Christian McBride - Without Further Ado, Vol 1 (2025)

It would be folly to try tallying the countless settings, styles, and legendary cohorts that comprise the career of veteran bassist/composer/bandleader Christian McBride. As if to underline that fact, here comes his 17-piece big band's first vocal-based album, spotlighting guest singers of multiple generations and genres.
Jazz standards predominate, but the band's fourth album opens with a pretty big surprise. Sting and Andy Summers, reuniting for the first time since 2008, front a swinging take on the slinky, transgressive Police B-side "Murder by Numbers." Before you've had a chance to recover from that one, R&B giant Jeffrey Osborne steps up for a brass-bedecked version of "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again," the tune that helped his career explode as a member of L.T.D. in the ‘70s. McBride shifts seamlessly to an electric bass to provide the song's sensual, funky underpinning.

With McBride & Co.'s help, two new-school jazz singers with old souls find fresh ways into standards. Gen Z phenom Samara Joy inhabits "Old Folks" with a quiet incandescence evoking crooners of a bygone era. And Antoinette Henry's powerhouse takeover of "Come Rain or Come Shine" blasts a hole in any preconceptions about the old chestnut's possibilities.

Cecile McLorin Salvant, one of America's most celebrated jazz vocalists of the last decade-plus, puts a fresh coat of paint on the Cole Porter tune "All Through the Night," soaring with gilded elegance and seeming effortlessness across the album's speediest arrangement. The push-pull between the band's unfettered riffing and Salvant's authoritative glide keeps your ears perked up.
For a band that contains so much instrumental firepower, including heavyweights like saxman Ron Blake and pianist Xavier Davis, there's surprisingly little soloing on the album. Even McBride only steps out front once for a brief statement on bowed bass. But the players of the CMBB are accomplished enough that they've got nothing to prove by showboating. Here they pump their blood and soul into arrangements largely dedicated to serving the song and the singer.
The exception arrives at the record's end. "Op. 49 – Cold Chicken Suite, Third Movement" is a strutting swing instrumental where the band gets to shine sans guests. But even here, the emphasis is more on expertly honed ensemble phrasing than injudicious jamming.
Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 brings some new flavors to McBride's already well-stocked spice rack. But the title's suffix reminds you that the prolific bass baron always has more surprises in store right around the corner.

TRACKLIST

1. Christian McBride;Sting;Andy Summers - Murder by Numbers
2. Christian McBride;Jeffrey Osborne - Back In Love Again
3. Christian McBride;Samara Joy - Old Folks
4. Christian McBride;José James - Moanin'
5. Christian McBride;Cécile McLorin Salvant - All Through The Night
6. Christian McBride;Dianne Reeves - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
7. Christian McBride;Antoinette Henry - Come Rain Or Come Shine
8. Christian McBride - Op. 49 - Cold Chicken Suite, 3rd Movement