Sci-Fi (album)

Last updated
Sci-Fi
SciFi by Christian McBride.jpg
Studio album by
Christian McBride
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2000
RecordedFebruary 10–12, 2000
Studio Avatar, New York City
Genre Jazz
Length71:40
Label Verve
Producer Christian McBride
Christian McBride chronology
A Family Affair
(1998)		Sci-Fi
(2000)		 The Philadelphia Experiment
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly B [3]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Sci-Fi is the fourth studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride, released in 2000 by Verve. [6] [7] [8] Some of the tracks are pop standards. [5]

Contents

Reception

John Fordham of The Guardian wrote "Sci-Fi starts unpromisingly, with a rather anonymous, swoony, mixed-tempo account of Steely Dan's 1977 hit Aja that only ignites with David Gilmore's guitar solo. Yet, as it continues, US bass star McBride's typically broad-minded set emphasises both his own playing gifts and their pulling-power with some of the biggest names in the business. McBride's clarity of sound, the bullet-like impact he imparts to every note at any speed, and the distinctive turns of his lines, make him one of the most remarkable bassists in post-bop. The impact those virtues have on other players often leave you feeling that the improvisations on his albums could just be clipped out and segued into each other, with the themes dropped on the floor". [9]

John Murph of Jazz Times stated "As the title suggests, the album has a questing quality that’s sometimes expressed in the longing melodies of Ron Blake’s tenor saxophone on “Aja,” Dianne Reeves’ celestial vocalese on “Lullaby for a Ladybug” or drummer Rodney Green's rocketing rhythmic bursts on “Xerxes.” McBride's robust acoustic bass alone could propel any ensemble to the stratosphere, but on Sci-Fi he adds even more ammunition to his arsenal: he plays discreet Fender Rhodes as a complement to Shedrick Mitchell's acoustic piano. On the Wayne Shorterish title track, McBride tosses in some spacey keyboard effects, while Blake's adventurous soprano saxophone probes right through the spacious composition, like the Enterprise warping through galactic wormholes. McBride pays tribute to two of his electric-bass heroes, Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke, with “Havona” and “Butterfly Dreams,” respectively, and gives a mighty pound to the ’70s fusion with the infectious “Via Mwandishi,” which features James Carter's bass clarinet recalling Bennie Maupin, one of the instrument's underrated players." [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aja" Walter Becker, Donald Fagen 6:46
2."Uhura's Moment Returned"McBride6:18
3."Xerxes"McBride7:56
4."Lullaby for a Ladybug"McBride7:28
5."Science Fiction"McBride6:50
6."Walking on the Moon" Sting 6:43
7."Havona" Jaco Pastorius 7:12
8."I'll Guess I'll Have to Forget"McBride6:10
9."Butterfly Dreams" Stanley Clarke 6:43
10."Via Mwandishi"McBride8:02
11."The Sci-fi Outro"McBride1:13
Total length:71:40

Personnel

Band

Production

Chart performance

Chart (2000)Peak
position
US Jazz Albums (Billboard) [11] 25

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References

  1. ↑ Edelstein, Paula. "Christian McBride: Sci-Fi". AllMusic . allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Kollington - Morphine. MUZE. p. 601. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4 . Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Futterman, Steve (September 22, 2000). "Music Review: 'Sci-Fi'". Entertainment Weekly . ew.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Fordham, John (8 September 2000). "Deep space". The Guardian . theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 965. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ↑ Hovan, C. Andrew (November 1, 2000). "Christian McBride: Sci-Fi". All About Jazz . allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (September 8, 2000). "CHRISTIAN McBRIDE "Sci-Fi" Verve". The Washington Post . washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Murph, John (1 November 2000). "Christian McBride Band: Sci-Fi". Jazz Times . jazztimes.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  9. ↑ Fordham, John (8 September 2000). "Deep space". The Guardian . theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  10. ↑ Murph, John (January 10, 2000). "Christian McBride Band: Sci-Fi". Jazz Times . jazztimes.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  11. ↑ "CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE: CHART HISTORY". Billboard. billboard.com . Retrieved 2 November 2018.[ dead link ]
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