Mr. McBride Again

I had the joy of hearing Christian McBride and Inside Straight, his quintet with whom he recorded, "Kind of Brown." Since that 2009 recording, there have been several personel changes. This evening, he had Warrent Wolf on vibes, Ulysses Owens on drums, Jaleel Shaw on sax, and Christian Sands on piano. Quite simply, the group was crisp, bright, and hip.

Having vibes in a modern jazz group is rather rare, I don't personally listen to many other groups with vibes. In this group, they are simply wonderful, adding a new tone to their essentially post bop sound. Warren wolf's dexterity and speed on the instrument is truly amazing. His ability to zip up and down the instrument and roll around chromatic figures is unique. I'm really glad that he has found a group that can really showcase his talents.

Indeed, in contrast to the last time I heard Mr. McBride, the performance was all around energetic, tasteful, and inspiring. The entire group was solid. It is somewhat disheartening to hear that his talented pianist is only 21. He can do way more with two fingers than I Used'ta Could with both hands; their rendition of the original tune, "Used'ta Could" was exceptional.

I also though that Mr. Mcbride's prelude on "Theme for Kareem" was rich enough in harmony and textures to stand my hair on end. Simply awesome. "Theme for Kareem," is, however, one of my favorite tunes from the album, as it has such a distinct and lively character, which is very much appreciated when I listen to it while I work.

Overall, it was a pleasure to hear these guys back at Stanford.