Christian McBride Receives the Miles Davis Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival
Each year, the living legends and rising stars of jazz unite in Canada for the Montreal Jazz Fest. The week-long event stretched from June 25th to July 4th, featuring artists ranging from Earth, Wind & Fire to Angine de Poitrine to Charles Lloyd. The festival is also a time to honor the artists who have shaped our musical lives, and bassist Christian McBride is one of those artists.
McBride was given the Miles Davis Award, which honors “an internationally renowned jazz artist, their body of work, and their contribution to the evolution of the genre.” He is the 31st recipient of the award since its establishment in 1994.
“A bassist, double bassist, and composer, Christian McBride has carved out an extraordinary career, establishing himself as one of the most prominent musicians of his generation,” the Montreal Jazz Fest website explains. “Over the past three decades, he has made remarkable strides as a dynamic studio musician and artist, a prolific composer, arranger, and producer, a prominent cultural advocate, and a dedicated educator and mentor.”
McBride’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary. He’s released 20 albums and appeared on over 400 recordings, winning 11 Grammy awards. He’s been the Artistic Director for many festivals himself, not to mention a sought-after producer. McBride has also spread the love of jazz through his Jazz Night In America program on NPR, Conversations with Christian on Sirius XM, and as an educator around the globe.
Festival co-founder André Ménard presented the award to McBride on Friday, July 3rd. Watch part of his acceptance speech as filmed by No Treble’s Mitch Joel.
Congratulations to Christian McBride!
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
