Christian McBride Releases “For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver” with His Big Band
The great Christian McBride has just released a new album with his big band called For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver that pays homage to a trio of jazz greats: organist Jimmy Smith, guitarist Wes Montgomery, and arranger Oliver Nelson. The album echoes the format of the classic albums The Dynamic Duo and Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes that the bassist and his friend Joey DeFrancesco bonded over during their formative years. As such, McBride used this as an opportunity to record with his longtime musical partner.
“Joey is, without question, my oldest friend in music,” McBride says. “We met in middle school playing in the Settlement Music School Jazz Ensemble in Philadelphia. We’ve recorded a few things here and there over the years, but we’ve never recorded an entire album together until now. It seemed logical to salute the two albums that we listened to quite a bit as kids.”
The ensemble also includes guitarist Mark Whitfield filling Montgomery’s role with drummer Quincy Phillips driving the big band. As always, McBride swings hard and pours his heart out for his solos.
Check out their version of “Down By the Riverside”:
For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver is out now on CD, vinyl and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver Track List:
- Night Train
- Road Song
- Up Jumped Spring
- Milestones
- The Very Thought of You
- Down by the Riverside
- I Want to Talk About You
- Don Is
- Medgar Evers’ Blues
- Pie Blues
