Skip to main content

CD Review - "People Music" - Christian McBride | Inside Straight

If there were such a thing as "comfort music" for jazz lovers, it would have to be the idiom(s) loosely known as straight ahead jazz, bop, hard bop, or post bop. Christian McBride is more than comfortable in all those formats. He stays busy as a sideman in constant demand, his big band, the “Situation”, and a number of other projects. 


This is his combo alignment, Inside Straight, and he serves up healthy portions of it on his latest release "People Music". The quintet features saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin and drummer Carl Allen. Pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., who have performed extensively with the band, also perform on selected tracks. That comfort feeling sets in from the opening track, "Listen To The Heroes Cry". On this sophomore release the band demonstrates just how well they connect with each other. Solo turns compliment and carry each tune on a joy ride. Yes, the leader plays bass, but don't expect him to be out front all the time, or carry most of the weight as soloist. Yes, he takes his moments, but by and large, it’s a showcase for the entire group. 

The tribute piece, "Ms. Angelou"' is a beautiful soft ballad featuring both piano and vibes. Then comes the fiery "The Moment Revisited". McBride cuts these young horses loose, each one taking turns at the lead, before drummer brings it all home to a photo finish. Through the eight tracks, there's an awful lot to like on what truly can be called People Music.
#jazz @mcbridesworld

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jazz 500 - An Overdue Personal Project

Hello again. First, I must apologize for being away for so long. I wish I had more of an excuse to give you, but the fact is, sometimes life just gets in the way. In any case, I’m back just in time for the heart of the festival season. Next up for me is the Monterey Jazz Festival in September. We have our tickets in hand, and can’t wait for this, the 61st edition, of the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world. In the meantime, if you’ve followed my Instagram feed in the past, you may have noticed quite a bit more activity than normal. I usually post images live from the festival, and hope to be doing that again this year. In addition, I’ve started a series I’m referring to as Jazz 500 (#jazz500). My Jazz Photojournalism adventure began in 1995. A year later, I covered my first Monterey Jazz Festival. Since then, I’ve covered it every year except 1997 and 1998. As you can imagine, after 20 years of photographing some of the greatest legends of the musi

Faces of Jazz: Nancy Wilson, 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival

The afternoon "Conversation" segments of the Monterey Jazz Festival are a hidden gem in the festival's weekend program. The audience takes a rare, personal look at an artist as they reflect on various aspects and moments of their storied careers. This image was captured in one of those sessions with Nancy Wilson. Later that evening, Ms. Wilson would take the stage for the first time since the passing of her husband of 35 years, just weeks prior. She noted that how performing would be very different now. "Whenever U was onstage," she explained, "...no matter where I was in the world, I was always singing to him." She went on to say her signature song "Guess Who I Saw Today" had absolutely nothing to do with the Reverend Wiley Burton.  All ticket options for the 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival are available now. Choose from single day grounds tickets to full weekend subscription packages for the Arena concerts. Go to the Monterey Jazz Fe

Faces of Jazz: Charnett Moffett - 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival

Charnett Moffett has had a connection to the elite artists in jazz for a very long time. His father, Charles, was a drummer for Ornette Coleman in the 1960s, so he's more than accustomed to being around the legends of jazz. This year, Saturday evening's performances on the Garden Stage featured the artists of the  Moté ma  Records label. Moffett's fourth CD on Moté ma , Spirit of Sound, was released on July 9th. Together with label founder Jana Herzen, Moffett hosted a showcase of  Moté ma artists, and anchored many of the ensembles on bass.