Christian McBride

Early life

McBride was born in Philadelphia on May 31, 1972. After starting on bass guitar, McBride switched to double bass. He is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and studied at the Juilliard School.

Later life and career

McBride was heralded as a teen prodigy when he joined saxophonist Bobby Watson's group, Horizon, at the age of 17. From age 17 to 22, McBride played in the bands of older musicians such as Watson, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, George Duke, Milt Jackson, J. J. Johnson and Hank Jones, as well as his peers such as Roy Hargrove, Benny Green, and Joshua Redman. In 1992, jazz bassist Ray Brown formed a group called SuperBass with McBride and fellow Brown protégé John Clayton. The group released two albums: SuperBass: Live at Scullers (1997) and SuperBass 2: Live at the Blue Note (2001).

McBride was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quartet in the early 1990s with pianist Brad Mehldau and drummer Brian Blade. McBride began leading his own groups in 1995 after the release of his debut album Gettin' to It (Verve). Saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianists Charles Craig and Joey Calderazzo, and drummers Carl Allen and Greg Hutchinson are among the musicians who played in McBride's early groups. From 2000 to 2008, McBride led his own ensemble, the Christian McBride Band, with saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist/keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer, and drummer Terreon Gully. The band released two albums: Vertical Vision (Warner Bros., 2003) and Live at Tonic (Ropeadope, 2006).

In 1996, McBride contributed to the AIDS benefit album Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip produced by the Red Hot Organization.

McBride primarily plays double bass; however, he is equally adept on bass guitar. He played both on the album The Philadelphia Experiment, which included keyboardist Uri Caine and hip-hop drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Other projects have included tours and recordings with the Pat Metheny Trio, the Bruce Hornsby Trio, and Queen Latifah. Like Paul Chambers, McBride can solo by playing his bass arco style.

In 2006, McBride was named to the position of Creative Chair for Jazz with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, taking over from Dianne Reeves. He was signed to a two-year contract that was renewed for an additional two years. He was succeeded by Herbie Hancock in 2010.

McBride performed with Sonny Rollins and Roy Haynes at Carnegie Hall on September 18, 2007, in commemoration of Rollins' 50th anniversary of his first performance there. McBride was also tapped by CBS to be a producer for the tribute to Rollins on the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors broadcast.

In 2008, McBride joined John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett and Vinnie Colaiuta in a jazz fusion supergroup called the Five Peace Band. They released an album in February 2009 and completed their world tour in May of that year, as Brian Blade took over for Vinnie Colaiuta as drummer in Asia and some US concerts. The album Five Peace Band Live won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

In 2011, McBride released his first big band album, The Good Feeling, for which he won the Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance. For 2026 Grammy Awards, he got a nomination for the album Windows - Live in the Best Jazz Performance category alongside Chick Corea & Brian Blade.

McBride leads five groups: Inside Straight, featuring alto/soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin and drummer Carl Allen; a trio featuring pianist Christian Sands and drummer Jerome Jennings; his 18-piece big band; an experimental group called A Christian McBride Situation with pianist/keyboardist Patrice Rushen, turntablists DJ Logic and Jahi Sundance, saxophonist Ron Blake and vocalist Alyson Williams; and the New Jawn, featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and drummer Nasheet Waits.

In March 2016, McBride was named artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival, succeeding the festival's founder and artistic director, George Wein.

McBride hosts NPR's radio show, Jazz Night In America.

Personal life

Christian is married to jazz singer and educator Melissa Walker. Walker, with contributions by McBride, leads the Jazz House Kids, a jazz school in their home town of Montclair, New Jersey. Each summer, they both appear at the Montclair Jazz Festival, along with student ensembles led by the instructors, professional ensembles composed of instructors, and guest acts.

McBride shared the story of his first encounters with Freddie Hubbard in "The Gig" and his relationship with James Brown in "Mr. Soul On Top" on The Moth Radio Hour, a radio show and podcast devoted to story-telling.

James Moody Jazz Festival

McBride curates and advises the annual James Moody Jazz Festival.

Discography

As leader

Compilation

• It's Christmas on Mack Avenue (Mack Avenue, 2014)

As sideman

References

References

1. Dan DeLuca. (April 12, 2009). "Late night with the Roots".
2. Carroll, Daniel John. (January 13, 2015). "McBride, Christian". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.
3. Yanow, Scott. "Christian McBride: Biography". Allmusic.
4. "Philadelphia Experiment".
5. "Christian McBride bio". Los Angeles Philharmonic.
6. "Garnegie Hall official website". Carnegiehall.org.
7. "2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com".
8. (July 26, 2021). "Newport Jawn: PostGenre Interview with Christian McBride".
9. "Jazz Night in America: The Radio Program".
10. Kaufman, Joanne. [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/11/realestate/christian-mcbride-new-jersey-home.html "At Home With: Christian McBride; A Jazz Musician’s Sanctuary."], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 11, 2024. Accessed September 12, 2024. "Christian McBride, the nine-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist, was collaborating with an assistant to set out breakfast for his manager, his publicist, a reporter and a photographer in the dining room of his home in Montclair, N.J. It became clear that improvisation would be on the menu."
11. "The Moth | Stories | The Gig".