Christian Mcbride's & New Jawn

Departing from the sound of Inside Straight and the Christian McBride Trio, bass giant McBride fronts New Jawn (derived from Philadelphia slang), a quartet with no chordal instrument. The album has the spark and loose feeling of a live set, its spacious harmonic language articulated with equal parts rigor and abandon by tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and trumpeter Josh Evans. Each player writes two tunes, beginning with McBride’s lopsided scene-setter “Walkin’ Funny” and later his modern waltz “John Day” (with Strickland doubling on bass clarinet). Drummer Nasheet Waits, with his unique facility and expression in every context, from free-form to hard swing, contributes “Ke-Kelli Sketch” and the affecting ballad “Kush” (another bass clarinet piece). Evans’ entries range from the darkly hued “Ballad of Ernie Washington” to the Caribbean-tinged “Pier One Import,” while Strickland’s “The Middle Man” and “Seek the Source” bring the heat and light of surging uptempo post-bop and idiosyncratic blues in turn.

Christian McBride’s New Jawn — trumpeter Josh Evans (Jackie McLean, Cedar Walton, Rasheid Ali), saxophonist and bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland (Roy Haynes, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Chris Dave, Bilal, Robert Glasper), and drummer Nasheet Waits (Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, John Medeski) — is back with their highly anticipated sophomore album, Prime, the follow-up from McBride’s GRAMMY® nominated group. Featuring original compositions from each band member as well as fresh takes on songs from Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman and Larry Young, this group offers an exhilarating space of exploration for the 8-time GRAMMY® Award-winning McBride to stretch his veteran wings.

Having spent most of his time since the late '90s re-appropriating pop, funk, rock, and fusion elements into his progressive jazz albums, bassist Christian McBride makes a joyously off the cuff return to straight-ahead acoustic jazz on 2006's New York Time. Working here with the seasoned rhythm section giants of pianist Cedar Walton and drummer Jimmy Cobb as well as an equally engaging contemporary, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, McBride has crafted a back-to-basics album that, while firmly in the mainstream jazz tradition, works to remind listeners why they dug him in the first place.