Credits:

Christian McBride

Description:

The long-awaited big band release from Christian McBride, whose 2011 release "The Good Feeling" won the 54th Grammy Award in the Best Large Jazz EnsembleAlbum category! The album opens with Christian's own debut/title track released in 1995. The song is a jazz instrumental tune with a style and title that could be played by James Brown, JB's, and others. In fact, Christian is such a big fan of James Brown that he could be described as a James Brown freak. This original is a great example of that love, with grooving funk rhythms and horns that make the listener feel like they are in the upper echelon of the band. The second track, on the other hand, is a piece by Freddie Hubbard, whom I admire and respect, from his time in Art Blakey's group, and it expresses the best of modern jazz. Also noteworthy here is the presence of trumpeter Freddie Hendricks, a new member of the group. Hendricks, who was also selected as a member of the Mack Avenue All Stars, and who has played wonderfully in that band under the new leadership of Christian McBride, also played a solo here with a crisp performance that hit high notes. Here, too, he played a crisp solo that hit the high notes. He also gave a passionate performance that gave energy to his old band members, such as Ron Blake on tenor and Xavier Davis on piano.On the other hand, "I thought about you" (M4) is a tribute to Maria Schneider, who is one of the most influential artists of our time. On the other hand, "Full House" clearly pays tribute to Wes Montgomery, and the McCoy Tyner modal sound of "Sahara" pays homage to Chick Corea. Once again, Melissa Walker, his public and private partner, joins him for two songs. She adds her silky voice to the album on "Mr. Boj angl es," a Brazilian number by Javan, and "Mr. Boj angl es," a song also sung by Sammy Davis, Jr. Christian McBride chose not only the opening track, but also all three of the originals he had performed on his own albums. The reason for this is that he is still developing as an arranger, so he wanted to re-draw and improve the versions of his previous songs. I heard that the 10th song was arranged in the key B, which bassists hate, in order to utilize the delicacy of the music.

Tracklisting:

1.Gettin' To It
2.Thermo
3.Youthful Bliss
4.I Thought About You
5.Sahara
6.Upside Down
7.Full House
8.Mr. Bojangles
9.Used 'ta Could
10.In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
11.Optimism