooves with Cleaver that emphasize the R&B affinities of the two tenors, as well as a strong Latin feel. The scintillating "Ting" has a Mexican vibe and there are lovely liquid ballads as well. There's a preference for consonant harmonies here that's furthered by the majesty of the two tenors, Cheek usually the smoother sound of the two, Malaby using more vocal inflections. Their dovetailing lines, cascading over Lightcap's bass ostinatos, are the essential component of the developing dialogue of "Clutch" or "Two-Face."

Taborn's Wurlitzer piano adds a special ambience, an unexpected period sound that seems to emphasize the Southwest. D'Angelo's alto is an effective contrast to the weightier tenors, adding a clarion edge to the ballad "Silvertone" and spiraling, celebratory lines to "Ting." Bigmouth is a special band, demarcating its own territory, filled with surprisingly open spaces.

Track Listing

Platform; Silvertone; Ting; Year of the Rooster; The Clutch; Two-Face; Deluxe Version; Fuzz.

Personnel

Chris Lightcap: bass; Chris Cheek: tenor saxophone; Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano, Wurlitzer electronic piano; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Andrew D'Angelo: alto saxophone.

Album information

Title: Deluxe | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Chris Lightcap Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.