Christian McBride & Ursa Major Announce Debut Album, “Points of Light”
Christian McBride’s latest project, Ursa Major, has been touring for the past few years, and the group has now announced its debut album. Points of Light features the lineup of next-generation jazz stars, including saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King, and drummer Savannah Harris.
Over the years, McBride’s groups have ranged from straight-ahead big band charts to experimental quartets to intimate duos. He began assembling Ursa Major in 2022 to create a group that could do everything from traditional to “anything-and-everything goes.”
“I had been itching to put together a new band, what I like to call a ‘hybrid band,’ for some time,” McBride explains. “I didn’t know at first what form that band would take, but I knew that it had to be a young band.”
Points of Light captures the band’s energy with direction from multi-instrumentalist, singer, rapper, and producer Terrace Martin, “whose boundary-stretching approach bridges the band’s jazz foundation with McBride’s deep history across funk, soul, hip-hop, and pop,” a press release explains. Martin captured the group’s live chemistry in the studio and added texture with Quintin Gulledge, who incorporated synths, keyboards, and vocoder.
The album announcement is accompanied by the release of its only cover, George Duke’s 1992 single “No Rhyme, No Reason.” King sets the mood with twinkling piano chords before McBride’s rich and unmistakable tone fills the air. The track demonstrates Ursa Major’s sensitivity with a sense of space that leaves you with a floating feeling.
“This album is basically an extension of what we’ve been doing live for the last four years,” McBride concludes. “It’s been fun to watch a band develop and grow and progress when everything is so wide open. They don’t say no to anything, which is a wonderful thing.”
Points of Light will be released on October 30th on CD, vinyl, and as a digital download (Apple Music, and Amazon Music). McBride and Ursa Major will be on tour through October with dates in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. See below for their current itinerary.
Points of Light Track List:
- Sakura
- Two Check
- Cows
- Same Folks
- Familiar Steps
- A Morning Story
- Orquíeda
- No Rhyme, No Reason
Christian McBride & Ursa Major Tour Dates:
| Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 12-13 | San Francisco, CA | SFJAZZ - Miner Auditorium |
| Sep. 16-18 | Tokyo, Japan | Blue Note Tokyo |
| Sep. 19 | Takasaki, Japan | Takasaki City Theatre |
| Sep. 21 | Kanazawa, Japan | Kanazawa Jazz Street Festival @ Akabana Concert Hall |
| Sep. 22 | Noto, Japan | Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum - Art Hall |
| Sep. 24 | Osaka, Japan | Billboard Live |
| Sep. 28-29 | Athens, Greece | Gazarte |
| Sep. 30 | Istanbul, Turkey | AKM İstanbul |
| Oct. 1-2 | London, UK | Ronnie Scott's |
| Oct. 4 | Utrecht, Netherlands | TivoliVredenburg |
| Oct. 5 | Heidelberg, Germany | Enjoy Jazz Festival |
| Oct. 6 | Zurich, Switzerland | Moods |
| Oct. 7 | Nancy, France | Nancy Jazz Pulsations |
| Oct. 21 | Boston, MA | Berklee PAC |
| Oct. 22 | Amherst, MA | Bowker Auditorium @ UMASS |
| Oct. 23-25 | Richmond, VA | Modlin Jazz Fest |
| Oct. 26 | Greensboro, NC | UNCG School of Music |
| Oct. 29 | Athens, GA | UGA |
| Oct. 30 | Palm Beach, FL | Glazer Hall |
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.
