SOUND PROJECTIONS
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
WINTER, 2016
VOLUME THREE NUMBER THREE
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
WINTER, 2016
VOLUME THREE NUMBER THREE
HENRY THREADGILL
Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of: Christian McBride
(December 3-9)
Dexter Gordon
(December 10-16)
Jeanne Lee
(December 17-23)
Cassandra Wilson
(December 24-30)
Sam Rivers
(December 31-January 6)
Terry Callier
(January 7-13)
Odetta
(January 14-20)
Lester Bowie
(January 21-27)
Shirley Bassey
(January 28-February 3)
Hampton Hawes
(February 4-10)
Grachan Moncur III
(February 11-17)
Larry Young
(February 18-24)
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/christianmcbride
Christian McBride
(b. May 31, 1972)
Biography
Articles
News
The finest musicians to spring from the world of jazz have clearly had an advantage when it comes to branching into other genres of music. Their mastery of composition, arranging and sight reading coupled with their flair for improvisation and spontaneous creation make them possibly the most seasoned and adaptable musicians in the art. Grammy Award winner Christian McBride, chameleonic virtuoso of the acoustic and electric bass, stands tall at the top of this clique. Beginning in 1989—the beginning of an amazing career in which he still has wider-reaching goals to attain - the Philadelphian has thus far been first-call-requested to accompany literally hundreds of fine artists, ranging in an impressive array from McCoy Tyner and Sting to Kathleen Battle and Diana Krall. However, it is his own recordings—albums that encompass a diverse canon of original compositions and imaginatively arranged covers—that reveal the totality of his musicianship. He currently leads one of the hottest bands in music—the propulsive Christian McBride Band (saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully).
The most awe-inspiring thing about Christian McBride is that his prowess as a player is only half of what makes him such a respected, in-demand and mind-bogglingly busy individual. The portrait is completed by a mere mid-thirty-something man who carved out time to speak at former President Clinton’s town hall meeting on “Racism in the Performing Arts.” He holds Artistic Director posts at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass summer program and the Dave Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. McBride participated in a Stanford University panel on “Black Performing Arts in Mainstream America.” He’s hosted insightful one-on-one “jazz chats” in Cyberspace on Sonicnet.com. He also scribed the foreword for pianist Jonny King’s book, What Jazz Is (Walker & Co., New York).
2005 witnessed his adding two more prestigious appointments to his resume. In January, he was named co-director of The Jazz Museum in Harlem. While assisting Leonard Garment and Loren Schoenberg in obtaining government grants and the participation of top flight historians/musicians, Christian will be focusing on a longtime concern: exposing jazz to young people.
“To a degree, jazz is non-existent in most major urban communities, which deeply saddens me,” McBride states. “Kids don't understand who our jazz greats were. My contribution towards rectifying this will be getting them to check out free events at the museum by inviting jazz and non-jazz musicians, athletes and speakers that they can relate to.”
While working for the museum in Harlem, McBride will be racking up frequent flyer miles as Creative Chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, giving him a degree of influence over commercial and educational programs at the Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall. The position is being passed on to him by singer Dianne Reeves who held it for the last three years.
Naturally, there will be more collaborations and sideman gigs, which he scrutinizes extra carefully now due to his schedule. Most importantly, he will continue to lead the Christian McBride Band which, together with special guests, has recorded this live album for ropeadope. This album, ever revolutionary as only McBride would have it, was compiled from two nights—two shows apiece—recorded at the Manhattan/East Village hot spot, Tonic. A kinetic concert spirit was captured with both college students and hip hoppers in the crowd, resulting in a perfect atmosphere for experimentation. The first set each night featured just the band, but for the second sets, specials guests blessed the stage; DJ Logic, Scratch (The Roots), guitarists Charlie Hunter and Eric Krasno (Soulive), pianist Jason Moran, trumpeter Rashawn Ross and violinist Jenny Scheinman (Bill Frisell).
Addressing how he manages to effectively keep his hands in so many exciting though daunting projects, Christian states, “I’ve always believed in the art of working with people. I feel you can always compensate for whatever skills you don't have just learning how to get along with—and communicate with - people. Herbie Hancock is a master of that…and Quincy Jones is the ultimate master. The first time I met him, he hugged me then said, ‘I saw Ray Brown a couple of nights ago and told him we would be working together.’ I didn't know he knew who I was—the contractor called me for the gig! Q studies people and figures out what to do with them like a great basketball coach.”
Christian McBride was born on May 31, 1972 in Philadelphia. Electric bass was Christian's first instrument, which he began playing at age 9, followed by acoustic bass two years later. His first mentors on the instrument were his father, Lee Smith (a renowned bassist in Philly) and his great uncle, Howard Cooper (a disciple of the jazz avant-garde). While intensely studying classical music, Christian's love for jazz also blossomed. Upon his 1989 graduation from Philadelphia's fertile High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (C.A.P.A.), Christian was awarded a partial scholarship to attend the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City to study with the legendary bassist, Homer Mensch. That summer, before making the move to the Big Apple, the already in-demand bassist got his first taste of touring going to Europe with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and traveling the U.S. with the classical jazz fusion group, Free Flight.
McBride never had a chance to settle into his Juilliard studies. Within the first two weeks of the semester, he joined saxophonist Bobby Watson's band, Horizon. He also started working around New York at clubs such as Bradley's and the Village Gate with John Hicks, Kenny Barron, Larry Willis and Gary Bartz. After one year at Juilliard, McBride made a critical decision to leave school to tour with trumpeter Roy Hargrove's first band, electing “experience with as many musicians as possible” as the best teacher. In August of 1990, he landed a coveted position in trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's band until January of 1993.
In 1991, legendary bassist Ray Brown invited the young wunderkind to join him and John Clayton in the trio SuperBass. After being hailed “Hot Jazz Artist” of 1992 by Rolling Stone, Christian continued to prove it as a member of guitarist Pat Metheny's “Special Quartet,” which included drum master Billy Higgins and saxophonist Joshua Redman. While recording and touring with Redman the following year, McBride signed to Verve Records in the summer of 1994, recording his first CD as a leader, Gettin' to It. He also graced the big screen playing bass in director Robert Altman's 1940's period piece, Kansas City (1996).
Christian recorded three more career-shaping albums at Verve: Number Two Express (1996), the soul-jazz fusion project A Family Affair (1998 —featuring Christian’s first two songs as a lyricist), and the critically acclaimed SCI-FI (2000), marking the inaugural execution of Christian’s concept of music being boundless by genre. The following year, he continued to expand his audience with two endeavors. He dipped into hip hop with a side project dubbed The Philadelphia Experiment, a “jam band”-inspired CD that reunited Christian with his high school friend, drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (leader of The Roots) and featured keyboardist Uri Caine and guitarist Pat Martino.
Later that year, pop star Sting invited Christian to become a key figure in his 2001 All This Time CD, DVD and tour. Then in 2002, Christian supported George Duke by becoming a member of his band and recording on his landmark album Face the Music: the legendary keyboardist’s first album on his own recording label, BPM. “Christian is a monster on that bass,” Duke states with pride. “It isn’t often these days to find a young musician so dedicated to his craft. Christian is my kind of musician, one that is open to new ideas, good at playing different styles, reads music prolifically and is dedicated to furthering the growth of music not only as a musician, but as a young representative of his profession. There isn’t anyone better. And besides that, he’s a great cat!”
In 2003, Christian released one album on Warner Bros. Records titled Vertical Vision, a blazing recording that introduced the current incarnation of the Christian McBride Band. Over the years, McBride has been featured on hundreds of albums, touring and/or recording with artists such as David Sanborn, Chick Corea, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, George Benson, and the late greats Joe Henderson, Betty Carter and Milt Jackson. He also undertook his first pop Musical Directorship at the helm of a Christmas show featuring gospel royalty BeBe Winans and pop star Carly Simon. The event marked stage-shy Simon’ first New York concert appearance in a decade and she expressly insisted that only McBride could be her MD.
Finally, as a composer, Christian has achieved several high watermarks. Among them is a commission from Jazz at Lincoln Center to compose “Bluesin' in Alphabet City,” performed by Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. And in 1998, the Portland (ME) Arts Society and the National Endowment for the Arts awarded McBride with a commission to write “The Movement, Revisited,” Christian's dramatic musical portrait of the civil rights struggle of the 1960's written and arranged for quartet and a 30-piece gospel choir.
There have been very few artists who truly embody the genuine, heart-felt passion for music in all areas as has Christian McBride. By boldly continuing to leave his mark in areas of musical performance, composition, education and advocacy, he is destined to be a force in music for decades to come.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/christian-mcbride-mn0000103600/biography
Christian McBride
(b. May 31, 1972)
Artist Biography by Scott Yanow
Nearly everyone's favorite acoustic bassist to emerge in the 1990s, Christian McBride's large sound and expertise, both with plucked and bowed solos, recall Ray Brown and particularly Paul Chambers.
He actually started on electric bass when he was eight and took R&B
gigs in high school, but by then he was getting more interested in jazz
and playing the acoustic bass. McBride studied at Juilliard (starting in 1989) and then played briefly in the bands of Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrove, and Freddie Hubbard. He toured with the Benny Green Trio, played duets with Ray Brown at the 1994 Monterey Jazz Festival, and recorded his debut as a leader for Verve before touring with his own group in 1995.
Beginning with Family Affair in 1998, McBride
opened up his sound and incorporated more of the pop, funk, and fusion
styles he grew up with. This approach continued through such albums as Sci-Fi and Vertical Vision. Having jumped labels from Verve to Warner in the early 2000s, McBride made yet another label change, releasing the more straight-ahead New York Time on Chesky in 2006. In 2009 McBride returned with an equally straight-ahead set of mostly original tunes, Kind of Brown. Two years later he offered The Good Feeling, his first turn as leader of a big band. The duets album Conversations with Christian followed in 2011. In 2013 McBride returned to working with his Inside Straight quintet for the album People Music. Also in 2013, McBride delivered the trio album Out Here. In 2015 McBride released another trio effort, Live at the Village Vanguard.
Jazz Night In America
Christian McBride's 'The Movement Revisited'
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Christian McBride's 'The Movement Revisited'
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February 4, 2016 • Jazz Night In America's regular host, Christian McBride, happens to be a Grammy-winning bassist and composer, but he forbade us to feature him unless it was for something special. It so happens that he's written a special work: Teaming with choral director JD Steele, he's composed a bluesy and soulful oratorio for big band, gospel choir with soloists, and four speakers who represent great figures of the Civil Rights Movement. It's called The Movement Revisited, and is inspired by the written words and speeches of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and President Barack Obama.
Jazz Night In America follows McBride around his own hometown of Philadelphia, as he speaks with the people who raised him at home and in the music, and features a performance of The Movement Revisited from the Kimmel Center in downtown Philly. NPR's Audie Cornish guest-hosts this episode, featuring the Christian McBride Big Band, the Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, and orators Sonia Sanchez, Rev. Alyn Waller, Dion Graham and Samuel Stricklen.
Personnel:
The Christian McBride Big Band: Christian McBride, leader/bass; Nabate Isles, trumpet; Brandon Lee, trumpet; Frank Greene, trumpet; Benny Benack III, trumpet; Jeffery Miller, trombone; Steve Davis, trombone; Joseph McDonough, trombone; Douglas Purviance, bass trombone; Steve Wilson, alto sax; Ron Blake, tenor sax; Todd Bashore, alto sax; Dan Pratt, tenor sax; Lauren Sevian, baritone sax; Joel Ross, vibes; Geoffrey Keezer, piano; Terreon Gully, drums.
The Philadelphia Heritage Chorale: JD Steele, choral director/featured soloist; J. Donald Dumpson, musical director. With Waverly Alston Jr., Melvin Berrian, Eric Cook Jr., Andrew Lawson, Garrick V. Morgan, Tyree Miller, Cali Graver, Ja-Tun Reid, Kimberly Quarles, Shavonne Edwards, Tiffany Godette, A. China Guess, Carrie Walker Lessene, Hope McDowell, Tia McNeil, Tyrre Miller, Janine Momasso, Melanie Richardson, Lauren Robinson, Sue E. Spencer (featured in "Sister Rosa"), Maria Caldwell Stoddard, Cyrile Trawick, Monica Underwood, Philis E. Williams.
With Sonia Sanchez as Rosa Parks, Rev. Alyn Waller as Martin Luther King Jr., Dion Graham as Muhammad Ali, and Samuel Stricklen as Malcolm X.
Christian McBride
Bassist extraodinaire, composer, arranger, educator, curator
and administrator, Christian McBride, has been one of the most important
and most omnipresent figures in the jazz world for over 20 years.
Beginning in 1989, this Philadelphia-born bassist moved to New York City to further his classical studies at the Juilliard School, only to be snatched up by alto saxophonist, Bobby Watson. Since then, McBride's list of accomplishments have been nothing short of staggering. As a sideman in the jazz world alone, he's worked with the best of the very best - Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. In the R&B world, he's not only played with, but also arranged for Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. In the pop/rock world, he's extensively collaborated with Sting, Carly Simon, Don Henley, and Bruce Hornsby. In the hip-hop/neo-soul world, he's collaborated with the Roots, D'Angelo, and Queen Latifah. In many other specialty projects, he's worked closely with opera legend Kathleen Battle, bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, the Shanghai Quartet and the Sonus Quartet.
Away from the bass, Christian has become quite an astute and respected spokesperson for the music. In 1997, he spoke on former President Bill Clinton's town hall meeting "Racism in the Performing Arts". In 2000, he was named Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In 2005, he was officially named the co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Also in 2005, he was named the second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
In 1998, McBride composed, "The Movement, Revisited", a four-movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement - Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The piece was commissioned by the Portland (ME) Arts Society and the National Endowment for the Arts. The piece was performed throughout the New England states in the fall of 1998 with McBride's quartet and a 30-piece gospel choir led by J.D. Steele.
Ten years later in 2008, "The Movement, Revisited" was expanded, re-written, re-vamped and performed again in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The updated version now featured the gospel choir, an 18-piece big-band and four actors/speakers. The Los Angeles Times claimed the "Movement" as, "a work that was admirable -- to paraphrase Dr. King -- for both the content of its music and the character of its message."
Since 2000, McBride has blazed a trail as a bandleader with the Christian McBride Band. McBride's fellow bandmates - saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully - have sympathetically shared McBride's all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music. Releasing two CD's - 2002's "Vertical Vision", and 2006's "Live at Tonic", writer Alan Leeds called McBride's band (affectionately known as the "CMB") "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene today." It is a group that has mesmerizingly walked an electro-acoustic fault line with amazing results.
In 2009, Christian released his quintet CD "Christian McBride & Inside Straight" on the Detroit-based Mack Avenue Records. the CD was a return to his undiluted "straight-ahead" roots featuring alto/soprano saxophonist, Steve Wilson; vibraphonist, Warren Wolf; pianist, Eric Reed and drummer, Carl Allen.
His second release on the label was "Conversations with Christian" a recording of duets with McBride and some of his best friends and mentors - George Duke, Angelique Kidjo, Dr. Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, Chick Corea, Eddie Palmieri, Regina Carter, Ron Blake, Roy Hargrove and Russell Malone among many others.
In a stellar career that continues to showcase his remarkable talents as a consummate musician, bassist Christian reaches another milestone with the 2011 release of The Good Feeling, his first big band recording as a leader and newest release for Mack Avenue Records.
For over 20 years, McBride has appeared in numerous musical settings with just about any musician imaginable in the jazz as well as R&B and pop worlds. From playing with the likes of Milt Jackson, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny; to playing with and/or arranging for the likes of Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway, Sting and the legendary James Brown—what has always been unique about McBride is his versatility.
In addition to his work in the neo-soul arena with The Roots, D’Angelo, Queen Latifah and others, the Philadelphia native has also led his own ensembles: The Christian McBride Band, A Christian McBride Situation and his most recent group, Inside Straight (fresh off their critically acclaimed 2009 effort, Kind of Brown). There are many sides to the musical persona of Christian McBride, and The Good Feeling has him realizing another one: as the leader, arranger and conductor of his big band.
McBride’s first foray into the world of big band composing and arranging dates back to 1995, when he was commissioned by Jazz At Lincoln Center to write Bluesin' in Alphabet City, featured on The Good Feeling and originally debuted by Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. Since that time he has composed a number of pieces for larger ensembles including The Movement Revisited, a four movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At McBride’s core is The Good Feeling, his first full-fledged big band recording, and it’s presented in a truly impressive fashion.
A hallmark of this recording is its consistent energy, present from the opening track Shake ‘n Blake. With its powerful trumpet section pronouncement, the band is telling the listener, “Here we are, ready to have some fun, and we’re taking you along for the ride.” But just as important is the band’s understanding of nuance; it’s McBride’s arranging touch bringing out the best in its members, helping to create the tightly knit sound you hear throughout this recording.
Putting a big band together is no easy task, but in this particular band McBride feels fortunate to work with some of the most talented musicians in the jazz world. For his part, McBride feels that this process turned out the way he had hoped, with many musicians involved with whose work he is particularly familiar.
“[Trumpeter] Freddie Hendrix is one of the flagship guys in the big band, as is Frank Greene, along with trombonists Michael Dease and Steve Davis. (Steve and I go way back. He was one of my first calls). And the saxophone section was kind of a no brainer—Steve Wilson and Ron Blake, who have been the saxophonists in my last two working bands. I had to have those guys,” McBride says. “Now, one thing that seems to be my ‘Achilles heel’ with any band that I’ve had during my career is the piano chair, simply because everyone’s working all the time. But the X-Man, Xavier Davis, came in and did such a fantastic job.”
The repertoire on The Good Feeling features classic, “staple” tunes along with original McBride compositions—the perfect balance and platform on which to showcase the band. The selections range from easier, in-the-pocket swing—showcased on Broadway and I Should Care—to McBride's originals, many of which have been featured on the bassist's earlier recordings, now rearranged for big band. These tracks include: Brother Mister (the opening track of Kind of Brown); The Shade Of The Cedar Tree and In A Hurry (both featured on the 1995 classic Gettin’ to It); and Science Fiction (the nucleus for McBride’s 2000 effort Sci-Fi). Additionally the disc features tasteful renditions of When I Fall In Love, The More I See You and A Taste of Honey—all featuring exceptional performances by vocalist Melissa Walker.
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/mcbride-christian-060712/
The stank nasty roar that opens Live at Tonic, the expansive new three-disc concert set by the Christian McBride Band,
rivals the hardest, nastiest Frank Zappa. Led by virtuoso acoustic and
electric bassist McBride, the quartet quickly drops down into rugged,
conversational bass depths before shooting into the atmosphere. These
are the kinetic dynamics of one of the hottest, most scary talented
bands in jazz today. Eschewing any traditionalist stiffness, McBride’s
boys swing like a 50-pound haymaker clutching strands of boogaloo, rock,
bossa nova, and dub. Warm-blooded and lithe as a conservatory dancer,
Geoffrey Keezer (keyboards), Ron Blake (saxophones, flute), and Terreon
Gully (drums) move with restless imaginations anchored by confidence and
cool that cannot be manufactured.
At the helm is one of the strongest, most versatile voices to emerge in bass playing in 20 years. With this group, his compositions and personality have blossomed—the fulfillment of all the promise one hears in McBride’s past work with Bobby Watson, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Sting, Abbie Lincoln, and many dozens more. He’s also a noted music educator, Lincoln Center composer, and Creative Chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a position passed on to him by Dianne Reeves. When Christian McBride is holding down the low end there’s a kind of ease of spirit that takes hold. Everyone around him knows the music will have energy and substance if he’s involved.
Taken from a two-night run at the intimate, often experimental NYC club, Live at Tonic brings in some well-chosen guests to jam. The second disc gets pretty free range with guitarist Charlie Hunter, keyboardist Jason Moran, and an especially frisky Jenny Scheinman on violin. The third disc is soulful grooving with the Roots’ former member Scratch, turntable wizard DJ Logic, Rashawn Ross on trumpet, and Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno. All make appealing contributions that will likely expose McBride’s music to new listeners familiar only with the guests but it is the quartet itself that will drop your jaw on the first disc of highlights from the run. Unhampered by rules and skilled enough to wander where they will, the Christian McBride Band have the potential to be one of those classic combinations like Gary Bartz Ntu Troop or Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way-era quintet. When he speaks about music, it’s always with an ear towards wider boundaries and more intrinsic freedom for those who play it. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Christian McBride.
Your studio work has been moving away from what anyone would call
traditional jazz for a while. This new live album just totally embraces
the idea of the jam, the idea of funk.
I don’t think it’s any more overt than Vertical Vision [2003] was, but I certainly think as my recording career has progressed I’ve tried to attain a more all-inclusive view of what jazz can be. Or at least what jazz is to me personally.
There seem to be a lot of forces that try to keep you in that bebop straightjacket.
Totally. The problem isn’t the music. I love playing swing music and traditional jazz. It’s certainly one of my passions in life. The thing you fight against is the people, mostly the non-musicians like writers and even some fans who think, ‘Oh well surely this is really what you’re going to keep on doing. You’re going to keep playing straight ahead, right?’ I don’t know. I don’t what I could be doing a couple of years from now. The problem is not the music it’s the people who are into the music or write about the music. They have these reserved spots for people in their heads, and they need people to fill these spots.
On public radio I worked with freeform stations for 12 years where we put jazz right next to rock, country, experimental or whatever. Musicians I find are generally much more like that. There’s far more lines of connection than there are fences.
Absolutely!
Tell us a bit about your band. Not to be too blunt but this is a serious group of badasses.
[Laughs] Thank you! We’ve been working together for six years. Ron Blake, my saxophonist, has worked with me for seven years. It’s funny because this band came together in a period where I was really bitter and angry and frustrated about being a bandleader. I found it very difficult to find musicians who were not so much able but willing to try to combine a lot of different music together, just finding musicians that didn’t have a problem playing something funky and something swinging within the same set. So the music was frustrated but there was also the professional side, which I won’t go into too much. Let’s just say when I hired Geoff Keezer and Terreon Gully I was at a point where I just needed some musicians to get me through the next string of gigs. If they quit, they quit. If I fired them, so be it. But I think maybe it was because of that attitude that I didn’t have too many expectations so I could actually start this journey with this band on a fresh slate.
The one person who I think has been what I like to call the ‘X-Factor’ is Geoff Keezer because he’s had his own career as a leader for many, many years and he’s worked with so many great people. When I first asked him to join the band I was quite hesitant. After playing piano with Ray Brown’s trio, then playing with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and playing with Barbara Hendricks, well, I thought he might think playing with my band was a step down (laughs). Fortunately, Geoff was more than wide open about joining the band and it’s been nothing but great. He’s a guy who’s absorbed a lot of different styles of music and he’s more than willing to bring it all to the table.
There’s so much going on sonically with him. He’s not afraid of effects or electronics if they’re right for the moment.
I love that he’s not afraid of those effects even on straight-ahead songs. I’ve always been into weird and wacky challenges. I’m thinking like let’s play a medium swinging blues and play like distorted Rhodes on there. And Geoff is like, ‘Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!’ Where some other guy would say, ‘That won’t work.’ How do you know if you don’t try? Of course, that kind of attitude prevails with all the guys in the band. So, it’s been a really great time working with these guys.
Christian McBride Band - The Wizard of Montara
Your band has echoes of some great jazz—Atlantic Records in the
early ‘70s, Phil Woods European Jazz Machine, Von Freeman, Rahsaan
Roland Kirk. You guys always seem ready to jump in and make it
interesting for yourselves first, and hopefully the listener is there to
meet you halfway.
Exactly. Plus, I think as a performer I always try not to play at the audience. I never want to play music that’s offensive, like saying, ‘This is who we are. Take it or leave it.’ I’ve always loved Cannonball Adderly for that reason. If you listen to a lot his live albums you hear he was a great newscaster in the way he spoke to the audience. He would play this very serious music but he had a very jovial attitude. It’s almost like he was playing angry music with a smile. It was that smile that made people meet him halfway. Therefore, he got a lot more listeners to his music than the average jazz music from that period that was playing challenging music.
He was also playing on bills with blues and rock bands, reaching very different audiences because of the approach that he took. Cannonball also brought a little church into it, which I think never hurts when trying to convey heavy things. There’s something to be said for embracing the audience. Even if you’re playing something challenging do it in a way that invites them to be part of it. I think you do that on the new live album. How did you end up choosing a small club like NYC’s Tonic over say a big concert hall for the recording?
I’ve never been one to be too judgmental towards any particular venue. It all depends on the clientele. I’ve played in some concert halls—not only with my band but with Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock—and those audiences can be just as great or bad as playing a great intimate club with a dead clientele. What made Tonic different is it’s not a jazz club per se. People don’t go there to hear jazz. They go there to hear experimental music or whatever. It could be a Dixieland group, it could be electronica or a dance troupe. They got all kinds of things going on at Tonic. That’s what made this CD different than recording at Birdland or the Village Vanguard where you get a clientele that knows what it’s looking for. If that’s not what we’re gonna give ‘em. then it’s probably not going to be the type of reception you want on a document.
There was a small risk in that we’d never played Tonic before. We weren’t sure if people would come in thinking, ‘Christian McBride? Who’s that?’ or ‘Christian McBride? Isn’t he the jazz guy? What’s he doing playing here?’ I was little nervous making a debut at a new club and making a live album. Fortunately, any fears I had were erased pretty quickly.
You hear a strong sense of freedom, especially on the second and thirrd discs, where all rules have been set aside. Whatever happens, happens.
That was kind of how it had to be. When you’re working with musicians you’ve never worked with before, it’s not like you have a whole lot of time to get any game plan together. It’s was basically my band plus a few special guests in a jam session. That’s about as free as you can possibly be [laughs].
Did you give the guests directions or special pointers before they played with you?
No, you don’t need to do that with high level musicians like that.
You played with some of my personal favorites. I’m in love with violinist Jenny Scheinman’s work, and I think DJ Logic is the most musical turtablist out there.
I’d worked with everybody on separate occasions except Jenny Scheinman. Regina Carter was originally supposed to be on the album but she had a family emergency a few days before the concert. I knew who Jenny was but had never met her. You like to at least talk to a person before you make an album with them! Fortunately, Jenny and I met a half hour before we had to play and warmed up to each other rather quickly. Right away we hit it off.
The second CD was certainly the most experimental. The third CD is an outright party, which was certainly a whole lot of fun. If I had to do it all over again I’d probably trade one of the guests from Night Two to Night One. I think having Scratch and DJ Logic at the same time there was so much scratching going on I couldn’t tell who was who [laughs]. But it worked!
There’s a lot of sound coming at you on that third disc. What’s it like playing with a turntablist like Logic? I think a lot of people don’t see the turntable as an instrument.
That question might be better answered by my drummer, Terreon. What Logic is doing mostly is being a second percussionist. He’s playing beats and things that would normally get in the way of the drummer. It was Terreon I was worried about when we started working with Logic. But Logic is such a great listener. That’s the key to any great musician—they listen well. I didn’t know what to tell Logic when we first started. I said, ‘Just listen to what we’re doing and find something to do.’ He did some gigs with us and picked his spots to jump in there. There were gigs Terreon would lay out and Logic would play the beats on the turntables, and Terreon would be the auxiliary percussionist.
That’s the kind of humility you get with really good musicians—knowing when not to play, when their contribution isn’t needed. I think that’s almost as important as being up there soloing your ass off. One of the guests, guitarist Eric Krasno of Soulive, is a master of this. His playing is like hearing someone fly.
He’s ridiculously funky.
That is the right phrase!
He’s a hell of a player. I’ve known Eric for years. I actually knew Eric when he was going to Berklee [School of Music] in the ‘90s. Then, during the end of my tenure at Verve Records I remember Soulive was looking for a deal. Verve was courting them for a quick second but they ended up at Blue Note. I used to see those guys at the Verve offices, and then as fate would have it, they ended up scoring big. I love those guys.
A number of the guests you have on this record—Charlie Hunter, DJ Logic, part of Soulive, Jenny to a certain degree—are connected to the jam music scene, and in a way this record could be a calling card, especially being released by Ropeadope, to that scene. Do you see your music fitting in with that world?
I think probably calling a lot of those guys was not an accident on either side of the fence, musically or commercially. It was decided a while ago that the kind of thing my band has been doing the past couple years would not be 100% conducive to hardcore jazz audiences. We want to try to bring in some new listeners, as well as keeping people who were listening to us before we were more funky and electric. It’s been working so far. We just finished the “What Is Jazz” tour with my band, Charlie Hunter’s band, Logic, and Bobby Previte. It was a pretty successful tour, and hopefully it’ll keep happening.
With really high-powered musicians I find the metaphor of gunslingers works well. Gunslingers can walk into any town and everyone knows right away they’re a powerful force. It’s in their walk. It’s there before a single shot is fired.
Once you put in the time to develop your skills as a musician and get the tools you need to create on your instrument, at that point you should be more than willing to get into any kind of situation and really create and make it feel good. That’s why someone like Chick Corea can play with the Foo Fighters. I remember Freddie Hubbard playing with Billy Joel. That’s a testament to true greatness.
In that vein, I always think of Wayne Shorter’s work with Steely Dan.
It’s almost unfair to talk about how great Wayne is. He’d make any band sound great. And that’s what I’m talking about. That greatness can be pretty rare.
You’ve played on a lot of other people’s records. What’s the difference for you between that and working on your own compositions?
That’s easy—I’m not taking orders, I’m giving orders [laughs].
Do you like composing? A lot of players actually prefer getting up and blowing on someone else’s material to working up their own catalog.
You know it actually is draining for me to be able to compose. Once it’s finished it’s probably one of the greatest feelings you can have but I’ve never been able to discipline myself into being a consistent writer. I know guys like Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, or Chick Corea who write everyday. Even if it’s just a four-bar phrase, they have their brains geared up to write a little bit everyday. At some point in my life, hopefully sooner than later, I’ll get that kind of discipline.
What do you think are the defining characteristics of your style as a bassist?
I like to think one of the characteristics of my playing is clarity. The acoustic bass is a very difficult instrument to play with clarity of tone. The execution is very hard. I like to think I’m a bassist that has a very clear, precise tone and articulation. And a big tone. I like to think I’m a good balance between Eddie Gomez and Ray Brown. I can play what they call the “Noise Bleed Style” of bass playing—you know, really fast and high up on the fingerboard—but with the sound of a Ray Brown.
What are the challenges of making a bass a solo instrument that’s right out front? It’s usually associated with being in the background most of the time.
Because of the nature of the instrument it’s hard for people to hear it, to understand what’s going on. It’s an instrument you feel more than you hear. I’m trying to figure out how it can be both.
http://www.christianmcbride.com/bio.html
Four-time GRAMMY®-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride can be likened to a force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman. Powered by a relentless energy and a boundless love of swing, McBride’s path has described a continuous positive arc since his arrival on the scene. With a career now blazing into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.
Raised in a city steeped in soul, McBride moved to New York in 1989 to pursue classical studies at the Juilliard School. There he was promptly recruited to the road by saxophonist Bobby Watson. Call it a change in curriculum: a decade’s worth of study through hundreds of recording sessions and countless gigs with an ever-expanding circle of musicians. He was finding his voice, and others were learning to listen for it.
In 2000 the lessons of the road came together in the formation of what would become his longest-running project, the Christian McBride Band. Praised by writer Alan Leeds as "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene today," the CMB—saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer, and drummer Terreon Gully—have been collectively evolving McBride's all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music through their incendiary live shows, as chronicled on 2006’s Live at Tonic. Part excursion, part education, the CMB is a vehicle built on a framework of experience and powered by unfettered creativity: a mesmerizing dance on the edge of an electro-acoustic fault line.
In 2009 McBride began focusing this same energy through a more traditional lens with the debut of his critically-acclaimed Inside Straight quintet, and again with the Christian McBride Big Band, whose 2012 release The Good Feeling won the GRAMMY for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album. As his career entered its third decade, McBride added the role of mentor, tapping rising stars pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. for the Christian McBride Trio’s GRAMMY-nominated album Out Here.
He is also a respected educator and advocate, first noted in 1997 when he spoke on former President Bill Clinton's town hall meeting "Racism in the Performing Arts." He has since been named Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions (2000), co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (2005), and the Second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (2005).
In 1998 he combined roles, composing "The Movement, Revisited," a four-movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The piece was commissioned by the Portland (ME) Arts Society and the National Endowment for the Arts, and performed throughout New England in the fall of 1998 with McBride's quartet and a 30-piece gospel choir. For its tenth anniversary, "The Movement, Revisited" was expanded, rewritten, and revamped to feature an 18-piece big band and four actors/speakers in addition to the gospel choir. It was performed in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and praised by the Los Angeles Times as "a work that was admirable—to paraphrase Dr. King—for both the content of its music and the character of its message."
Currently he hosts and produces “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio and National Public Radio’s “Jazz Night in America,” a weekly radio show and multimedia collaboration between WBGO, NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center, showcasing outstanding live jazz from across the country. With his staggering body of work, McBride is the ideal host, drawing on history, experience, and a gift for storytelling to bridge the gap between artist, music, and audience. He brings that same breadth of experience to bear as Artistic Advisor for Jazz Programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
Completing the circle is his work with Jazz House Kids, the nationally recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. Exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz, the “Jazz House” concept brings internationally renowned jazz performers to teach alongside a professional staff, offering students a wide range of creative programming that develops musical potential, enhances leadership skills, and strengthens academic performance. This shared celebration of America’s original musical art form cultivates tomorrow’s community leaders and global citizens while preserving its rich legacy for future generations.
Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz (Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, to R&B (Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown) to pop/rock (Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Don Henley, Bruce Hornsby) to hip-hop/neo-soul (The Roots, D'Angelo, Queen Latifah) to classical (Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet, Sonus Quartet), he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.
http://www.npr.org/artists/15168606/christian-mcbride
https://soundcloud.com/kcrw/christian-mcbride-makes-room-for-all-forms-of-jazz
Beginning in 1989, this Philadelphia-born bassist moved to New York City to further his classical studies at the Juilliard School, only to be snatched up by alto saxophonist, Bobby Watson. Since then, McBride's list of accomplishments have been nothing short of staggering. As a sideman in the jazz world alone, he's worked with the best of the very best - Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. In the R&B world, he's not only played with, but also arranged for Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. In the pop/rock world, he's extensively collaborated with Sting, Carly Simon, Don Henley, and Bruce Hornsby. In the hip-hop/neo-soul world, he's collaborated with the Roots, D'Angelo, and Queen Latifah. In many other specialty projects, he's worked closely with opera legend Kathleen Battle, bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, the Shanghai Quartet and the Sonus Quartet.
Away from the bass, Christian has become quite an astute and respected spokesperson for the music. In 1997, he spoke on former President Bill Clinton's town hall meeting "Racism in the Performing Arts". In 2000, he was named Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In 2005, he was officially named the co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Also in 2005, he was named the second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
In 1998, McBride composed, "The Movement, Revisited", a four-movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement - Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The piece was commissioned by the Portland (ME) Arts Society and the National Endowment for the Arts. The piece was performed throughout the New England states in the fall of 1998 with McBride's quartet and a 30-piece gospel choir led by J.D. Steele.
Ten years later in 2008, "The Movement, Revisited" was expanded, re-written, re-vamped and performed again in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The updated version now featured the gospel choir, an 18-piece big-band and four actors/speakers. The Los Angeles Times claimed the "Movement" as, "a work that was admirable -- to paraphrase Dr. King -- for both the content of its music and the character of its message."
Since 2000, McBride has blazed a trail as a bandleader with the Christian McBride Band. McBride's fellow bandmates - saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully - have sympathetically shared McBride's all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music. Releasing two CD's - 2002's "Vertical Vision", and 2006's "Live at Tonic", writer Alan Leeds called McBride's band (affectionately known as the "CMB") "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene today." It is a group that has mesmerizingly walked an electro-acoustic fault line with amazing results.
In 2009, Christian released his quintet CD "Christian McBride & Inside Straight" on the Detroit-based Mack Avenue Records. the CD was a return to his undiluted "straight-ahead" roots featuring alto/soprano saxophonist, Steve Wilson; vibraphonist, Warren Wolf; pianist, Eric Reed and drummer, Carl Allen.
His second release on the label was "Conversations with Christian" a recording of duets with McBride and some of his best friends and mentors - George Duke, Angelique Kidjo, Dr. Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, Chick Corea, Eddie Palmieri, Regina Carter, Ron Blake, Roy Hargrove and Russell Malone among many others.
In a stellar career that continues to showcase his remarkable talents as a consummate musician, bassist Christian reaches another milestone with the 2011 release of The Good Feeling, his first big band recording as a leader and newest release for Mack Avenue Records.
For over 20 years, McBride has appeared in numerous musical settings with just about any musician imaginable in the jazz as well as R&B and pop worlds. From playing with the likes of Milt Jackson, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny; to playing with and/or arranging for the likes of Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway, Sting and the legendary James Brown—what has always been unique about McBride is his versatility.
In addition to his work in the neo-soul arena with The Roots, D’Angelo, Queen Latifah and others, the Philadelphia native has also led his own ensembles: The Christian McBride Band, A Christian McBride Situation and his most recent group, Inside Straight (fresh off their critically acclaimed 2009 effort, Kind of Brown). There are many sides to the musical persona of Christian McBride, and The Good Feeling has him realizing another one: as the leader, arranger and conductor of his big band.
McBride’s first foray into the world of big band composing and arranging dates back to 1995, when he was commissioned by Jazz At Lincoln Center to write Bluesin' in Alphabet City, featured on The Good Feeling and originally debuted by Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. Since that time he has composed a number of pieces for larger ensembles including The Movement Revisited, a four movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At McBride’s core is The Good Feeling, his first full-fledged big band recording, and it’s presented in a truly impressive fashion.
A hallmark of this recording is its consistent energy, present from the opening track Shake ‘n Blake. With its powerful trumpet section pronouncement, the band is telling the listener, “Here we are, ready to have some fun, and we’re taking you along for the ride.” But just as important is the band’s understanding of nuance; it’s McBride’s arranging touch bringing out the best in its members, helping to create the tightly knit sound you hear throughout this recording.
Putting a big band together is no easy task, but in this particular band McBride feels fortunate to work with some of the most talented musicians in the jazz world. For his part, McBride feels that this process turned out the way he had hoped, with many musicians involved with whose work he is particularly familiar.
“[Trumpeter] Freddie Hendrix is one of the flagship guys in the big band, as is Frank Greene, along with trombonists Michael Dease and Steve Davis. (Steve and I go way back. He was one of my first calls). And the saxophone section was kind of a no brainer—Steve Wilson and Ron Blake, who have been the saxophonists in my last two working bands. I had to have those guys,” McBride says. “Now, one thing that seems to be my ‘Achilles heel’ with any band that I’ve had during my career is the piano chair, simply because everyone’s working all the time. But the X-Man, Xavier Davis, came in and did such a fantastic job.”
The repertoire on The Good Feeling features classic, “staple” tunes along with original McBride compositions—the perfect balance and platform on which to showcase the band. The selections range from easier, in-the-pocket swing—showcased on Broadway and I Should Care—to McBride's originals, many of which have been featured on the bassist's earlier recordings, now rearranged for big band. These tracks include: Brother Mister (the opening track of Kind of Brown); The Shade Of The Cedar Tree and In A Hurry (both featured on the 1995 classic Gettin’ to It); and Science Fiction (the nucleus for McBride’s 2000 effort Sci-Fi). Additionally the disc features tasteful renditions of When I Fall In Love, The More I See You and A Taste of Honey—all featuring exceptional performances by vocalist Melissa Walker.
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/mcbride-christian-060712/
At the helm is one of the strongest, most versatile voices to emerge in bass playing in 20 years. With this group, his compositions and personality have blossomed—the fulfillment of all the promise one hears in McBride’s past work with Bobby Watson, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Sting, Abbie Lincoln, and many dozens more. He’s also a noted music educator, Lincoln Center composer, and Creative Chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a position passed on to him by Dianne Reeves. When Christian McBride is holding down the low end there’s a kind of ease of spirit that takes hold. Everyone around him knows the music will have energy and substance if he’s involved.
Taken from a two-night run at the intimate, often experimental NYC club, Live at Tonic brings in some well-chosen guests to jam. The second disc gets pretty free range with guitarist Charlie Hunter, keyboardist Jason Moran, and an especially frisky Jenny Scheinman on violin. The third disc is soulful grooving with the Roots’ former member Scratch, turntable wizard DJ Logic, Rashawn Ross on trumpet, and Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno. All make appealing contributions that will likely expose McBride’s music to new listeners familiar only with the guests but it is the quartet itself that will drop your jaw on the first disc of highlights from the run. Unhampered by rules and skilled enough to wander where they will, the Christian McBride Band have the potential to be one of those classic combinations like Gary Bartz Ntu Troop or Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way-era quintet. When he speaks about music, it’s always with an ear towards wider boundaries and more intrinsic freedom for those who play it. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Christian McBride.
 Christian McBride multiple videos: streaming and mv4 |
I don’t think it’s any more overt than Vertical Vision [2003] was, but I certainly think as my recording career has progressed I’ve tried to attain a more all-inclusive view of what jazz can be. Or at least what jazz is to me personally.
There seem to be a lot of forces that try to keep you in that bebop straightjacket.
Totally. The problem isn’t the music. I love playing swing music and traditional jazz. It’s certainly one of my passions in life. The thing you fight against is the people, mostly the non-musicians like writers and even some fans who think, ‘Oh well surely this is really what you’re going to keep on doing. You’re going to keep playing straight ahead, right?’ I don’t know. I don’t what I could be doing a couple of years from now. The problem is not the music it’s the people who are into the music or write about the music. They have these reserved spots for people in their heads, and they need people to fill these spots.
On public radio I worked with freeform stations for 12 years where we put jazz right next to rock, country, experimental or whatever. Musicians I find are generally much more like that. There’s far more lines of connection than there are fences.
Absolutely!
Tell us a bit about your band. Not to be too blunt but this is a serious group of badasses.
[Laughs] Thank you! We’ve been working together for six years. Ron Blake, my saxophonist, has worked with me for seven years. It’s funny because this band came together in a period where I was really bitter and angry and frustrated about being a bandleader. I found it very difficult to find musicians who were not so much able but willing to try to combine a lot of different music together, just finding musicians that didn’t have a problem playing something funky and something swinging within the same set. So the music was frustrated but there was also the professional side, which I won’t go into too much. Let’s just say when I hired Geoff Keezer and Terreon Gully I was at a point where I just needed some musicians to get me through the next string of gigs. If they quit, they quit. If I fired them, so be it. But I think maybe it was because of that attitude that I didn’t have too many expectations so I could actually start this journey with this band on a fresh slate.
The one person who I think has been what I like to call the ‘X-Factor’ is Geoff Keezer because he’s had his own career as a leader for many, many years and he’s worked with so many great people. When I first asked him to join the band I was quite hesitant. After playing piano with Ray Brown’s trio, then playing with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and playing with Barbara Hendricks, well, I thought he might think playing with my band was a step down (laughs). Fortunately, Geoff was more than wide open about joining the band and it’s been nothing but great. He’s a guy who’s absorbed a lot of different styles of music and he’s more than willing to bring it all to the table.
There’s so much going on sonically with him. He’s not afraid of effects or electronics if they’re right for the moment.
I love that he’s not afraid of those effects even on straight-ahead songs. I’ve always been into weird and wacky challenges. I’m thinking like let’s play a medium swinging blues and play like distorted Rhodes on there. And Geoff is like, ‘Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!’ Where some other guy would say, ‘That won’t work.’ How do you know if you don’t try? Of course, that kind of attitude prevails with all the guys in the band. So, it’s been a really great time working with these guys.
Christian McBride Band - The Wizard of Montara
Exactly. Plus, I think as a performer I always try not to play at the audience. I never want to play music that’s offensive, like saying, ‘This is who we are. Take it or leave it.’ I’ve always loved Cannonball Adderly for that reason. If you listen to a lot his live albums you hear he was a great newscaster in the way he spoke to the audience. He would play this very serious music but he had a very jovial attitude. It’s almost like he was playing angry music with a smile. It was that smile that made people meet him halfway. Therefore, he got a lot more listeners to his music than the average jazz music from that period that was playing challenging music.
He was also playing on bills with blues and rock bands, reaching very different audiences because of the approach that he took. Cannonball also brought a little church into it, which I think never hurts when trying to convey heavy things. There’s something to be said for embracing the audience. Even if you’re playing something challenging do it in a way that invites them to be part of it. I think you do that on the new live album. How did you end up choosing a small club like NYC’s Tonic over say a big concert hall for the recording?
I’ve never been one to be too judgmental towards any particular venue. It all depends on the clientele. I’ve played in some concert halls—not only with my band but with Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock—and those audiences can be just as great or bad as playing a great intimate club with a dead clientele. What made Tonic different is it’s not a jazz club per se. People don’t go there to hear jazz. They go there to hear experimental music or whatever. It could be a Dixieland group, it could be electronica or a dance troupe. They got all kinds of things going on at Tonic. That’s what made this CD different than recording at Birdland or the Village Vanguard where you get a clientele that knows what it’s looking for. If that’s not what we’re gonna give ‘em. then it’s probably not going to be the type of reception you want on a document.
There was a small risk in that we’d never played Tonic before. We weren’t sure if people would come in thinking, ‘Christian McBride? Who’s that?’ or ‘Christian McBride? Isn’t he the jazz guy? What’s he doing playing here?’ I was little nervous making a debut at a new club and making a live album. Fortunately, any fears I had were erased pretty quickly.
You hear a strong sense of freedom, especially on the second and thirrd discs, where all rules have been set aside. Whatever happens, happens.
That was kind of how it had to be. When you’re working with musicians you’ve never worked with before, it’s not like you have a whole lot of time to get any game plan together. It’s was basically my band plus a few special guests in a jam session. That’s about as free as you can possibly be [laughs].
Did you give the guests directions or special pointers before they played with you?
No, you don’t need to do that with high level musicians like that.
You played with some of my personal favorites. I’m in love with violinist Jenny Scheinman’s work, and I think DJ Logic is the most musical turtablist out there.
I’d worked with everybody on separate occasions except Jenny Scheinman. Regina Carter was originally supposed to be on the album but she had a family emergency a few days before the concert. I knew who Jenny was but had never met her. You like to at least talk to a person before you make an album with them! Fortunately, Jenny and I met a half hour before we had to play and warmed up to each other rather quickly. Right away we hit it off.
The second CD was certainly the most experimental. The third CD is an outright party, which was certainly a whole lot of fun. If I had to do it all over again I’d probably trade one of the guests from Night Two to Night One. I think having Scratch and DJ Logic at the same time there was so much scratching going on I couldn’t tell who was who [laughs]. But it worked!
There’s a lot of sound coming at you on that third disc. What’s it like playing with a turntablist like Logic? I think a lot of people don’t see the turntable as an instrument.
That question might be better answered by my drummer, Terreon. What Logic is doing mostly is being a second percussionist. He’s playing beats and things that would normally get in the way of the drummer. It was Terreon I was worried about when we started working with Logic. But Logic is such a great listener. That’s the key to any great musician—they listen well. I didn’t know what to tell Logic when we first started. I said, ‘Just listen to what we’re doing and find something to do.’ He did some gigs with us and picked his spots to jump in there. There were gigs Terreon would lay out and Logic would play the beats on the turntables, and Terreon would be the auxiliary percussionist.
That’s the kind of humility you get with really good musicians—knowing when not to play, when their contribution isn’t needed. I think that’s almost as important as being up there soloing your ass off. One of the guests, guitarist Eric Krasno of Soulive, is a master of this. His playing is like hearing someone fly.
He’s ridiculously funky.
That is the right phrase!
He’s a hell of a player. I’ve known Eric for years. I actually knew Eric when he was going to Berklee [School of Music] in the ‘90s. Then, during the end of my tenure at Verve Records I remember Soulive was looking for a deal. Verve was courting them for a quick second but they ended up at Blue Note. I used to see those guys at the Verve offices, and then as fate would have it, they ended up scoring big. I love those guys.
A number of the guests you have on this record—Charlie Hunter, DJ Logic, part of Soulive, Jenny to a certain degree—are connected to the jam music scene, and in a way this record could be a calling card, especially being released by Ropeadope, to that scene. Do you see your music fitting in with that world?
I think probably calling a lot of those guys was not an accident on either side of the fence, musically or commercially. It was decided a while ago that the kind of thing my band has been doing the past couple years would not be 100% conducive to hardcore jazz audiences. We want to try to bring in some new listeners, as well as keeping people who were listening to us before we were more funky and electric. It’s been working so far. We just finished the “What Is Jazz” tour with my band, Charlie Hunter’s band, Logic, and Bobby Previte. It was a pretty successful tour, and hopefully it’ll keep happening.
With really high-powered musicians I find the metaphor of gunslingers works well. Gunslingers can walk into any town and everyone knows right away they’re a powerful force. It’s in their walk. It’s there before a single shot is fired.
Once you put in the time to develop your skills as a musician and get the tools you need to create on your instrument, at that point you should be more than willing to get into any kind of situation and really create and make it feel good. That’s why someone like Chick Corea can play with the Foo Fighters. I remember Freddie Hubbard playing with Billy Joel. That’s a testament to true greatness.
In that vein, I always think of Wayne Shorter’s work with Steely Dan.
It’s almost unfair to talk about how great Wayne is. He’d make any band sound great. And that’s what I’m talking about. That greatness can be pretty rare.
You’ve played on a lot of other people’s records. What’s the difference for you between that and working on your own compositions?
That’s easy—I’m not taking orders, I’m giving orders [laughs].
Do you like composing? A lot of players actually prefer getting up and blowing on someone else’s material to working up their own catalog.
You know it actually is draining for me to be able to compose. Once it’s finished it’s probably one of the greatest feelings you can have but I’ve never been able to discipline myself into being a consistent writer. I know guys like Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, or Chick Corea who write everyday. Even if it’s just a four-bar phrase, they have their brains geared up to write a little bit everyday. At some point in my life, hopefully sooner than later, I’ll get that kind of discipline.
What do you think are the defining characteristics of your style as a bassist?
I like to think one of the characteristics of my playing is clarity. The acoustic bass is a very difficult instrument to play with clarity of tone. The execution is very hard. I like to think I’m a bassist that has a very clear, precise tone and articulation. And a big tone. I like to think I’m a good balance between Eddie Gomez and Ray Brown. I can play what they call the “Noise Bleed Style” of bass playing—you know, really fast and high up on the fingerboard—but with the sound of a Ray Brown.
What are the challenges of making a bass a solo instrument that’s right out front? It’s usually associated with being in the background most of the time.
Because of the nature of the instrument it’s hard for people to hear it, to understand what’s going on. It’s an instrument you feel more than you hear. I’m trying to figure out how it can be both.
http://www.christianmcbride.com/bio.html
Four-time GRAMMY®-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride can be likened to a force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman. Powered by a relentless energy and a boundless love of swing, McBride’s path has described a continuous positive arc since his arrival on the scene. With a career now blazing into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.
Raised in a city steeped in soul, McBride moved to New York in 1989 to pursue classical studies at the Juilliard School. There he was promptly recruited to the road by saxophonist Bobby Watson. Call it a change in curriculum: a decade’s worth of study through hundreds of recording sessions and countless gigs with an ever-expanding circle of musicians. He was finding his voice, and others were learning to listen for it.
In 2000 the lessons of the road came together in the formation of what would become his longest-running project, the Christian McBride Band. Praised by writer Alan Leeds as "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene today," the CMB—saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer, and drummer Terreon Gully—have been collectively evolving McBride's all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music through their incendiary live shows, as chronicled on 2006’s Live at Tonic. Part excursion, part education, the CMB is a vehicle built on a framework of experience and powered by unfettered creativity: a mesmerizing dance on the edge of an electro-acoustic fault line.
In 2009 McBride began focusing this same energy through a more traditional lens with the debut of his critically-acclaimed Inside Straight quintet, and again with the Christian McBride Big Band, whose 2012 release The Good Feeling won the GRAMMY for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album. As his career entered its third decade, McBride added the role of mentor, tapping rising stars pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. for the Christian McBride Trio’s GRAMMY-nominated album Out Here.
He is also a respected educator and advocate, first noted in 1997 when he spoke on former President Bill Clinton's town hall meeting "Racism in the Performing Arts." He has since been named Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions (2000), co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (2005), and the Second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (2005).
In 1998 he combined roles, composing "The Movement, Revisited," a four-movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The piece was commissioned by the Portland (ME) Arts Society and the National Endowment for the Arts, and performed throughout New England in the fall of 1998 with McBride's quartet and a 30-piece gospel choir. For its tenth anniversary, "The Movement, Revisited" was expanded, rewritten, and revamped to feature an 18-piece big band and four actors/speakers in addition to the gospel choir. It was performed in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and praised by the Los Angeles Times as "a work that was admirable—to paraphrase Dr. King—for both the content of its music and the character of its message."
Currently he hosts and produces “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio and National Public Radio’s “Jazz Night in America,” a weekly radio show and multimedia collaboration between WBGO, NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center, showcasing outstanding live jazz from across the country. With his staggering body of work, McBride is the ideal host, drawing on history, experience, and a gift for storytelling to bridge the gap between artist, music, and audience. He brings that same breadth of experience to bear as Artistic Advisor for Jazz Programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
Completing the circle is his work with Jazz House Kids, the nationally recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. Exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz, the “Jazz House” concept brings internationally renowned jazz performers to teach alongside a professional staff, offering students a wide range of creative programming that develops musical potential, enhances leadership skills, and strengthens academic performance. This shared celebration of America’s original musical art form cultivates tomorrow’s community leaders and global citizens while preserving its rich legacy for future generations.
Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz (Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, to R&B (Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and the one and only Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown) to pop/rock (Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Don Henley, Bruce Hornsby) to hip-hop/neo-soul (The Roots, D'Angelo, Queen Latifah) to classical (Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet, Sonus Quartet), he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.
http://www.npr.org/artists/15168606/christian-mcbride
https://soundcloud.com/kcrw/christian-mcbride-makes-room-for-all-forms-of-jazz
Christian McBride makes room for all forms of jazz
by
Jazz bassist Christian McBride is one of the most recorded musicians
of his generation. He’s played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Diana
Krall, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis and even James Brown.
Now, he’s on tour with the Mack Avenue Superband, a group of ever-changing musicians born out of a record label in Detroit. Rooted in the Detroit Jazz Festival, this is the first time the band is on tour. This time around, it consists of Tia Fuller on saxophone, Sean Jones on trumpet, Christian McBride on bass, Gary Burton on vibraphone, Carl Allen on drums, and Christian Sands on piano.
KCRW spoke with Christian McBride before his stop in Santa Barbara.
KCRW: You tend to stray away from traditional jazz and take a groove-oriented approach. What moved you in that direction?
McBride: Stray implies that there’s some sort of pact made, and I’ve never made a pact with straight ahead jazz. That was just the music that got my name out there. I’ve always thought of myself as a musician first. I do love jazz, but anybody from my generation has played a lot of different types of music. As musicians, we are trained to be able to express ourselves in any style.
You were recently named Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. What does that mean for you?
I couldn’t see this coming from a mile away. I’m more than flattered. I’ve been friends with [current artistic director] George Wein for quite some time. Little did I know, he had been keeping an eye on the curating I had been doing with other performing arts organizations around the country over the last decade. That’s why it’s always important to do a good job at all times, even when you think no one’s paying attention. Someone always is. George has always had a tradition with never exploiting the word, “jazz,” but never disallowing different forms of the music to come into the festival. When I have an opportunity in 2017 to book the festival, I will keep that tradition going.
Santa Barbara doesn’t seem to have a big jazz presence, in terms of clubs and places to perform. What does it take to get jazz in the limelight in smaller cities?
Now, he’s on tour with the Mack Avenue Superband, a group of ever-changing musicians born out of a record label in Detroit. Rooted in the Detroit Jazz Festival, this is the first time the band is on tour. This time around, it consists of Tia Fuller on saxophone, Sean Jones on trumpet, Christian McBride on bass, Gary Burton on vibraphone, Carl Allen on drums, and Christian Sands on piano.
KCRW spoke with Christian McBride before his stop in Santa Barbara.
KCRW: You tend to stray away from traditional jazz and take a groove-oriented approach. What moved you in that direction?
McBride: Stray implies that there’s some sort of pact made, and I’ve never made a pact with straight ahead jazz. That was just the music that got my name out there. I’ve always thought of myself as a musician first. I do love jazz, but anybody from my generation has played a lot of different types of music. As musicians, we are trained to be able to express ourselves in any style.
You were recently named Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. What does that mean for you?
I couldn’t see this coming from a mile away. I’m more than flattered. I’ve been friends with [current artistic director] George Wein for quite some time. Little did I know, he had been keeping an eye on the curating I had been doing with other performing arts organizations around the country over the last decade. That’s why it’s always important to do a good job at all times, even when you think no one’s paying attention. Someone always is. George has always had a tradition with never exploiting the word, “jazz,” but never disallowing different forms of the music to come into the festival. When I have an opportunity in 2017 to book the festival, I will keep that tradition going.
Santa Barbara doesn’t seem to have a big jazz presence, in terms of clubs and places to perform. What does it take to get jazz in the limelight in smaller cities?
It takes someone with a lot of love, and it would help if they have
some money. I met a guy in a small town called Old Lyme,
[Connecticut]. He has a place up there called The Side Door.
Now, Santa Barbara is a booming metropolis compared to Old Lyme. But,
this man has that place jammed every single weekend, full of the most
unlikely jazz fans you could ever imagine. All you need is one person
like that to get the party started.
http://forbassplayersonly.com/interview-christian-mcbride/
Exclusive interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
The man does it all! Our one-on-one conversation covers Philly, Juilliard, jazz, electric bass, James Brown and more!
CM: I had a lot of musicians in the family. Both my father and my great uncle are bass players and my uncle, my mother’s brother, worked for a very popular radio station in Philly. I was always around a lot of great music and a lot of great musicians as a kid, so it just rubbed off on me.
FBPO: How did you become a bass player?
CM: I saw my father playing and I decided that I wanted to do that. My mother bought me my first electric bass when I was 9 years old and I just kind of started from there. I started listening to the radio and listening to my mother’s records and copying what I heard off of those records. When I was 11, I went to a junior high school that had a really great music program. That’s when I started playing the upright bass and having my first private instruction, playing in the school orchestra, learning the fundamentals of music theory and the fundamentals of my instrument and it all kicked off “officially.”
FBPO: You grew up in Philly, which has such a rich musical heritage. In addition to your family and the records that you mentioned, how do you think growing up in that environment influenced you musically?
CM: If you’re around that stuff all the time, it’s really hard to verbalize how that influences you. If you’re around any sort of greatness as a kid, it’s going to rub off on you in some kind of way. I’m sure it’s the same thing for athletes who are young prodigies. They probably are around some great athlete as a kid. That greatness is going to rub off on you at some point. Not only were my father and my great uncle some pretty fantastic musicians, but all the great musicians in the city of Philadelphia rubbed off on me, as well. I think it’s the same thing with other major jazz cities, like Detroit or New Orleans or New York City. If you’re around that type of environment, it’s going to rub off on you.
FBPO: Tell me about taking the plunge in New York. Did you have anything lined up ahead of time, or did you just decide to go for it?
CM: College is what I had lined up in front of me. I moved to New York to go to Juilliard and, as fate would have it, I just started working pretty quickly after I started school. Bobby Watson asked me to join his group, Horizon, and things just kind of snowballed from there, thank goodness! I did one full year at Juilliard, but I had so many opportunities to work and tour and play with all of my heroes, it was getting too difficult to balance both, to play gigs at night and then go to school all day. So, I had a long talk with my mother and my bass instructor and they both understood. They said, “Well, if you’re getting that much work and you feel confident that you can make it just on that, then go for it.”
FBPO: Who was your bass instructor at Juilliard?
CM: His name was Homer Mensch.
FBPO: Oh, sure! He was a big name. What were your musical aspirations while you were at Juilliard? Were you looking to become a symphonic player? I mean, they’re not really known as a jazz school, as far as I know. Are they?
CM: Now they are. They’ve had a jazz program for maybe ten years, but when I was going there, no, they certainly did not have a jazz program. My intention, as naïve as it might have been – I think it was in good faith – I was hoping to have a dual career as a jazz and a classical bassist, but I wasn’t aware that there was no such thing as being a freelance classical musician! I suppose there is, but you definitely have to teach to make some money if you’re not in a symphony orchestra.
FBPO: Can you identify a turning point that made you realize you were going to become a professional musician? Was there a defining moment when the floodgates started to open, or was it more of a gradual thing?
CM: There are two things that probably can be pointed out that felt like turning points for me. One happened before I moved to New York and that was meeting Wynton Marsalis. I met Wynton when I was 14 years old and, at that time, I had been playing the upright bass for maybe three years. I think I’d gotten pretty good at it and I knew I wanted to be a professional musician. I just didn’t know if I was going to be a jazz musician or a classical musician or play in an R&B band or maybe do all three. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted to learn my instrument as best I could so that whatever type of group I played in, I would be prepared. Wynton was the first world-renowned musician I met who really helped me get my focus. He said, “No, you want to be a jazz musician. Look at all this great music you have to learn and all of the great bass players who came before you.” So he really took a hands-on, “Big Brother” approach toward my development. And that, of course, was huge for me to have a mentor like that. This was in early 1987. We know how popular Wynton is now, but even at that time, Wynton was quickly becoming a household name, if he wasn’t already. He was always winning GRAMMY awards, he was always on national television. He was a fast-rising meteor at that time. Now he’s just one of the main stars of the galaxy, but at that time he was still a hot meteor shower. [Laughs]
FBPO: I like those metaphors.
CM: The second thing that happened was when I moved to New York and I started playing in Jesse Davis’ group. Jesse Davis is a wonderful alto saxophonist and we were the house band at a club called Augie’s, which is now known as Smoke. At Augie’s, I just met so many musicians. Every musician in New York would go there to jam. I didn’t meet too many famous musicians, but I just met all of the other young cats who were in New York trying to make it, as well. I got to meet guys like Eric McPherson, Abraham Burden, Spike Wilner, Avishai Cohen – the bass player, not the trumpet player. And that was just a real, true New York experience. We would have to pass the hat. That’s how we got paid, you know. We got paid by tips. I would have to walk around the club with the little basket and ask for tips. And it was fun!
FBPO: It’s fun when you’re young, I suppose.
CM: Exactly! The lean years.
FBPO: It seems for years you were known as the young, hotshot
bass player in the straight-ahead jazz world. In fact, when I saw you
with Chick Corea and John McLaughlin a few years ago, I was actually
surprised to see you with an electric bass. Are you as passionate about
the electric as you are about the upright?
CM: I’m sometimes shocked at the so-called “openness” of the jazz world. We talk about influences from all of these different cultures kind of knowing what’s going on in the jazz world because there’s a significant chunk of recordings that I’ve played on where I’ve played electric bass that somehow went completely by everyone’s head in the jazz world. Even now, people still say, “I didn’t know you played electric bass!” Well, electric bass is actually my first instrument. Even before the five-piece band tour, there was my album Live at Tonic, there was my album A Family Affair and Vertical Vision, where I played a pretty good amount of electric bass. And the recordings I made with George Duke and David Sanborn and Al Jarreau, where I played a significant amount of electric bass. I don’t play more electric bass than acoustic bass, but certainly enough electric bass where one would think they wouldn’t be surprised by that now. I just think it’s a sub-conscious choice that most jazz fans make, where they actually hope one does not play the electric bass, so when they see it, they just go, “Oh, yeah. Right. I didn’t notice that.” [Laughs].
But yes, I’m quite as passionate about the electric bass as I am the acoustic bass. I’m passionate about expression. That’s what I’m passionate about. So, whatever instrument is the right instrument for that particular style of music, that’s what I’ll do. Through most of my career, the acoustic bass has been my primary choice for expression. There is a certain sense of what I call the “Mother Earth” factor with the acoustic bass. I mean it is the true sound and feel of the bottom. I most certainly enjoy playing the acoustic bass. I won’t say I enjoy it more because that would be controversial and misconstrued. As I said, my passion is for expression. If somebody needs me to play the electric bass, without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll do it. Maceo Parker or whoever it might be that likes the electric bass more. Whatever the music calls for, that’s the instrument that I’ll play.
FBPO: It’s funny how people can get typecast. I had a similar conversation with John Patitucci. He said some of the film guys would say, “Oh, you play electric, too?”
CM: It’s funny you would mention that because when John first moved [back] to New York City, he was trying desperately, I mean desperately to shed his reputation as being this hot electric bass player.
FBPO: Right!
CM: Because most people only knew him through the Chick Corea Elektric Band. And when he got to New York and he flatly wouldn’t take gigs on electric bass. And I think it’s worked pretty well for him.
FBPO: Switching gears for a minute here, tell me something about James Brown that most people don’t know.
CM: Hmm. I don’t know if most people don’t know this, but at his musical core, he was a jazz musician. Most of James Brown’s music is improvisational. Most of the forms can change at the drop of a hat. You really do have to have a sense of “anything can change at any second now” when you play with James Brown. That’s why you always had to watch him. Sometimes he would change the tempo in the middle of the song. He would go from one song to another and not really have much time to prepare for it. He would rarely go, “One – Two, One – Two – Three – Four.” And once you were already inside the song, he would vamp for a long time and he would just kind of make up things right there on the spot. He was very jazz-like in his approach. And it made sense that when you talked to him and asked him who his favorite musicians were, he would always name Louie Jordan and Roy Brown, the great blues singer. But then he’d mention all the rest. He would say, “I love Count Basie, I love Horace Silver, I love John Coltrane, I love Jimmy Smith.” He would start naming all these jazz musicians! We really paid close attention to the way he performed and his creative energy. It was very jazzy. It was very improvisational.
FBPO: What was your role with him? Were you playing bass or were you collaborating in some other capacity?
CM: Both. I produced one of his final shows at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006. It was a jazz concert and I had Mr. Brown with a big band, performing all of the jazz standards from his album called Soul on Top. Sadly, it’s an album of Mr. Brown’s that’s not very well known. It’s with Louie Bellson’s big band with all the arrangements done by Oliver Nelson. Ray Brown is playing bass on it, Ernie Watts is on it, Pete Christlieb and all of the heavyweight LA jazz guys are on the album. It’s an album that Mr. Brown put out at the peak of his career, in the late ’60s, and it just kind of slipped under the radar screen. So, me being the James Brown fanatic as I am, when I had an opportunity to work with him, I asked him would he be interested in doing a jazz project, and he was so excited! He just couldn’t wait to do something like that.
FBPO: Christian, can you comment on what happens when bass players get together to perform with other bass players? I was privileged to see you perform with John Clayton and Rodney Whitaker at the Detroit Jazz Fest a couple years ago, which I really enjoyed. I’ve also seen Jeff Berlin with Stu Hamm and Billy Sheehan and I’ve seen Stanley Clarke with Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. In fact, you had a tune on your first album, “Splanky,” with Ray Brown and Milt Hinton. Is this the sign of a trend among bass players, do you think?
CM: Well, as Ray Brown would always say when he did interviews about Superbass twenty years ago, his response would usually be, “How come people think bass players don’t play together?” He said, “Just because we don’t make records together don’t mean we don’t play together!” Every time you see two or three trumpet players on stage together or two or three saxophone players on stage, people think that’s somehow the norm. How come people think bass players don’t jam backstage at a jazz festival? It happens all the time! And the same thing happens with bass players as it does with trumpet players. We listen, we react, we play and that’s it! [Laughs]
FBPO: Who’s on those records?
CM: The big band CD has some of my favorite musicians in the world, mostly New York-based, with the exception of Nicholas Payton. Nicholas Payton plays all of the trumpet solos on the CD. Some of the other soloists include Steve Wilson, Ron Blake, Steve Davis on trombone, Michael Dease on trombone, my wife Melissa Walker sang on a couple tracks, Xavier Davis plays piano, Ulysses Owens plays drums and a slew of other great guys who came and played.
FBPO: How about on the duets record?
CM: On the duets record, there’s Angelique Kidjo, Sting, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dr. Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, Eddie Palmieri, Chick Corea, George Duke, Regina Carter, Roy Hargrove, Russell Malone, Ron Blake and Gina Gershon. I hope I didn’t miss anybody!
FBPO: Did you put some kind of special tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor and Hank Jones, given that they have now departed?
CM: Sure! I think what’s more important is that I got to record with these gentlemen just before they passed away. I hope people listen to this recording and appreciate how great they were so close to their transitions.
FBPO: What else is keeping you busy these days? Are you still doing the Sirius/XM thing?
CM: Sort of. I have a bunch of shows in the can. I’m waiting to put together an entire season before I can sign on the air with Season Two. It’s been difficult because my calendar’s been pretty full with a lot of touring with my group, Inside Straight, and a whole lot of different things, thank goodness.
FBPO: What else lies ahead for your career? What else can we look forward to seeing and hearing from Christian McBride?
CM: Stay tuned. It could be anything! [Laughs]
FBPO: Is there anything you’ve always wanted to accomplish but just haven’t gotten around to doing yet?
CM: Yes, there’s a whole lot of different things I would love to do, but part of me feels so fortunate that a lot of things that have been on my wish list have happened already. It’s funny. When I worked with James Brown, I was totally prepared for major depression after that concert was over because I kept thinking, “What now? I’ve worked with my childhood hero and it’s all downhill after this!” [Laughs] Fortunately, that was hardly the case.
I had a chance to do my first big band recording. I’m very happy, but I still have a wish list of a lot more things to do and I just want to work with the best musicians possible. There are a lot of genius musicians out there and if I can just stay around them and keep having these different experiences, I’ll be happy. And I don’t just mean jazz musicians, either.
FBPO: Last question: What would you be if you weren’t a bass player?
CM: I wanted to be a pro football player. I still dream about that every now and then. Funny, if I were a pro football player, my career probably would have long been over by now.
http://forbassplayersonly.com/interview-christian-mcbride/
Christian McBride
Exclusive interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
October 24, 2011
The man does it all! Our one-on-one conversation covers Philly, Juilliard, jazz, electric bass, James Brown and more!
Christian McBride is a world-renowned bass player,
composer, arranger and educator, whose talents can be heard across
practically every musical genre. Christian has played bass for jazz
luminaries Bobby Watson, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson,
Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie
Hancock and Pat Metheny. He has also performed and arranged for R&B
stars Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway and only
Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. McBride has collaborated
extensively with pop/rock icons Sting, Carly Simon, Don Henley and Bruce
Hornsby, hip-hop/neo-soul figures Roots, D’Angelo, and Queen Latifah,
opera legend Kathleen Battle, bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, the Shanghai
Quartet and the Sonus Quartet. His latest CDs, The Good Feeling and Conversations with Christian are being released in the fall of 2011 on Mack Avenue Records.
FBPO: What was your musical environment like when you were growing up in Philly?CM: I had a lot of musicians in the family. Both my father and my great uncle are bass players and my uncle, my mother’s brother, worked for a very popular radio station in Philly. I was always around a lot of great music and a lot of great musicians as a kid, so it just rubbed off on me.
FBPO: How did you become a bass player?
CM: I saw my father playing and I decided that I wanted to do that. My mother bought me my first electric bass when I was 9 years old and I just kind of started from there. I started listening to the radio and listening to my mother’s records and copying what I heard off of those records. When I was 11, I went to a junior high school that had a really great music program. That’s when I started playing the upright bass and having my first private instruction, playing in the school orchestra, learning the fundamentals of music theory and the fundamentals of my instrument and it all kicked off “officially.”
FBPO: You grew up in Philly, which has such a rich musical heritage. In addition to your family and the records that you mentioned, how do you think growing up in that environment influenced you musically?
CM: If you’re around that stuff all the time, it’s really hard to verbalize how that influences you. If you’re around any sort of greatness as a kid, it’s going to rub off on you in some kind of way. I’m sure it’s the same thing for athletes who are young prodigies. They probably are around some great athlete as a kid. That greatness is going to rub off on you at some point. Not only were my father and my great uncle some pretty fantastic musicians, but all the great musicians in the city of Philadelphia rubbed off on me, as well. I think it’s the same thing with other major jazz cities, like Detroit or New Orleans or New York City. If you’re around that type of environment, it’s going to rub off on you.
FBPO: Tell me about taking the plunge in New York. Did you have anything lined up ahead of time, or did you just decide to go for it?
CM: College is what I had lined up in front of me. I moved to New York to go to Juilliard and, as fate would have it, I just started working pretty quickly after I started school. Bobby Watson asked me to join his group, Horizon, and things just kind of snowballed from there, thank goodness! I did one full year at Juilliard, but I had so many opportunities to work and tour and play with all of my heroes, it was getting too difficult to balance both, to play gigs at night and then go to school all day. So, I had a long talk with my mother and my bass instructor and they both understood. They said, “Well, if you’re getting that much work and you feel confident that you can make it just on that, then go for it.”
FBPO: Who was your bass instructor at Juilliard?
CM: His name was Homer Mensch.
FBPO: Oh, sure! He was a big name. What were your musical aspirations while you were at Juilliard? Were you looking to become a symphonic player? I mean, they’re not really known as a jazz school, as far as I know. Are they?
CM: Now they are. They’ve had a jazz program for maybe ten years, but when I was going there, no, they certainly did not have a jazz program. My intention, as naïve as it might have been – I think it was in good faith – I was hoping to have a dual career as a jazz and a classical bassist, but I wasn’t aware that there was no such thing as being a freelance classical musician! I suppose there is, but you definitely have to teach to make some money if you’re not in a symphony orchestra.
FBPO: Can you identify a turning point that made you realize you were going to become a professional musician? Was there a defining moment when the floodgates started to open, or was it more of a gradual thing?
CM: There are two things that probably can be pointed out that felt like turning points for me. One happened before I moved to New York and that was meeting Wynton Marsalis. I met Wynton when I was 14 years old and, at that time, I had been playing the upright bass for maybe three years. I think I’d gotten pretty good at it and I knew I wanted to be a professional musician. I just didn’t know if I was going to be a jazz musician or a classical musician or play in an R&B band or maybe do all three. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I just wanted to learn my instrument as best I could so that whatever type of group I played in, I would be prepared. Wynton was the first world-renowned musician I met who really helped me get my focus. He said, “No, you want to be a jazz musician. Look at all this great music you have to learn and all of the great bass players who came before you.” So he really took a hands-on, “Big Brother” approach toward my development. And that, of course, was huge for me to have a mentor like that. This was in early 1987. We know how popular Wynton is now, but even at that time, Wynton was quickly becoming a household name, if he wasn’t already. He was always winning GRAMMY awards, he was always on national television. He was a fast-rising meteor at that time. Now he’s just one of the main stars of the galaxy, but at that time he was still a hot meteor shower. [Laughs]
FBPO: I like those metaphors.
CM: The second thing that happened was when I moved to New York and I started playing in Jesse Davis’ group. Jesse Davis is a wonderful alto saxophonist and we were the house band at a club called Augie’s, which is now known as Smoke. At Augie’s, I just met so many musicians. Every musician in New York would go there to jam. I didn’t meet too many famous musicians, but I just met all of the other young cats who were in New York trying to make it, as well. I got to meet guys like Eric McPherson, Abraham Burden, Spike Wilner, Avishai Cohen – the bass player, not the trumpet player. And that was just a real, true New York experience. We would have to pass the hat. That’s how we got paid, you know. We got paid by tips. I would have to walk around the club with the little basket and ask for tips. And it was fun!
FBPO: It’s fun when you’re young, I suppose.
CM: Exactly! The lean years.
CM: I’m sometimes shocked at the so-called “openness” of the jazz world. We talk about influences from all of these different cultures kind of knowing what’s going on in the jazz world because there’s a significant chunk of recordings that I’ve played on where I’ve played electric bass that somehow went completely by everyone’s head in the jazz world. Even now, people still say, “I didn’t know you played electric bass!” Well, electric bass is actually my first instrument. Even before the five-piece band tour, there was my album Live at Tonic, there was my album A Family Affair and Vertical Vision, where I played a pretty good amount of electric bass. And the recordings I made with George Duke and David Sanborn and Al Jarreau, where I played a significant amount of electric bass. I don’t play more electric bass than acoustic bass, but certainly enough electric bass where one would think they wouldn’t be surprised by that now. I just think it’s a sub-conscious choice that most jazz fans make, where they actually hope one does not play the electric bass, so when they see it, they just go, “Oh, yeah. Right. I didn’t notice that.” [Laughs].
But yes, I’m quite as passionate about the electric bass as I am the acoustic bass. I’m passionate about expression. That’s what I’m passionate about. So, whatever instrument is the right instrument for that particular style of music, that’s what I’ll do. Through most of my career, the acoustic bass has been my primary choice for expression. There is a certain sense of what I call the “Mother Earth” factor with the acoustic bass. I mean it is the true sound and feel of the bottom. I most certainly enjoy playing the acoustic bass. I won’t say I enjoy it more because that would be controversial and misconstrued. As I said, my passion is for expression. If somebody needs me to play the electric bass, without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll do it. Maceo Parker or whoever it might be that likes the electric bass more. Whatever the music calls for, that’s the instrument that I’ll play.
FBPO: It’s funny how people can get typecast. I had a similar conversation with John Patitucci. He said some of the film guys would say, “Oh, you play electric, too?”
CM: It’s funny you would mention that because when John first moved [back] to New York City, he was trying desperately, I mean desperately to shed his reputation as being this hot electric bass player.
FBPO: Right!
CM: Because most people only knew him through the Chick Corea Elektric Band. And when he got to New York and he flatly wouldn’t take gigs on electric bass. And I think it’s worked pretty well for him.
FBPO: Switching gears for a minute here, tell me something about James Brown that most people don’t know.
CM: Hmm. I don’t know if most people don’t know this, but at his musical core, he was a jazz musician. Most of James Brown’s music is improvisational. Most of the forms can change at the drop of a hat. You really do have to have a sense of “anything can change at any second now” when you play with James Brown. That’s why you always had to watch him. Sometimes he would change the tempo in the middle of the song. He would go from one song to another and not really have much time to prepare for it. He would rarely go, “One – Two, One – Two – Three – Four.” And once you were already inside the song, he would vamp for a long time and he would just kind of make up things right there on the spot. He was very jazz-like in his approach. And it made sense that when you talked to him and asked him who his favorite musicians were, he would always name Louie Jordan and Roy Brown, the great blues singer. But then he’d mention all the rest. He would say, “I love Count Basie, I love Horace Silver, I love John Coltrane, I love Jimmy Smith.” He would start naming all these jazz musicians! We really paid close attention to the way he performed and his creative energy. It was very jazzy. It was very improvisational.
FBPO: What was your role with him? Were you playing bass or were you collaborating in some other capacity?
CM: Both. I produced one of his final shows at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006. It was a jazz concert and I had Mr. Brown with a big band, performing all of the jazz standards from his album called Soul on Top. Sadly, it’s an album of Mr. Brown’s that’s not very well known. It’s with Louie Bellson’s big band with all the arrangements done by Oliver Nelson. Ray Brown is playing bass on it, Ernie Watts is on it, Pete Christlieb and all of the heavyweight LA jazz guys are on the album. It’s an album that Mr. Brown put out at the peak of his career, in the late ’60s, and it just kind of slipped under the radar screen. So, me being the James Brown fanatic as I am, when I had an opportunity to work with him, I asked him would he be interested in doing a jazz project, and he was so excited! He just couldn’t wait to do something like that.
FBPO: Christian, can you comment on what happens when bass players get together to perform with other bass players? I was privileged to see you perform with John Clayton and Rodney Whitaker at the Detroit Jazz Fest a couple years ago, which I really enjoyed. I’ve also seen Jeff Berlin with Stu Hamm and Billy Sheehan and I’ve seen Stanley Clarke with Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten. In fact, you had a tune on your first album, “Splanky,” with Ray Brown and Milt Hinton. Is this the sign of a trend among bass players, do you think?
CM: Well, as Ray Brown would always say when he did interviews about Superbass twenty years ago, his response would usually be, “How come people think bass players don’t play together?” He said, “Just because we don’t make records together don’t mean we don’t play together!” Every time you see two or three trumpet players on stage together or two or three saxophone players on stage, people think that’s somehow the norm. How come people think bass players don’t jam backstage at a jazz festival? It happens all the time! And the same thing happens with bass players as it does with trumpet players. We listen, we react, we play and that’s it! [Laughs]
FBPO: Tell me about your new releases.
CM: The first one, which is my big band CD, came out
two weeks ago and my CD of duets hits on November the 8th. My big band
CD is called The Good Feeling and the one that’s coming out in November is Conversations with Christian.FBPO: Who’s on those records?
CM: The big band CD has some of my favorite musicians in the world, mostly New York-based, with the exception of Nicholas Payton. Nicholas Payton plays all of the trumpet solos on the CD. Some of the other soloists include Steve Wilson, Ron Blake, Steve Davis on trombone, Michael Dease on trombone, my wife Melissa Walker sang on a couple tracks, Xavier Davis plays piano, Ulysses Owens plays drums and a slew of other great guys who came and played.
FBPO: How about on the duets record?
CM: On the duets record, there’s Angelique Kidjo, Sting, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dr. Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, Eddie Palmieri, Chick Corea, George Duke, Regina Carter, Roy Hargrove, Russell Malone, Ron Blake and Gina Gershon. I hope I didn’t miss anybody!
FBPO: Did you put some kind of special tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor and Hank Jones, given that they have now departed?
CM: Sure! I think what’s more important is that I got to record with these gentlemen just before they passed away. I hope people listen to this recording and appreciate how great they were so close to their transitions.
FBPO: What else is keeping you busy these days? Are you still doing the Sirius/XM thing?
CM: Sort of. I have a bunch of shows in the can. I’m waiting to put together an entire season before I can sign on the air with Season Two. It’s been difficult because my calendar’s been pretty full with a lot of touring with my group, Inside Straight, and a whole lot of different things, thank goodness.
FBPO: What else lies ahead for your career? What else can we look forward to seeing and hearing from Christian McBride?
CM: Stay tuned. It could be anything! [Laughs]
FBPO: Is there anything you’ve always wanted to accomplish but just haven’t gotten around to doing yet?
CM: Yes, there’s a whole lot of different things I would love to do, but part of me feels so fortunate that a lot of things that have been on my wish list have happened already. It’s funny. When I worked with James Brown, I was totally prepared for major depression after that concert was over because I kept thinking, “What now? I’ve worked with my childhood hero and it’s all downhill after this!” [Laughs] Fortunately, that was hardly the case.
I had a chance to do my first big band recording. I’m very happy, but I still have a wish list of a lot more things to do and I just want to work with the best musicians possible. There are a lot of genius musicians out there and if I can just stay around them and keep having these different experiences, I’ll be happy. And I don’t just mean jazz musicians, either.
FBPO: Last question: What would you be if you weren’t a bass player?
CM: I wanted to be a pro football player. I still dream about that every now and then. Funny, if I were a pro football player, my career probably would have long been over by now.
THE MUSIC OF CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE: AN EXTENSIVE VIDEO OVERVIEW, A CROSS SECTION OF RECORDINGS, MUSICAL ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY, PLUS VARIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH MR. MCBRIDE:
● Tracklist:
1. Brother Mister
2. Theme for Kareem
3. Starbeam
4. Sophisticated Lady
5. Used 'Ta Could
● Personnel:
Christian McBride - bass
Steve Wilson - alto sax, curve soprano sax
Warren Wolf Jr. - vibraphone
Peter Martin - piano
Ulysses Owens Jr. - drums
● Christian McBride & Inside Straight
Live at XII Festival Internacional Jazz San Javier, Auditorio Parque Almansa, San Javier (Murcia), July 8th 2009
▶ Jazz San Javier - Full Length Concerts - http://bit.ly/1G8ql2s
The Christian McBride Trio includes: Christian McBride (bass), Christian Sands (piano), and Ulysses Owens, Jr. (drums).
Christian McBride - bandleader, bass
Livestream.com: http://livestream.com/accounts/211242
Christian Lee McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz
bassist. He is considered a virtuoso, and is one of the most recorded
musicians of his generation; he has appeared on more than 300 recordings
as a sideman. He is also a five-time Grammy award winner.
McBride has performed and recorded with a number of jazz musicians and ensembles, including Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Brad Mehldau, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Joe Henderson, Diana Krall, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Martino, Hank Jones, Lewis Nash, Joshua Redman, and Ray Brown's "Superbass" with John Clayton, as well as with pop, hip-hop, and soul musicians like Sting, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Isaac Hayes, The Roots,[1] Queen Latifah, Kathleen Battle, Renee Fleming, Carly Simon, Bruce Hornsby, and James Brown.
After starting on bass guitar, McBride switched to double bass and studied at the Juilliard School.[2]
McBride was heralded as a teen prodigy, having joined saxophonist Bobby Watson's group at the age of 17. From 17 to 22, McBride played in the bands of older musicians such as Watson, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, Milt Jackson, J.J. Johnson and Hank Jones as well as his peers such as Roy Hargrove, Benny Green and Joshua Redman. In 1996, jazz bassist Ray Brown formed a group called "SuperBass" built around McBride and fellow Brown protégé John Clayton. The group released two CDs: SuperBass: Live at Scullers (1997) and SuperBass 2: Live at the Blue Note (2001).
McBride was a member of Joshua Redman's Quartet in the 1990s with pianist Brad Mehldau and drummer Brian Blade. In 1995 McBride began leading his own groups after his debut CD Gettin' To It (Verve Records) was released. Saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianists Charles Craig and Joey Calderazzo, and drummers Carl Allen and Greg Hutchinson are among the musicians who played in McBride's early groups. From 2000 to 2008, McBride fronted his own acoustic / electric, jazz, fusion and funk ensemble, "The Christian McBride Band" with saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist/keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully. As writer Alan Leeds stated in 2003, it was "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene".[citation needed] The band released two CDs – Vertical Vision (Warner Brothers Records | 2003) and their Live at Tonic three-CD set was released in 2006.
In 1996, McBride contributed to the AIDS benefit album Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip produced by the Red Hot Organization.
McBride primarily plays double bass, but is equally adept on the electric bass. He played bass[clarification needed] for the collaborative project The Philadelphia Experiment, which included keyboardist Uri Caine and hip-hop drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Other projects have included tours and recordings with the Pat Metheny Trio, the Bruce Hornsby Trio, and Queen Latifah. Like Paul Chambers, McBride can solo by playing his bass arco style.
In 2006, McBride was named to the position of "Creative Chair for Jazz" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, taking over from Dianne Reeves. He was initially signed to a two-year contract that was subsequently renewed for an additional two years. He was eventually succeeded by Herbie Hancock in 2010.[3]
McBride performed with Sonny Rollins and Roy Haynes at Carnegie Hall on September 18, 2007, in commemoration of Rollins' 50th anniversary of his first performance there.[4] McBride was also tapped by CBS to be a producer for the tribute to Rollins on the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors broadcast.
In 2008, McBride joined John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett and Vinnie Colaiuta in a jazz fusion supergroup called the Five Peace Band. They released a CD in February 2009 and completed their world tour in May of that year, as Brian Blade took over for Vinnie Colaiuta as drummer in Asia and some US concerts. The CD Five Peace Band Live won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
In 2011 McBride released his first big band album, The Good Feeling, for which he won the Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.
McBride leads five groups: "Inside Straight", featuring alto/soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin and drummer Carl Allen; a trio featuring pianist Christian Sands and drummer Jerome Jennings; his 18-piece big band; an experimental group called "A Christian McBride Situation" with pianist/keyboardist Patrice Rushen, turntablists DJ Logic and Jahi Sundance, saxophonist Ron Blake and vocalist Alyson Williams; and the "New Jawn", featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer Nasheet Waits.
In March 2016, McBride was named artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival, succeeding the festival's founder and artistic director, George Wein.
McBride shared the story of his first encounters with Freddie Hubbard, "The Gig", and his relationship with James Brown "Mr. Soul On Top" on the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour, a radio show and podcast devoted to story-telling.[5]
With Regina Belle
[1] Archived April 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
Yanow, Scott. "Christian McBride: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
"Christian McBride bio" (PDF). Los Angeles Philharmonic. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
"Garnegie Hall official website". Carnegiehall.org. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
Discover Jazz - Christian McBride Trio--January 2016:
The grammy-winning bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator has performed on over 300 albums in addition to collaborations with Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Sting, The Roots, and more. With pianist Christian Sands and drummer Jerome Jennings, McBride leads an energized and youthful unit that’s powered from the ground up.
Christian McBride & Inside Straight - Jazz San Javier 2009:
● Tracklist:
1. Brother Mister
2. Theme for Kareem
3. Starbeam
4. Sophisticated Lady
5. Used 'Ta Could
● Personnel:
Christian McBride - bass
Steve Wilson - alto sax, curve soprano sax
Warren Wolf Jr. - vibraphone
Peter Martin - piano
Ulysses Owens Jr. - drums
● Christian McBride & Inside Straight
Live at XII Festival Internacional Jazz San Javier, Auditorio Parque Almansa, San Javier (Murcia), July 8th 2009
▶ Jazz San Javier - Full Length Concerts - http://bit.ly/1G8ql2s
Christian McBride Trio - "Fried Pies":
knkx public radio
The Christian McBride Trio includes: Christian McBride (bass), Christian Sands (piano), and Ulysses Owens, Jr. (drums).
See all the KPLU Studio Sessions at kplustudiosessions.org
Christian McBride Big Band Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center Rose Theater 2016 - Part1:
Christian McBride Big Band - "Bluesin In Alphabet City"
Christian McBride Big Band - 'Bluesin In Alphabet City' 2011 from the album The Good Feeling. Grammy Award Winner: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Christian McBride - bandleader, bass
Xavier Davis - piano
Quincy Phillips- drums
Melissa Walker - vocals
Danny Rey - MC
Trumpets - Nabate Isles, Frank Green, Brandon Lee, Benny Benack III
Trombones - Michael Dease, James Burton, Joe McDonough, Douglas Purviance (bass trombone)
Saxophones - Ron Blake (tenor), Daniel Pratt (tenor), Steve Wilson (alto), Todd Bashore (alto), Carl Maraghi (baritone)
Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center Rose Theater 2/27/2016
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Livestream.com: http://livestream.com/accounts/211242
Dizzy's schedule : http://www.jazz.org/dizzys/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_McBride
Christian McBride
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Christian McBride | |
|---|---|
McBride at the 2009 Detroit Jazz Festival
Photo: Brian Callahan |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christian Lee McBride |
| Born | May 31, 1972 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Double bass, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Verve, Warner Bros., Ropeadope, Mack Avenue |
| Website | www |
McBride has performed and recorded with a number of jazz musicians and ensembles, including Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Brad Mehldau, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Joe Henderson, Diana Krall, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Martino, Hank Jones, Lewis Nash, Joshua Redman, and Ray Brown's "Superbass" with John Clayton, as well as with pop, hip-hop, and soul musicians like Sting, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Isaac Hayes, The Roots,[1] Queen Latifah, Kathleen Battle, Renee Fleming, Carly Simon, Bruce Hornsby, and James Brown.
Contents
Early life
McBride was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors.After starting on bass guitar, McBride switched to double bass and studied at the Juilliard School.[2]
Later life and career
McBride, left with Jimmy Heath
McBride was a member of Joshua Redman's Quartet in the 1990s with pianist Brad Mehldau and drummer Brian Blade. In 1995 McBride began leading his own groups after his debut CD Gettin' To It (Verve Records) was released. Saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianists Charles Craig and Joey Calderazzo, and drummers Carl Allen and Greg Hutchinson are among the musicians who played in McBride's early groups. From 2000 to 2008, McBride fronted his own acoustic / electric, jazz, fusion and funk ensemble, "The Christian McBride Band" with saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist/keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully. As writer Alan Leeds stated in 2003, it was "one of the most intoxicating, least predictable bands on the scene".[citation needed] The band released two CDs – Vertical Vision (Warner Brothers Records | 2003) and their Live at Tonic three-CD set was released in 2006.
In 1996, McBride contributed to the AIDS benefit album Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip produced by the Red Hot Organization.
McBride primarily plays double bass, but is equally adept on the electric bass. He played bass[clarification needed] for the collaborative project The Philadelphia Experiment, which included keyboardist Uri Caine and hip-hop drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Other projects have included tours and recordings with the Pat Metheny Trio, the Bruce Hornsby Trio, and Queen Latifah. Like Paul Chambers, McBride can solo by playing his bass arco style.
In 2006, McBride was named to the position of "Creative Chair for Jazz" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, taking over from Dianne Reeves. He was initially signed to a two-year contract that was subsequently renewed for an additional two years. He was eventually succeeded by Herbie Hancock in 2010.[3]
McBride performed with Sonny Rollins and Roy Haynes at Carnegie Hall on September 18, 2007, in commemoration of Rollins' 50th anniversary of his first performance there.[4] McBride was also tapped by CBS to be a producer for the tribute to Rollins on the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors broadcast.
In 2008, McBride joined John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett and Vinnie Colaiuta in a jazz fusion supergroup called the Five Peace Band. They released a CD in February 2009 and completed their world tour in May of that year, as Brian Blade took over for Vinnie Colaiuta as drummer in Asia and some US concerts. The CD Five Peace Band Live won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
In 2011 McBride released his first big band album, The Good Feeling, for which he won the Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance.
McBride leads five groups: "Inside Straight", featuring alto/soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin and drummer Carl Allen; a trio featuring pianist Christian Sands and drummer Jerome Jennings; his 18-piece big band; an experimental group called "A Christian McBride Situation" with pianist/keyboardist Patrice Rushen, turntablists DJ Logic and Jahi Sundance, saxophonist Ron Blake and vocalist Alyson Williams; and the "New Jawn", featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer Nasheet Waits.
In March 2016, McBride was named artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival, succeeding the festival's founder and artistic director, George Wein.
Personal life
Christian is married to jazz singer and educator Melissa Walker. Walker, with contributions by McBride, leads the Jazz House Kids, a jazz school in their home town of Montclair, New Jersey. Each summer, they both appear at the Montclair Jazz Festival, along with student ensembles led by the instructors, professional ensembles composed of instructors, and guest acts.McBride shared the story of his first encounters with Freddie Hubbard, "The Gig", and his relationship with James Brown "Mr. Soul On Top" on the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour, a radio show and podcast devoted to story-telling.[5]
Discography
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.As leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Gettin' to It | Verve | |
| 1995 | Number Two Express | Verve | |
| 1998 | A Family Affair | Verve | |
| 2000 | SciFi | Verve | |
| 2000 | The Philadelphia Experiment | Ropeadope | |
| 2002 | Vertical Vision | Warner Bros. | |
| 2005 | Live at Tonic | Ropeadope | |
| 2009* | Kind of Brown | Mack Avenue | |
| 2011* | The Good Feeling | Mack Avenue | |
| 2011* | Conversations with Christian | Mack Avenue | |
| 2013* | People Music | Mack Avenue | |
| 2013* | Out Here | Mack Avenue | |
| 2015* | Live at the Village Vanguard | Mack Avenue |
Compilations
- It's Christmas on Mack Avenue (Mack Avenue, 2014)
As sideman
with Gary BartzWith Regina Belle
- Lazy Afternoon (2004)
- To Love Again: The Duets (2005)
- December (2006)
- Italia (2007)
- After Dark (1994)
- With James Carter
- Heaven on Earth (Half Note, 2009)
- Remembering Bud Powell (1997)
- Rendezvous in New York (2002)
- Super Trio: Corea/Gadd/McBride (2006)
- Chillin' In Chelan (2007)
- Five Peace Band (with John McLaughlin) (2009) - GRAMMY WINNER
- Trilogy (2013) - GRAMMY WINNER
- After Hours (1998)
- Face the Music (2002)
- Duke (2005)
- Dukey Treats (2008)
- DreamWeaver (2013)
- Permission to Evaporate (2014)
- Greens (1991)
- Testifyin': Live at the Village Vanguard (1992)
- That's Right! (1992)
- The Place To Be (1994)
- These Are Soulful Days (1999)
- Naturally (2000)
- Public Eye (1991)
- Family (1995)
- Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn (1992) – GRAMMY WINNER
- Double Rainbow: The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim (1995)
- Big Band (1996)
- Camp Meeting (2007)
- Live at Fat Tuesday's (1992)
- God Bless the Child (1998)
- West of 5th (Chesky, 2006)
- Only Trust Your Heart (1995)
- Love Scenes (1997)
- The Look of Love (2001)
- Live in Paris (2002)
- The Girl in the Other Room (2004)
- Wallflower (2015)
- Trav'lin' Light (2008)
- Tenor Legacy (Blue Note, 1993)
- Quartets: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1995)
- Lookin' on the Bright Side (DIW, 1993)
- Kisses on the Bottom (Hear Music, 2012)
- Introducing Brad Mehldau (Warner Bros., 1995)
- Day Trip (2005)
- Tokyo Day Trip (2008)
- Joshua Redman (1993)
- Moodswing (1994)
- Back East (2007)
- Pearls (1994)
- Time Again (2003)
- Closer (2005)
- Here and Gone (2008)
- United (1998)
- Damn! (1995)
- Angel Eyes: Ballads & Slow Jams (1996)
- ...All This Time (2001)
- Sacred Love (2003)
- Flaga: Book of Angels Volume 27 (Tzadik, 2016) composed by John Zorn
- Prelude and Sonata (1995)
- What the World Needs Now: The Music of Burt Bacharach (1997)
- Illuminations (McCoy Tyner album) (2004) – GRAMMY WINNER
- Quartet (McCoy Tyner album) (2007)
- Composer (Astor Place), 1996)
- Jumpstart (1995)
- 2AM (1997)
References
- The Moth, February 10, 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Mack Avenue Artist Page
- Chris M. Slawecki, "Christian McBride Throws Down", AllAboutJazz, May 23, 2006. Retrieved September 28, 2007
- David Miller, "Live at Tonic", AllAboutJazz.com, May 21, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2007
- Donald True Van Deusen, "Christian McBride: Bass Beautiful" AllAboutJazz, October 6, 2004 Retrieved August 11, 2007
- Todd S. Jenkins, "The Philadelphia Experiment", AllAboutJazz.com, July 1, 2001. Retrieved August 11, 2007
- Nate Chinen, "A Situation Is Brewing, Acoustic and Fierce", New York Times, June 28, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2009
- Christian McBride Band MySpace Page
- Conversation With Christian McBride, 10/01/2007
- Christian McBride telling a story entitled "The Gig" on The Moth podcast
- Conversation with Christian McBride - State of Mind, April 2006
- Interview with Christian McBride for the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Oral History Program July 18, 2015
