Live at Tonic

Christian spends two nights at Tonic - the downtown institution deep in the heart of the Lower East Side, playing two sets each evening. The first set of both nights catches the Christian McBride Band at its best: the all-star ensemble that has been behind (or in front) the leader for most of this century tearing through the McBride songbook. The second sets both feature Christian completely improvising every note of every song with special guests including Charlie Hunter (guitar), Jason Moran (keys), Jenny Schienman (violin), DJ Logic (turntables), Eric Krasno (guitars), Scratch (beatbox) and many more. Both nights play long into the next day as no one wants to leave the cozy confines and the beautiful vibe. The energy of the audience (a New York mix of young and old, hiphoppers and jazz heads; uptown and downtown) feeds the band, the band reciprocates and the magic is undeniable. And when Christian goes back to edit the tapes for the live recording, he decides that the magic needs to be documented, that all the music should be released, beginning to end, mistakes mixed in with the marvelous. And so it was and so it is. 2005. Christian McBride's basslines range from Jimmy Blanton's big-band boom shots to James Brown's funky grooves on his first live recording, a 3-CD set recorded at Manhattan's Tonic club in January 2005. Backed by his ace band featuring keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and Saturday Night Live saxophonist/flutist Ron Blake, McBride effortlessly alternates between acoustic and electric bass and lays down some solid bottom on these Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis-influenced, post-fusion tracks. The first disc is highlighted by his fiery rendition of Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz," and the spacey Latin number, "Lejos de Usted." The second and third discs include an engaging, New Orleans-nuanced "Hemisphere Jam," with guitarist Charlie Hunter and the pointillistic pianist Jason Moran, as well as the 33-minute "E Jam," with the turntablist DJ Logic. Along the way, McBride drops quotes from Thelonious Monk, Kraftwerk, and Stevie Wonder, and his engaging, on-stage demeanor is the icing on this awesome aural cake. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

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