The meeting of great minds usually happens behind closed doors, but for two of the world's foremost bassists - Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer - the collaboration proved so fruitful that a duo album exploring their collective backgrounds in jazz, folk, classical, bluegrass and funk was born.

The Movement, Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Cultural Icons is culminating documentation of a richly inspired piece - lauding four key figures of the Civil Rights Movement: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Muhammad Ali.

Marshalling his ever-sharpening skills as a composer, arranger, conductor, musician, and lyricist, McBride has created a historically and culturally illuminating five-part suite for an 18-piece big band, chorus and narrators that places the motivating forces as well as the goals of the Civil Rights Movement within a powerfully relevant artistic context. It is a one-from-the-heart project McBride was, apparently, destined to undertake. This recording of The Movement, Revisited marks the addition of a fifth movement, “Apotheosis,” which acknowledges the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States.

REVIEW:

Drawing upon the words of legendary civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Muhammad Ali, Christian McBride offers a heartfelt large-ensemble tribute to the civil rights movement of the 1960s with 2020's The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons.

The Movement Revisited is a reverent and theatrical recording, which isn't to say it's not harmonically rich with plenty of swinging improvisational intensity. The five-part work spotlights McBride's multifaceted skills as a composer, arranger, and lyricist as he frames the uplifting words of these four heroes with his soulful arrangements. The recording culminates in the final movement "Apotheosis," celebrating the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States; an historic event that McBride beautifully ties directly to the civil rights and black power movements of the preceding decades. Helping bring the words of the civil rights leaders to life are narrators Wendell Pierce, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Sonia Sanchez, and Dion Graham. Also showcased throughout are McBride's bandmates, including vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, and drummer Terreon Gully, among others.

While the album is orchestral in nature, all of the introductory prologues are stripped down, with McBride underlining the speaker's words with his dusky, bluesy basslines. As McBride points out in his liner notes, this is a personal work filtered through the prism of his own life and his feelings about these four individuals. It is a powerful and deeply considered work that invokes not just the words, but also the ebullient spirit of the civil rights movement.

-- AllMusicGuide.com (Matt Collar)

Click here to view the CD version.

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

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. The release will be available on October 26 via Brother Mister Productions, McBride’s own newly launched imprint of his longtime label, Mack Avenue Records.

GRAMMY^® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Click here to view the Vinyl version. 

In the press materials for bassist Christian McBride’s new big band album, he cites bandleaders Duke Ellington and Maria Schneider as strong influences on his large-ensemble work. McBride’s artistic debt to those two musicians reflects his desire to be part of a jazz tradition while also pushing it forward. His 2011 big band album, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue), generated rave reviews, and most of the players on that album are back for Bringin’ It. McBride has said, “[L]ike Duke Ellington used to do, I can write for my guys because I know their sound and style.” Nine of the 11 tracks here were arranged by McBride, who included three original compositions in the program. (All three are songs that he had previously recorded with a smaller ensemble, so it’s clear that he wants to continue refining his acumen as an arranger.) A judicious yet bold arranger, McBride knows exactly when he or one of his trusted bandmates should inject a solo into a tune. Trombonist Michael Dease offers a growling, greasy solo on the McBride original “Used ’Ta Could,” a party tune so addictive that it should be accompanied by a warning label. Carl Maraghi’s baritone sax solo adds some mighty muscle to a winning rendition of Wes Montgomery’s “Full House.” On a lovely arrangement of “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning,” the leader’s tasteful arco work and Brandee Younger’s harp add intriguing textures, as though McBride is telling the listener, “I have a lot of dazzling colors on this palette, and I know how to use them properly.” The album concludes with trombonist Steve Davis’ arrangement of his own composition “Optimism.” It’s a toe-tapper incorporating surprising twists and shifts, spiced with Todd Bashore’s arresting alto sax solo and Davis’ fluid trombone solo. McBride is a busy, multifaceted artist who’s constantly juggling projects, and the release of Bringin’ It gives his big-band fans a reason to celebrate. - DownBeat Magazine Editors' Pick

GRAMMY^® Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Click here to view the CD version.

In the press materials for bassist Christian McBride’s new big band album, he cites bandleaders Duke Ellington and Maria Schneider as strong influences on his large-ensemble work. McBride’s artistic debt to those two musicians reflects his desire to be part of a jazz tradition while also pushing it forward. His 2011 big band album, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue), generated rave reviews, and most of the players on that album are back for Bringin’ It. McBride has said, “[L]ike Duke Ellington used to do, I can write for my guys because I know their sound and style.” Nine of the 11 tracks here were arranged by McBride, who included three original compositions in the program. (All three are songs that he had previously recorded with a smaller ensemble, so it’s clear that he wants to continue refining his acumen as an arranger.) A judicious yet bold arranger, McBride knows exactly when he or one of his trusted bandmates should inject a solo into a tune. Trombonist Michael Dease offers a growling, greasy solo on the McBride original “Used ’Ta Could,” a party tune so addictive that it should be accompanied by a warning label. Carl Maraghi’s baritone sax solo adds some mighty muscle to a winning rendition of Wes Montgomery’s “Full House.” On a lovely arrangement of “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning,” the leader’s tasteful arco work and Brandee Younger’s harp add intriguing textures, as though McBride is telling the listener, “I have a lot of dazzling colors on this palette, and I know how to use them properly.” The album concludes with trombonist Steve Davis’ arrangement of his own composition “Optimism.” It’s a toe-tapper incorporating surprising twists and shifts, spiced with Todd Bashore’s arresting alto sax solo and Davis’ fluid trombone solo. McBride is a busy, multifaceted artist who’s constantly juggling projects, and the release of Bringin’ It gives his big-band fans a reason to celebrate. - DownBeat Magazine Editors' Pick