Bringin' It

Bringin' It is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band.^[12][13][14] The record was released on September 22, 2017, via the Mack Avenue label—both on CD and on LP.^[15][16] After The Good Feeling, this is his second album as a big band leader and his fourteenth overall. The album consists of 11 tracks: a mix of his own compositions and famous jazz standards, including a version of "Mr. Bojangles" featuring his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker.^[17] The album opens with the song "Gettin’ to It", which is the title of his 1994 debut album.

Bringin' It
Studio album by Christian McBride Big Band
Released	September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
Studio	Avatar, New York City, New York
Genre	Jazz
Length	1:08:55
Label	Mack Avenue MAC1115
Producer	Christian McBride
Christian McBride Big Band chronology
Live at the Village Vanguard (2015) Bringin' It (2017) Christian McBride's New Jawn (2018)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[1]
AllMusic	[2]
The Irish Times	[3]
Jazz Trail	A[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Financial Times	[6]
PopMatters	[7]
Stereophile	[8]
The Australian	[9]
RTÉ.ie	[10]
Record Collector	[11]

Awards

Bringin' It won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018.^[18]

Critical reception

Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote "Christian McBride's second big-band album, 2017's Bringin' It, is a robust, swaggeringly performed set of originals and standards showcasing his deft arranging skills and his ensemble's exuberant virtuosity. The album comes six years after his previous big-band outing, The Good Feeling, and once again finds the bassist conscripting a slew of his talented cohorts (some new, others returning), including saxophonists Steve Wilson and Ron Blake, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Brandon Lee, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist Xavier Davis, drummer Quincy Phillips, and others... With Bringin' It, McBride has ultimately crafted a big-band album that retains all of his own formidable, exuberant characteristics."

Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz said "This album serves as the long-awaited follow-up to The Good Feeling, the group's Grammy-winning debut. And like its lauded predecessor, Bringin' It presents a tight and tasty program of music designed by McBride and bolstered by his bass. Everything you've come to expect from this musical dynamo—taste, punch, humor, intelligence, solid gold grooves, an appreciation for lyricism—is here for the taking. Styles and settings vary greatly from track to track and moment to moment, but this ensemble is remarkably consistent through it all".

John Fordham of The Guardian mentioned "McBride’s exciting big band is the perfect festival draw – steeped in old-school swing, Latin jazz, funk and Ray Charlesian soul-blues, bristling with hotshot soloists. The opening Gettin’ to It... is a genial swagger of blues hooks, slyly squealing trumpet-section riffs, and rhythm guitar drive. But after that effusive hello, the leader's craft and erudition bloom, in the boppishly Byzantine arrangement and pounding bass-walk of Freddie Hubbard's "Thermo", the bluesiness of Wes Montgomery's "Full House", and the impressionistic, then anthemic, visit to McCoy Tyner's "Sahara". McBride's originals are not quite so convincing, and there are a few band-bantering longueurs, but live, this punchy outfit could captivate the traditionalists and jazz hair-shirt wearers, too".^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gettin' to It"	McBride	6:37
2.	"Thermo"	Freddie Hubbard	5:59
3.	"Youthful Bliss"	McBride	6:59
4.	"I Thought About You"	James Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer	6:09
5.	"Sahara"	McCoy Tyner	10:09
6.	"Upside Down"	Djavan Caetano Viana, Regina Werneck	4:43
7.	"Full House"	Wes Montgomery	6:25
8.	"Mr. Bojangles"	Jerry Jeff Walker	6:16
9.	"Used 'Ta Could"	McBride	4:37
10.	"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"	Bob Hilliard, David Mann	3:55
11.	"Optimism"	Steve Davis	7:06
Total length:			1:08:55

Personnel

Christian McBride – bass Frank Greene – lead trumpet Freddie Hendrix – trumpet Brandon Lee – trumpet Nabate Isles – trumpet Michael Dease – lead trombone Steve Davis – trombone ("Optimism") Joe McDonough – trombone (all tracks except "Optimism") James Burton – trombone Douglas Purviance – bass trombone

Steve Wilson – alto, soprano sax, flute Todd Bashore – alto saxophone, flute, piccolo Ron Blake – tenor saxophone, flute Dan Pratt – tenor saxophone, clarinet Carl Maraghi – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet Xavier Davis – piano Rodney Jones – guitar ("Gettin’ to It" & "Full House") Quincy Phillips – drums Melissa Walker – vocals ("Upside Down" & "Mr. Bojangles") Brandee Younger – harp ("In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning") Anna Webber – album artwork

Chart performance

Chart (2017)	Peak position
US Jazz Albums (Billboard)[20]	3

References

1. Bilawsky, Dan (September 8, 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It". All About Jazz. allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
2. Collar, Matt. "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
3. Larkin, Cormac (October 11, 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band – Bringin' It review: Another gem from US bassist". The Irish Times. rishtimes.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
4. "CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE BIG BAND - BRINGIN IT". Jazz Trail. jazztrail.net. October 3, 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
5. Fordham, John (9 November 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It review – bassist's deft touch adds orchestral swagger". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
6. Hobart, Mike (22 September 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band Bringin' It". Financial Times. ft.com. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
7. Jurik, Andy (4 November 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
8. Baird, Robert (14 November 2017). "Recording of December 2017: Bringin' It". Stereophile. stereophile.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
9. Myers, Eric (25 November 2017). "Music: Sia; Willie Nelson; Ruben Blades; Christian McBride; Sharon Jones". The Australian. theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
10. Kehoe, Paddy (28 October 2017). "Bringin' It by Christian McBride". RTE. RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
11. Waring, Charles. "CHRISTIAN McBRIDE BIG BAND: Bringin' It (**** Mack Avenue)". Record Collector. recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
12. "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It — 'muscle and finesse'". Financial Times. ft.com. September 22, 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
13. Banks Weber, Carol (15 August 2017). "For the man who plays everything: Christian McBride Big Band's big bang 'Bringin' It'". Festival Peak. festivalpeak.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
14. "Bassist Christian McBride to Release New Album "Bringin' It" on Sept. 22nd, 2017". theurbanmusicscene.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
15. "Christian McBride Big Band – Bringin' It". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
16. "Christian McBride Bringin' It". Mack Avenue Records. mackavenue.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
17. Johnson, Kevin (October 7, 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band Releases "Bringin' It"". No Treble. notreble.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
18. "Christian McBride Big Band". Grammy. Recording Academy. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
19. Fordham, John (9 November 2017). "Christian McBride Big Band: Bringin' It review – bassist's deft touch adds orchestral swagger". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
20. "CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE: CHART HISTORY". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved 18 May 2019.^{[dead link‍]}

External links

• Christian McBride Discography Archived 2017-10-17 at the Wayback Machine