Christian McBride's New Jawn Christian McBride's New Jawn 2LP (Vinyl)

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the February 2019 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Gritty Music On Double LP!

2020 Grammy Award Nominee:
• Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Sightseeing" - Christian McBride, soloist
• Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Christian McBride's New Jawn
• Best Instrumental Composition: "Walkin' Funny"

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 11 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.

Jawn [jän]: noun. A slang terminology from Philadelphia. All-purpose term for a person, place or thing.

Sure, Christian McBride could have called his new ensemble the Christian McBride Quartet or the Christian McBride Group, or any number of other, somewhat more straitlaced variations on that basic theme. But this new chordless quartet – with trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and drummer Nasheet Waits – arrives with a bit too much grit under its fingernails to warrant a name quite that buttoned up. If there’s one thing the acclaimed bassist knows, it’s that when it comes to grit there’s no better resource to draw from than his own hometown, Philadelphia. So, McBride turned to one of the city’s most beloved colloquialisms to christen his latest project, Christian McBride’s New Jawn. On the band’s eponymous debut, these four stellar musicians ably walk the razor’s edge between thrilling virtuosity and gut-punch instinctiveness.

"McBride's "Walkin' Funny" is aptly titled with its broken time and collective improvisation while Evans' "The Ballad of Ernie Washington" is a beautiful feature for his trumpet. Strickland's "The Middle Man" is Ornette-ish free bop, his "Seek the Source" a medium blues over a simple bass line, and McBride's "John Day" is a slow waltz that is given a positive flavor via Strickland's bass clarinet. During McBride's almost 30-year recording career he has consistently demonstrated the ability to fit in any musical setting he chooses. After hearing this new quartet, I look forward to seeing what's next." - Greg Turner, The Absolute Sound, February 2019

Features:
• Double LP
• Gatefold jacket
• Limited time digital download card

Musicians:
Christian McBride, bass
Josh Evans, trumpet
Marcus Strickland, tenor sax, bass clarinet
Nasheet Waits, drums

Selections:
Side A:
1. Walkin' Funny
2. Ke-Kelli Sketch
3. Ballad Of Ernie Washington
Side B:
1. The Middle Man
2. Pier One Import
Side C:
1. Kush
2. Seek The Source
Side D:
1. John Day
2. Sightseeing