CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE BIG BAND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, VOL 1

In order to get to know an artist, you must first find out who they are from past works and their thumb print left on projects from days gone by.

- By: Da'Vince “Dino” Wright

Christian McBride is an artist who paints beautiful pictures on the canvas on the listeners mind. One of my favorite Chris McBride projects was the “Out Here” project released on August 6, 2013. He had 3 songs on that CD that stood out from me. “Ham Hocks and Cabbage”, “Easy Walker” and “My Favorite Things”. Keep in mind that Christian has works from the past 20 plus years to his credit. Another album I love listening to is “Conversation with Christian”. This album showcases his fusion of Jazz, funk and the smoothness of his powerful fingers sliding up and down his upright bass. Two songs that will give a jazz fan a mellow outlook on the depths of his mind are “Consider Me Gone” and “Spiritual” featuring Dr. Bill Taylor on piano. Christian McBride has the key to unlock the door fusing how music listeners accept the beauty of jazz and live music without the new age gimmicks with automation and other computer related ways of producing music nowadays.

The definition of Jazz is a musical genre that originated in African American communities of the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is characterized by complex harmonies, syncopated rhythms and a strong emphasis on improvisation. This is the exact definition of this project. Eight songs that meshed the 1930’s to the current format of music bridging the gap fused by an upright bass.