Christian McBride’s Prime exemplifies jazz greats at the height of their powers who insist on scaling greater heights. It can’t be contained to a singular style. It’s the grittiness that embodies the word Jawn which also represents Christian McBride’s Philly roots.
Christian McBride's New Jawn - trumpeter Josh Evans (Jackie McLean, Cedar Walton, Rasheid Ali), saxophonist and bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland (Roy Haynes, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Chris Dave, Bilal, Robert Glasper), and drummer Nasheet Waits (Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, John Medeski) - is back with their highly anticipated sophomore album, Prime, the follow-up from McBride's Philly-centric named group.
Featuring original compositions from each band member as well as fresh takes on songs from Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman and Larry Young, this group offers an exhilarating space of exploration for the eight-time Grammy Award-winning McBride to stretch his veteran wings.
When Philadelphia-born bassist/bandleader Christian McBride arrived in New York in 1989 as a Juilliard student, he was the “Godchild of the Groove” with unlimited potential. Today, with over 300 recordings as a sideman and many critically-acclaimed albums as a leader, he now reigns supreme as the “Lord of the Lower Frequencies.” He’s the influential and ubiquitous bassist of his generation, as evidenced by his quintet Inside Straight, his big band, his trio, and his work with everybody from James Brown, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis to Sting, The Roots, Bruce Hornsby, and Paul McCartney.