KIND OF BROWN
THE NEW CD BY BASSIST-BANDLEADER
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE
WITH HIS NEW QUINTET, INSIDE STRAIGHTOUT TODAY ON MACK AVENUE RECORDS
"[Inside Straight]favors an in-the-tradition acoustic vibe and an attractive melange of blues forms, hummable originals stocked with meaty harmonies and sturdy improvisations that stick to the point." - Detroit Free Press
"McBride's quintet dubbed Inside Straight...one of the more melodically tuneful and harmonically focused contemporary ensembles combining past tradition with a fresh
new approach to this potent style of jazz." - All Music Guide
Produced by McBride, Kind Of Brown is a collection of hard swing-to-bluesy groove tunes that the leader says he put together to give the members of his new ensemble "something to sink their teeth into." He adds, "I wanted to present solid melodies with some decent chord changes that could be good vehicles for the guys to blow on."
Formed in June 2007, the quintet made its debut at the Village Vanguard in New York, marking the first time in 10 years that McBride appeared there as a leader. "For the occasion I wanted to put together a special group," he says. "I had no intention of forming a future working band, but during that week people raved about the show and kept telling me that the group had to be documented."
While various labels courted the quintet, McBride decided to hook up with Mack Avenue. "I was not interested in signing an old, classic recording contract," he said. "But Mack Avenue made it clear that it was not only excited about me joining its family of artists, but also wanted to give me the freedom to be creative, which would be beneficial to both parties."
Recorded in September 2008 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif., Kind Of Brown stands as McBride's first album as a leader since his 3-CD Live at Tonic outing for Ropeadope Records in 2006 and his first studio recording since 2003's Sci-Fi for Verve Records.
However, McBride has been anything but idle during this period. He's been active as a sideman, most recently touring with the Chick Corea / John McLaughlin Five Peace Band project (also featuring label mate Kenny Garrett and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta). He's not only developed into a top-tier solo artist who is equally adept on acoustic and electric bass, but he's also been the go-to bassist, with support duties ranging from Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea to Diana Krall and Sting.
In addition, he has been at the forefront of jazz education, including serving as an artist in residence at festivals (2008 Detroit International Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival); artistic director at various arts centers and museums (including co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and the creative jazz chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic); and as artistic director of the JAS Band Academy (Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Band Edition).
Kind Of Brown opens with "Brother Mister," which McBride says is the perfect opening tune for a gig or a record. "The chordal sequence is a basic 12-bar blues," he says. "I started playing a version of the song with my quartet when we'd have a guest play with us, but it never had a melody. So, for this recording, I put a melody over the chord changes, changed keys from F to E and it came out nice."
McBride and Inside Straight deliver a buoyant, exciting take on the Freddie Hubbard number, "Theme for Kareem." "I always had a soft spot for Freddie," McBride says of the late, legendary trumpeter. "Carl was instrumental in me getting to play with Freddie when I first moved to New York. Carl was kind of like my sponsor. He recommended me to Freddie, who initially felt that an 18-year-old player wasn't ready for the big time. But he took a chance with me, and it was a great thrill to play with him. I wanted to record at least one Freddie song on Kind Of Brown. I decided to do 'Theme for Kareem.' It has a lot of meat on it, and it's hard because the chord changes go by real quick. It's a tricky song by a great composer."
On "Used 'Ta Could," play is the operative word. It opens with a funky acoustic bass line and has an oozing blues-gospel feel throughout. "I wanted to make the guys laugh when they were playing this," says McBride. "This song is silly, but fun silly." The whimsical "Shade of the Cedar Tree" is a new version of the tune from McBride's first album, 1995's Gettin' To It on Verve. A tune that, according to vibraphonist Stefon Harris, "is clearly on its way to becoming a standard."
Another McBride original, "Uncle James," is a tribute to the late pianist James Williams. "This song exemplifies what James was all about," McBride says. "Young jazz artists have all been taught that we have to write something challenging to be modern, that to be different you have to come up with something new. But James never believed that. He wasn't out to reinvent the wheel each time he wrote a song. He was all about fine melodies and chord changes. He wrote songs that were pretty. He wrote a song titled 'Arioso.' I used the last four bars of his melody in this tune as my tribute to James."
Kind Of Brown closes with a piano-bass duo on the standard "Where Are You?" It was a tune that McBride's bass mentor Ray Brown taught him from a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert with Ben Webster. "I'm always on a quest to find songs that are obscure standards," he says. "This has a gorgeous melody that's nice and simple. It's a great song for a duo. I love duets. Eric already knew this song, so it was a perfect fit."
Kind Of Brown is one of many projects that McBride has set into motion for 2009, which marks his 20-year anniversary since his arrival on the international jazz scene. Other endeavors include the innovative "Conversations With Christian" interview-duet performance series available as digital downloads culminating into a full 20 song album. McBride and Inside Straight will be on the road throughout the year performing songs from Kind Of Brown.
Christian McBride and Inside Straight · Kind Of Brown (MAC 1047)
Release Date: June 16, 2009
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