Prime (album)

Last updated
Prime
Prime (CMB album cover).jpg
Studio album by
Christian McBride
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2023 (2023-02-24)
Recorded16–17 December 2021
Studio Power Station, NYC
Genre Jazz
Length54:28
Label Mack Avenue
Producer Christian McBride, Romelle Canonizado
Christian McBride chronology
Live at the Village Vanguard
(2021)		Prime
(2023)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
The Denver Post Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Jazzwise Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Tom Hull A− [5]

Prime is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride recorded together with saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Josh Evans, and drummer Nasheet Waits. [6] [7] The album was released on 24 February 2023 via Mack Avenue label. [8] [9]

Contents

Background

For McBride, this is the 18th album as a band leader and the second one for his band New Jawn after Christian McBride's New Jawn released in 2018. [10] [11] Prime contains eight tracks: five originals written by bandmembers and three jazz standards.

McBride explained, "So, we recorded this at the end of 2021, I believe. We were fresh off of the gig at the Vanguard, so a lot of the stuff that we recorded were things that we had worked on that week. It wasn't really that difficult to figure out what the material was going to be. I think putting a recording together is not that dissimilar to putting a set together. You want to make sure you start off with something exciting — something that's going to lock the people in as best as you think you can, and then you just try to shape it so it's a good listening experience." [12]

Reception

Kevin Le Gendre of Jazzwise wrote, "Trumpeter Josh Evans and saxophonist Marcus Strickland form an excellent horn section, stoking a freeish fire on occasion but the latter's bass clarinet ostinatos make a big impact insofar as they lend more heft to the low register as well as enriching the harmonic palette. Although largely perceived as a straight ahead champion, McBride has always been pleasingly eclectic, and his absorption of the avant-garde flourishes of Mingus, Max and Dolphy leads him down long, winding, interesting roads here." [4] Mike Jurkovic of All About Jazz noted, "With trigger quick wit and telepathy Prime's flagship track develops into a full-on, fun-house jam as the delightfully chord-less quintet run roughshod over this and all of Prime's eight master class tracks." [1] Michael Major of Broadway World commented, "Prime exemplifies jazz greats at the zenith of their powers who insist on scaling greater heights." [13] Ian Lomax of Jazz Journal added, "New Jawn may be a step too far for many, but there is no doubting the innovation, the talent, and the passion. This is album is certainly worth a listen for all McBride fans and the musically adventurous." [14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Head Bedlam"Christian McBride5:46
2."Prime"Marcus Strickland7:29
3."Moonchild"Nasheet Waits4:44
4."Obsequious" Larry Young 8:05
5."Lurkers"Christian McBride8:48
6."The Good Life" Ornette Coleman 7:35
7."Dolphy Dust"Josh Evans5:03
8."East Broadway Run Down" Sonny Rollins 7:17
Total length:54:28

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Hargrove</span> American jazz trumpeter (1969–2018)

Roy Anthony Hargrove was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles of jazz in 1998 and 2002. Hargrove primarily played in the hard bop style for the majority of his albums, but also had a penchant for genre-crossing exploration and collaboration with a variety of hip hop, soul, R&B and alternative rock artists. As Hargrove told one reporter, "I've been around all kinds of musicians, and if a cat can play, a cat can play. If it's gospel, funk, R&B, jazz or hip-hop, if it's something that gets in your ear and it's good, that's what matters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian McBride</span> American jazz bassist, composer, and arranger

Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Strickland</span> Musical artist

Marcus Strickland is an American jazz soprano, alto, and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Gainesville, Florida, and grew up in Miami. Down Beat magazine's Critics' Poll named him 'Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone' in 2010 and 'Rising Star on Soprano Saxophone' in 2008. JazzTimes magazine's Reader's Poll named him 'Best New Artist' in 2006. He placed third in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.

Antoine Roney is an American tenor saxophonist, brother to trumpeter Wallace Roney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Escreet</span> Musical artist

John Escreet is an English pianist, composer and improviser. He has lived in the United States since 2006 and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasheet Waits</span> American jazz drummer (born 1971)

Nasheet Waits is an American jazz drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Hilton (musician)</span> American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer

Lisa Kristine Hilton is an American jazz pianist, bandleader, producer, and composer based in Southern California. Her compositions blend jazz and blues with minimalism, classical, and avant-garde music. Since the early 2000s she has recorded with Antonio Sánchez, Larry Grenadier, Christian McBride, Luques Curtis, J. D. Allen, Rudy Royston, and Sean Jones.

The New Jazz Composers Octet is an all-acoustic jazz ensemble founded by trumpeter/arranger David Weiss in 1996. NPR's Josh Jackson described them as "part New York hustle and part writer's workshop, all of it redolent with the aroma of newness." The title track of The Turning Gate won the group a Chamber Music Association grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Weiss (musician)</span> Musical artist

David Weiss is a jazz trumpeter and the founder of The New Jazz Composers Octet.

<i>United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport</i> 2011 live album by Dave Douglas

United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport is a live album by trumpeter Dave Douglas' Brass Ecstasy released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2011.

<i>The Good Feeling</i> 2011 studio album by Christian McBride Big Band

The Good Feeling is a studio album by the Christian McBride Big Band. It won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012. The record was released on September 27, 2011 via the Mack Avenue label.

<i>Journey to the One</i> 1980 studio album by Pharoah Sanders

Journey to the One is a double album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in 1979 and released on the Theresa label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Williams (musician)</span> Musical artist

Ben Williams is an American jazz bassist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010s in jazz</span>

In the 2010s in jazz, there was a noted resurgence in the popularity of jazz, particularly in the United Kingdom, where new artists rose to prominence such as Sons of Kemet, Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, and Moses Boyd Young audiences overall also listened jazz moreso than before, with streaming services reporting a spike amongst people under 30. Part of this is attributed to the rise of streaming services, and part to fusions with other genres and collaborations between jazz musicians and popular artists in other genres, such as Kamasi Washington's work with Kendrick Lamar

<i>Christian McBrides New Jawn</i> 2018 studio album by Christian McBride

Christian McBride's New Jawn is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride recorded together with saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Josh Evans, and drummer Nasheet Waits. The album was released on October 26, 2018 via Mack Avenue label. Eight of the 9 songs included in the album are originals written by bandmembers; one composition is written by Wayne Shorter. The band released the follow-up album Prime in 2023.

<i>The Movement Revisited</i> 2020 studio album by Christian McBride

The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride. The album was recorded in September 2013 but released only on February 7, 2020 via the Mack Avenue label.

<i>For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver</i> 2020 studio album by Christian McBride

For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band. Mack Avenue Records released the album on September 25, 2020. This is the third release for McBride's big band; the band received Grammy Awards for its first two albums: The Good Feeling (2011) and Bringin' It (2017). The album also produced two singles: "Don Is" and "Medgar Evers Blues".

<i>Live at the Village Vanguard</i> (2021 Christian McBride album) 2021 live album by Christian McBride

Live at the Village Vanguard is a live album recorded by American jazz bassist Christian McBride with his band Inside Straight. Mack Avenue released the album on November 26, 2021, mentioning that this is the companion album for his 2015 record of the same name. This is McBride's twelfth release with Mack Avenue Music Group.

<i>Sacred Ceremonies</i> 2021 studio album by Wadada Leo Smith with Milford Graves and Bill Laswell

Sacred Ceremonies is a three-CD box set album by trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith on which he is joined by drummer Milford Graves and electric bassist Bill Laswell. Disc one was recorded on May 27, 2016, and features Smith and Graves in duo format. Disc two was recorded on May 26, 2016, and features Smith and Laswell. The entire trio is heard on disc three, which was recorded on December 11 and 12, 2015. All three discs were recorded at Orange Music Sound Studios in West Orange, New Jersey. The album was released by TUM Records in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 Jurkovic, Mike (4 March 2023). "Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Collar, Matt (2003). "Prime". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Saunders, Bret (31 January 2023). "Bandleader Christian McBride's new "jawn," and more jazz this month". The Denver Post . Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 Le Gendre, Kevin (2023). "Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime". Jazzwise . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Christian McBride". Tom Hull . Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Edgar, Hannah (24 March 2023). "Review: What's a 'New Jawn'? Only Christian McBride's hottest band yet". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  7. ↑ DeLuca, Dan (2023). "Jazz great Christian McBride won't name his five favorite Philly musicians. Here's why". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Douris, Raina; Junod, Kimberly (1 August 2023). "Christian McBride finds the groove again in his latest album, 'Prime'". NPR . Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (27 February 2023). "'Prime' by Christian McBride's New Jawn and 'Corridors' by Jazz Master Kendrick Scott Reviews: No Piano, No Problem". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Shteamer, Hank (20 February 2023). "Christian McBride, Revered in Jazz, Is Playing the Long Game". The New York Times . Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Baltin, Steve (12 March 2023). "Sunday Conversation: Christian McBride On New Music, The Need For Jazz Education And 'Sesame Street'". Forbes . Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  12. ↑ Enos, Morgan (9 March 2023). "Christian McBride On His New Jawn's 'Prime' And How Parameters Gave Him Creative Freedom | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com . Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Major, Michael (10 January 2023). "Christian McBride Returns With 'Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime'". Broadway World . Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Lomax, Ian (17 April 2023). "Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime". Jazz Journal . Retrieved 28 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.