Christian McBride Tours With Inside Straight

by Kevin Johnson Friday, June 24th, 2011

Christian McBride will be taking his band Inside Straight on the road starting June 25th, with dates spread out about Canada, the U.S.

The jazz bassist will also be making an appearance at Tommy LiPuma’s 75th Birthday Celebration in Switzerland.

McBride, who is adept at both upright and electric, recruited Steve Wilson, Warren Wolf, Peter Martin and Ulysses Owens, Jr. for the tour. Wilson and Wolf appeared on the group’s 2009 debut release, Kind of Brown, which features straight ahead tunes ranging from swing to bluesy. McBride said that the band originated from him wanting to play at the Village Vanguard.

“I hadn’t played the Village Vanguard in 10 years,” he said. “[Club Owner] Lorraine Gordon said to me, ‘you know Christian, you’re always welcome to come down and play the Vanguard, but I don’t want you bringing that rock & roll band you play with.’ Meaning the Christian McBride band, that I had been playing with the last eight years.”

Inside Straight was birthed when he gathered his friends that were best at playing “right-down-the-pipe, straight ahead swinging jazz” for the gig.

Christian McBride / Inside Straight Tour Dates:

June 25, 2011: Kingston, Ontario – Grand Theatre/ Rosen Auditorium
June 27, 2011: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan Jazz Festival / Broadway Theatre
June 28, 2011: Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Jazz Festival
June 30, 2011: Victoria, BC – TD Victoria International JazzFest / Alix Goolden Performance Hall
July 1, 2011: Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theater / Vancouver International Jazz Festival
July 2, 2011: Edmonton, AB – Yardbird Suite / Edmonton International Jazz Festival
July 3, 2011: Montreal, Quebec – Montreal Jazz Festival
July 5, 2011: Montreux, Switzerland – Montreux Jazz Festival (Tommy LiPuma’s 75th Birthday Celebration)
July 13, 2011: New York, NY (FREE EVENT) – Madison Square Park (FREE EVENT)
July 14, 2011: Halifax, Nova Scotia – Halifax Jazz Festival
July 22, 2011: Rockport, MA – Rockport Music Hall
July 23, 2011: Columbus, OH (FREE EVENT) – Columbus Jazz & Rib Festival (FREE EVENT)
July 27, 2011: Albuquerque, NM – Outpost Performance Space / New Mexico Jazz Festival
July 28, 2011: Albuquerque, NM – Outpost Performance Space / New Mexico Jazz Festival
August 13, 2011: Richmond, VA – Richmond Jazz Festival