Product Description
Christian McBride is widely revered for his almost superhuman versatility. Focus simply on his musical talents, and you find one of the most admired and in-demand bassists in modern jazz, whose virtuosity, bottomless groove, and profound sensitivity reach far beyond the boundaries of genre, to collaborations with an almost unparalleled list of artists: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny, Quincy Jones, The Roots, Kathleen Battle, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, and James Brown – just to name a few.
Of the many facets of Christian’s brilliant career, one that shines particularly bright and caught our eye is his involvement with the nonprofit Jazz House Kids. Founded in 2002 by jazz singer and arts education advocate Melissa Walker, the New Jersey-based organization has worked with close to 55,000 students of all ages through lessons and ensembles and has provided more than 1,200 free instruments for kids who can’t afford one. With Walker at the helm and her husband Christian serving as artistic director, Jazz House Kids has received more than 150 awards and honors for excellence in jazz and jazz education. In a special artist feature this holiday season, we’re honoring Christian McBride as both a Voice of the Art and a Heart of the Art, a talented musician and a tireless advocate – and all proceeds from the sales of his new album will go directly to Jazz House Kids so they can continue their important work.
“Without Further Ado, Vol. 1,” his new album as leader of the Christian McBride Big Band, finds the Grammy Award-winning 17-piece ensemble back with their 4th release. It’s a star-studded gathering that includes guest vocalists Sting (with Andy Summers), Jeffrey Osborne, Dianne Reeves, Samara Joy, José James, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Antoinette Henry. The inspiration and many of the arrangements for the album grew out of the annual New Jersey Performing Arts Center Gala, for which the Big Band has served as house band since 2012. “We’ve always invited a bunch of great singers to come and perform at the Gala,” Christian says, “and as musical director, I’m responsible for arranging all of the music. After so many years of writing big band charts for these incredible singers, I realized that I had stacks of music that had only been played once. This has been a fantastic opportunity to finally record some of these arrangements and to play them with some of my favorite singers.” (The Vinyl features Christian’s exclusive track-by-track written commentary.)
