Christian McBride Archives

Christian McBride is the renaissance man of the bass. The six-time Grammy-winning bassist is powered by a relentless drive, and he works at a frenetic pace in a myriad of ways. We chat with him in this episode of Groove.

Christian McBride has been working with lots of different bands on his albums over the years with duos, his trio, a quartet, and even a big band. However, his newest release is a format unlike anything he’s done so far. His New Jawn (a slang term for “thing” from Philadelphia) features Josh Evans on trumpet, Marcus Strickland on saxophone, and...

KNKX Public Radio posted this video last month, with this description: “When great musicians push themselves to do something different, it can be an exciting prospect. Christian McBride’s New Jawn quartet is a great example of that. And when those musicians really enjoy that challenge, that’s when the magic of jazz happens.” Here’s the band in a live performance of...

I was lucky enough to catch Christian McBride’s New Jawn at Blues Alley in DC a couple weeks ago, and I’ve been reeling ever since. The band’s raw energy and unfettered power left me inspired (and waiting for their new album to drop). The New Jawn has no chordal instrument, leaving plenty of room for exploration and stretching. Consequently, it...

Christian McBride may be best known for his killer upright playing, but as we’ve shown before, he can also tear it up on electric. Here’s a fine piece of evidence with a live video of the bassist laying the foundation on fretless for the song “Galaxy 32 Star 4” with Chick Corea & The Vigil. McBride keeps the groove interesting...

Kevin has been filling my inbox with some stellar bass videos lately. Here’s another, with bassist Christian McBride and vocalist Melissa Walker performing “Just One of Those Things” on WBGO’s “Singers Unlimited” show. Christian is such a beast.

He started his career as a band leader by Gettin’ To It, but now Christian McBride is Bringin’ It on his new big band album. It’s the famed jazz bassist’s second album with his big band, which has a few new members this go around. The adjustment was a quick one. “These guys know my sound. They know my style....

Christian McBride has a new band, known as the New Jawn Quartet. Thanks to the good folks at SFJAZZ, we have some footage to share. “Echoing the two horns/no piano lineup of the classic Ornette Coleman quartet, New Jawn is comprised of some of the most forward-thinking jazz artists on today’s scene,” SFJAZZ shared. We can’t wait to hear more.

So, you love yourself some Sting. And you love vinyl. Well, then, The Studio Collection is right up your alley. The 11-LP vinyl box set includes all the bassist-singer-songwriter’s A&M Records studio albums in one collection. The set includes Brand New Day and Sacred Love, which were not previously released on vinyl. Along with Sting, the albums feature the work...

Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun has assembled a group of top jazz musicians for his tribute to jazz drumming great, the late Elvin Jones. Celebrating Elvin Jones features virtuoso bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Antoine Roney, keyboardist Carlos McKinney, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and other players, like Jan Hammer, who played as part of Jones’ trio. Jones was known for his work...