After a full day of providing jazz clinics to local high school bands and students from the CSUN jazz program, nine-time Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride and his newest quintet, Ursa Major, performed both original works and known pieces at The Soraya Jazz Club on Feb. 7 and 8.
This evening soirée showcased McBride on bass, Michael King on keys, Savannah Harris on drums, Nicole Glover on saxophone and Ely Perlman on guitar.
Within most of the songs performed, each member of the quintet ripped through their own solos. Advanced polyrhythms, complex chord progressions and tight improvisation were on full display for the attendees, many of whom are avid jazz aficionados.
“Sometimes at these kinds of events where there’s a guest artist, that artist is usually incredible and the rest of the musicians are alright,” Claremont College jazz-saxophonist Nurlan Gnadinger said. “But in this one, all five of them were off-the-charts good.”
Some folks in attendance have worked with McBride in the past. Greg Swiller, a former freelance jazz musician and former attendee of a McBride workshop, reflected on the bassist’s impact.
“In 2001 at a Stanford jazz workshop for McBride’s combo, and there I was at the feet of the master,” Swiller said. “He was sort of like an older brother type.”
Swiller noted that McBride is an important figure in bridging the gap between younger generations and the contemporary jazz that he has pioneered. The ages of people in the audience varied widely, from high schoolers to an older gentleman reminiscing with his friend about the days he would go to jazz clubs in Los Angeles during the 1960s.
One of the stand-out moments of the night’s performance came when Perlman, Ursa Major’s guitarist, pulled out some audio looping-wizardry to kick off his own composition, called “Elevation.” Perlman fluttered through scales while recording them on a loop, reversed and slowed the loop down and then proceeded to solo over the ethereal backing track he had just created on the spot.
“If I could describe it in one word, it would be floating,” Gnadinger said. “It sounded like another planet, and he was taking us there.”
“This song is by the late, great Chick Corea,” McBride announced, before starting the song “La Fiesta,” a trio piece where McBride would play the bass almost like a flamenco guitar. The trio was performed by McBride, Harris and King. Hannah Price, a bassist in the audience, noted McBride’s unique sound on their shared instrument.
“A lot of people underestimate upright-bass as an instrument, especially in its capacity as a more lyrical instrument,” Price said. “What I really like about McBride is his expression on bass, it sounds like he’s singing through the instrument.”
As the evening concluded, McBride and Ursa Major received a standing ovation from the crowd, affirming the bassist’s ongoing ability to bridge generations as through being an educator, band leader and a generational musician.
