The Squid's Ear Magazine


CP Unit (Pitsiokis / Lisabeth / Fraser / Nazary): Riding Photon Time (Eleatic Records)

The first live album from the CP Unit led by alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos and his quartet with Sam Lisabeth on electric guitar, Henry Fraser on electric bass and Jason Nazary on drums & electronics, captured live at the 2018 Moers Festival in Germany in 8 compositions drawn from previous studio tracks and two new pieces; thrilling and brilliant modern jazz!
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Chris Pitsiokos-alto saxophone, electronics

Sam Lisabeth-electric guitar

Henry Fraser-electric bass

Jason Nazary-drum set, electronics


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Label: Eleatic Records
Catalog ID: ELEA004
Squidco Product Code: 31042

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: USA
Packaging: Digipack
Tracks 1-5 recorded at Moers Festival in Germany, on May 18th, 2018.

Tracks 6-8 recorded at Unlimited Music Festival in Wels, Austria, on November 11th, 2018.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Riding Photon Time is CP Unit's first live album. This offering includes compositions featured on previous and forthcoming studio releases, as well as two pieces that have never been recorded in the studio at all. With CP Unit, my guiding principle is that the collective imagination is always greater that of the individual. The compositions exist not as pre-formed aesthetic visions, but as scenarios in which my bandmates and I can take the music down unforeseen passages night after night. Creating a live album, then, was an attempt to capture the essence of this spontaneity in album form. I hope you enjoy."-Chris Pitsiokos



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Chris Pitsiokos (b. 1990) is a saxophonist, composer, and improviser. His music combines the intensity and immediacy of extreme rock forms and noise with the lyricism and forward propulsion of jazz and the abstract detail of contemporary classical composers Iannis Xenakis and Helmut Lachenmann. Chris has had the opportunity to perform/collaborate with Lydia Lunch, Tyshawn Sorey, Peter Evans, Kevin Shea, Brian Chase, Henry Kaiser, Mick Barr, Marc Edwards, Brandon Seabrook, Paul Lytton, Tim Dahl, Philip White, Guerilla Toss, C. Spencer Yeh, Ikue Mori, Nate Wooley and Weasel Walter. Chris has performed throughout Europe, Japan, Australia, and the US. His records can be found on Clean Feed, New Atlantis, One Hand Records, Carrier Records, Ug Explode, and his own imprint, Eleatic Records. In addition to performing and composing music, Chris was a long time DJ at WKCR-FM and has been producing concerts in Brooklyn and Manhattan for four years."

-Chris Pitsiokos Website (http://www.chrispitsiokos.com/bio.html)
6/11/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Sam Lisabeth is guitarist and keyboardist, a member of groups Cult & Leper, Guerilla Toss, Martyr Group, Samuel Boat."

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/4109521-Sam-Lisabeth)
6/11/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Henry Fraser is a bassist, composer, and improviser from Boston, MA. He received his B.F.A. from New England Conservatory of Music in the spring of 2014, where he studied with Cecil McBee, John McNeil, Anthony Coleman, & Ted Reichman. Since moving to Brooklyn, NY in 2014, Henry's unique combination of technical facility and aesthetic flexibility have made him an in-demand sideman and formidable band leader. Henry has performed throughout Europe and South American, including suchfestivals as the Panama Jazz Fest and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Current projects include Michael Foster's The Ghost, the Chris Pitsiokos Quartet and Maestro Day, a quartet co-lead by saxophonist, Sam Weinberg, as well as regular collaborations with the likes of Joe Morris, Brandon Seabrook and Jack Wright."

-Henry Fraser Website (http://henry-fraser.com/about/)
6/11/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Jason Nazary is a drummer/producer from Atlanta, GA. Moving to New York in 2005, Jason has already begun to make an impact on the improvised music scene. His raw approach to improvisation blends a variety of influences from Tony Williams to J Dilla to Morton Feldman to Lightning Bolt. Jason plays in a variety of different projects, most notably free jazz/punk/soul band Little Women, who have toured North America and Europe extensively and released three records, the latest of which being Lung, on AUM Fidelity. He also is featured on recordings with Joe Morris, Darius Jones, Dave Crowell, Olga Bell, Travis Reuter, to name a few."

-Jason Nazary Website (https://jasonnazary.wordpress.com/about/)
6/11/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Once Upon A Time Called Now (Excerpt) 5:13

2. Positional Play 2:56

3. Sibylant 8:29

4. The Tower 3:05

5. A Knob On The Face Of A Man 5:06

6. Seasick 3:02

7. Dirt Is The New Clean 4:56

8. Orelius 5:25

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Quartet Recordings
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