EyeShotJazz | Jazz Photography

Accomplished bassist Chris Lightcapperformed new compositions with New York outfit Bigmouth: Matt Mitchell (piano), Tony Malaby and Andrew Bishop (tenor sax) and Ches Smith (drums) on  Sunday at the  Seattle Art Museum Plestcheff Auditorium as Earshot Jazz festival continues.

The 2012 Earshot Jazz festival continues. Click on the schedule here 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival 

A creative and dynamic ensemble, Bigmouth has met a high level of critical acclaim in its 13-year history. In 2010, the group’s Deluxe (Clean Feed), with special guest Andrew D’Angelo on alto saxophone, was called superb by the Wall Street Journal and named on over 20 year-end best-of lists, including the New York Times, NPR, the Village Voice and JazzTimes. In July 2011, Lightcap led the group on a European tour, highlights of which include festival appearances in Slovenia, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Chris Lightcap started out on the piano at age eight, switched to violin at nine and began to teach himself the electric bass at fourteen. Later, while at Williams College, he studied with jazz bassist Cameron Brown, composers Robert Suderburg, David Kechley and Alvin Lucier, trumpeter Bill Dixon and the late master bassist Milt Hinton.

Lightcap moved to New York City, becoming a busy performing and recording artist within the city’s fertile jazz and contemporary music scenes. Lightcap has collaborated with Marc Ribot, Regina Carter, Mark Turner, Dianne Reeves, Tomasz Stanko, Chris Potter, Paul Motian, John Scofield, Dave Liebman, Paquito D’Rivera and Ben Monder, appearing on over 50 recordings.

In 2011, Chamber Music America awarded Lightcap a New Jazz Works commission grant; Bigmouth premiers the new piece at this 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival performance at the Seattle Art Museum. Q&A with Chris Lightcap follows.