Gettin' to It

Last updated
Gettin' To It
Gettin' to It - album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Christian McBride
ReleasedJanuary 1995
RecordedAugust 30, 31 and September 1, 1994
StudioClinton Recording Studios, New York City.
Genre Jazz
Length55:34
Label Verve
Producer Richard Seidel, Don Sickler
Christian McBride chronology
Gettin' To It
(1995)		 Number Two Express
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly B [2]
Tom Hull A− [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Gettin' to It is the debut studio album of American jazz bassist Christian McBride. [5] The album was released in 1995 via Verve label. [6]

Contents

Background

The album was produced by Richard Seidel and Don Sickler, and released by Verve Records on 1 September 1994. Although this was McBride's first solo album, he had previously featured on records as a sidesman for Gary Bartz on the album Shadows , Benny Green on Greens, Roy Hargrove on Public Eye, Joe Henderson on Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn , Freddie Hubbard on Live at Fat Tuesday's , Joe Lovano on Tenor Legacy , Harold Mabern on Lookin' on the Bright Side , and Joshua Redman on Joshua Redman. Redman and Hargrove appear on Gettin' to It as instrumentalists. The record features 10 tracks and a total running time of 55 minutes and 34 seconds.

Reception

Howard Reich of Chicago Tribune noted "That Christian McBride is one of the most appealing and accomplished young bass players to come along in years must be obvious to anyone who has heard him accompany Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard and other stars. Now McBride is stepping into the spotlight with his first recording as leader. Though the music isn't particularly adventurous, it celebrates jazz tradition with a technical brilliance, a rhythmic vigor and a sonic warmth that are uniquely McBride's." [7] Jeff Levenson of Billboard commented "Gettin' To It is not a typical bass player's album. McBride is not showcased in a flamboyant manner, nor is he placed front and center , overshadowing his bandmates. His presence and authority, however, are unmistakable, from the radio-friendly funk of the title track to his solo tour de force on "Night Train,' to the uplifting treatment of "Splanky," on which McBride proves himself the descendant of trio mates and spiritual godfathers Milt Hinton, age 84, and Ray Brown, 68". [8] Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly added "Christian McBride has a big, fat tone and limitless dexterity, and the music boils (especially a choice piece of funk called ”In a Hurry”), but everything feels a little antiseptic — this isn’t, after all, a working band, just a one-shot convocation of hired guns". [2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In a Hurry"McBride4:35
2."The Shade of the Cedar Tree"McBride7:39
3."Too Close for Comfort" Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, Larry Holofcener 5:50
4."Sitting on a Cloud"McBride5:46
5."Splanky" Neal Hefti 4:15
6."Gettin' to It"McBride5:30
7."Stars Fell on Alabama" Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish 5:23
8."Black Moon"McBride5:18
9."King Freddie of Hubbard"McBride7:39
10."Night Train" Jimmy Forrest, Lewis Simpkins, Oscar Washington 3:38
Total length:55:34

Personnel

Band

Production

Chart performance

Chart (1995)Peak
position
US Jazz Albums (Billboard) [9] 13

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References

  1. ↑ Ginell, Richard S. "Christian McBride: Gettin' to It". Allmusic . allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 Scherman, Tony (January 20, 1995). "Gettin' To It". Entertainment Weekly . ew.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Christian McBride". Tom Hull . Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 965. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ↑ Garelick, Jon (1996). "Second coming: Christian McBride makes his sophomore statement". Boston Phoenix . bostonphoenix.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Christian McBride – Gettin' To It". Discogs . discogs.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Reich, Howard (February 12, 1995). "Christian McBride: Gettin' to It (Verve). That..." Chicago Tribune . articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Levenson, Jeff (7 January 1995). "McBride Gets to It With a Verve Debut". Billboard : 3, 108. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE: CHART HISTORY". Billboard. billboard.com . Retrieved 18 May 2019.[ dead link ]
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