Bassist

What does it mean to be an American today? That is the question posed by the curator, pianist and producer Lara Downes in Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope, featuring world premieres by three major composers. Valerie Coleman presents Life, a work for solo piano; Arturo O'Farrill offers the Liberty; and Christopher Tin closes with The Pursuit of Happiness. These latter two compositions are performed by the American Composers Orchestra, under the baton of Eric Jacobsen, with the aid of a select collective of artists and bands who represent a wide range of the American experience. Guests will include jazz bassist Christian McBride, vocalists Kurt Elling and Aoife O’Donovan, and more to be announced.

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Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope

Lincoln Center

Christian McBride is an eleven-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, and serves as Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Christian McBride & Ursa Major

McCarter Theatre Center

Nine-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader Christian McBride is a commanding force in American culture. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts Jazz Night in America on NPR, The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian on SiriusXM, and is the artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival. Ursa Major showcases McBride with some of the most exciting young players on the scene: tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King, and drummer Savannah Harris.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Christian McBride has blazed an extraordinary trail as one of the most preeminent musicians of his time. Over the last three decades, the nine-time Grammy winner has made momentous advances as a dynamic musician and recording artist, a prolific composer-arranger-producer, a curator of culture, and a dedicated educator and mentor. A prolific bandleader, McBride’s ensembles are each distinctive extensions of his creative inspiration, which span jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip hop and rhythm and blues. His celebrated groups—including his newest, Ursa Major, joining him here--have not only enjoyed consistent critical acclaim, but they have also emphasized his role as an early presenter of rising stars. McBride’s staggeringly diverse career also includes the role of host of NPR’s public radio program Jazz Night in America as well as The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian on SiriusXM. Don’t miss this evening of stellar jazz with a star!

Christian McBride with Ursa Major

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

Witness the extraordinary collaboration of Edgar Meyer and Christian McBride—two titans of the bass world—as they bring their acclaimed album, "But Who's Going to Play the Melody?" to life. The duo creates a sound that is both profound and accessible, showcasing incredible versatility in their artistry. Blending classical precision with jazz improvisation, their music is a seamless fusion of genres. Their performances are a masterclass in virtuosity, and their interplay is nothing short of magical.

Associated Press raves, "McBride is a jazz superstar fluent in R&B. Meyer’s remarkably diverse resume ranges from bluegrass to classical music. Together, they draw on a multitude of genres, plucking, bowing and showing just how expressive their 20-pound instruments can be."

Experience the unique synergy of these two legendary musicians and discover the boundless possibilities of the bass, as heard on their captivating album.

Edgar Meyer & Christian McBride

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

This duo, which has been playing together blindly for over three decades, forms the grand finale of the "Reflektor" festival at the Elbphilharmonie, curated by Brad Mehldau. Pianist Mehldau, equally influenced by Franz Schubert, Keith Jarrett, and Radiohead, joins bassist Christian McBride, big band founder and great swing master.

Brad Mehldau / Christian McBride

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Two of the most respected artists in contemporary jazz join forces in this duo. Brad Mehldau is hailed as “one of modern jazz’s most innovative musicians” by Glide Magazine. Christian McBride says, “Brad is justifiably revered as one of the greatest pianists of all time. I’m very proud to have been friends and cohorts with him for almost 35 years. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to NYC in 1989, and it continues to be an uplifting experience every time we play together.”

Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau

Dakota

Two of the most respected artists in contemporary jazz join forces in this duo. Hailed “one of modern jazz’s most innovative musicians” by Glide Magazine, Christian McBride says, “Brad is justifiably revered as one of the greatest pianists of all time. I’m very proud to have been friends and cohorts with him for almost 35 years. He was one of the first people I met when I moved to NYC in 1989, and it continues to be an uplifting experience every time we play together.” Named “one of our greatest living pianists” by NPR, Brad Mehldau says, “It is a dream come true to play with Christian in this duo setting. Playing with Christian, especially in this configuration, is both joyful and daunting all at once. His level of sophistication and swing, of emotional power and grace, is unsurpassed - not in the least on what he has achieved on his instrument, but also as one of our strongest voices in the music more generally, at the top of his game. I’m so honored to be on stage with him.” This longtime friendship and musical camaraderie has led to various collaborations through the years including the albums MoodSwing (1994), RoundAgain (2020), and LongGone (2023) with Joshua Redman and Brian Blade; trio tour dates with drummer Marcus Gilmore; and a recent duo performance at the Big Ears Festival that had the crowd utterly captivated.

The Flynn

All weekend, enjoy the simulcast from the final two Arena acts on the Jimmy Lyons Stage in Dizzy’s Den.

Jimmy Lyons Stage Simulcast

Monterey Jazz Festival

In a rare live performance, Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite is presented by an all-star ensemble including his protégé Benny Green and led by legendary composer and arranger John Clayton. The suite, inspired in part by Nelson Mandela and the intense struggle for human rights in apartheid South Africa, accentuates Peterson’s “technically brilliant and melodically inventive” (All About Jazz) style and reverence for social justice activism.

Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite

Symphony Center

In 2022 Christian McBride started touring with a brand new band: Christian McBride & Ursa Major. Led by eight-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader McBride, this project features four young master instrumentalists, with Christian on both acoustic and electric bass.

Alluvion Jazz Series: Christian McBride & Ursa Major - TWO SHOW EVENING

Commongrounds

Barron performs with a new all-star quintet featuring bass legend Christian McBride, rising saxophone master Immanuel Wilkins, longtime drummer Johnathan Blake, and trumpeter and SFJAZZ Collective member Mike Rodriguez. They will be performing a range of material including music from Barron’s new Artwork Records release, Beyond This Place, featuring Blake and Wilkins. 

Kenny Barron Quintet

SFJAZZ Center

Described by JazzTimes as “one of the most consistently fascinating voices in current jazz,” Brad Mehldau has done more to extend and refine the piano trio’s possibilities than any artist in the last quarter century. For these historic nights, Mehldau performs with a true supergroup including bassist Christian McBride and drummer Marcus Gilmore.  

Brad Mehldau Trio

More than a bass superstar, Christian McBride has become a commanding force in American culture. His responsibilities are legion, from producer and radio host to his recent post as artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival. And that’s to say nothing of his era-defining work as an eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning bandleader and recording artist who’s collaborated with everyone from McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea to Sting, Paul McCartney, Kathleen Battle, The Roots and James Brown. 

Christian McBride’s Ursa Major

Revered master of the upright bass, Christian McBride is also the foremost master of finding new talent and surrounding himself with young musicians. His New Quintet is precisely that. Jazz Club audiences have a rare opportunity to be up close with the acclaimed bandleader, composer, and educator alongside his fresh crop of next-gen superstars.

Christian Mcbride & Ursa Major

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts

Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer and bandleader fusing everything from jazz to R&B, pop/rock to hip-hop/neo-soul to classical. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Christian McBride and Ursa Major

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Christian McBride is an eight-time Grammy-winning bassist, composer and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Moreover, he directs the TD James Moody Jazz Festival and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride also advocates for and educates youth. To that end, he serves as Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. Whether playing the bass or working off-stage, Christian McBride always engages with the music. He has made his mark, from jazz to R&B, pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, becoming a luminary, a living legend.

St. Ann’s Warehouse, WNYC, and Brooklyn Bridge Park present Rhapsody for This Land: The American Odyssey in Music, a free, outdoor concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s exuberant American anthem Rhapsody in Blue. Situated beneath the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the concert features classical pianist and host of NPR’s AMPLIFY  Lara Downes, performing the New York City premiere of her take on Gershwin’s innovative 1924 work in a radical new arrangement by the Puerto Rican composer Edmar Colón. Considering American music through a century of immigration and transformation, Rhapsody for This Land celebrates our country’s long history of hope, protest, and change.

Rhapsody for This Land: The American Odyssey in Music

Brooklyn Bridge Park

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path, which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure. His forays into melding musical idioms, in both trio and solo settings, has seen brilliant re-workings of songs by The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, Paul Simon, George Gershwin and Nick Drake; alongside the ever evolving breadth of his own significant catalogue of original compositions. Mehldau’s new trio includes seven-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride and Grammy Award-winning drummer Marcus Gilmore, best known for his work with Chick Corea, Vijay Iyer and Pat Metheny.

Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Marcus Gilmore

Wortham Theater Center

Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY Award winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center (NJPAC) and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Christian is also a respected educator and advocate as the Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS, and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz, to R&B, pop/rock, hip-hop/neo-soul, to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Christian McBride

August Wilson African American Cultural Center

NJPAC celebrates the close friendship of legendary singer and songwriter Miss Peggy Lee and the greatest vocal star of all, Frank Sinatra. This one-night-only event features Christian McBride as Musical Director, with a lineup of all-star vocalists including Aloe Blacc (Wake Me Up), multi-GRAMMY® winner Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bettye LaVette (I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Man of LaMancha, Ragtime) and Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive)—along with the Christian McBride Big Band and Strings.

Celebrating Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra & Friends

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Eight-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, bandleader and host of NPR’s “Jazz Night in America,” Christian McBride brings his monumental musical tribute inspired by the words of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and President Barack Obama. “When the suite soars, it follows the bandleader’s strengths, known for his ebullient precision — his joy in the details — and for savoring the nectar inside swing rhythm” (DownBeat).

Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited

When You Wish Upon a Star will be performed by the newly created house band of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, featuring pianist and musical director, Sean Mason, and vocalists Kim Nalley and Sasha Dobson, who will bring these famous songs to life.

When You Wish Upon A Star: A Jazz Tribute to 100 Years of Disney1

“One of the premier musicians of his generation” (DownBeat), eight-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride leads an all-star quartet that draws on the powerhouse connection between McBride and drummer Nasheet Waits. The frontline of Josh Evans (trumpet) and Marcus Strickland (sax) soar as they are propelled by one of the world’s greatest rhythm sections with no piano or guitar chords to ground them. One thing is guaranteed, this band will swing!

Christian McBride's New Jawn

The Royal Conservatory of Music

At age 23, Samara Joy is already a phenom. Winner of two Grammy Awards and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she’s performed with such legends as Christian McBride and Bill Charlap. She possesses a voice that is rich and velvety, yet precociously refined: “The close precision and frothy power of her voice stand out immediately … so does the depth of her comfort within the jazz tradition,” attests The New York Times. With ease and a preternatural assurance,  Joy swings through understated yet powerful renditions of jazz standards.

Samara Joy

Lafayette College

At this year’s extraordinary show, we celebrate the music and the impact of one of Newark’s greatest jazz icons, Sarah Vaughan, the Divine One, on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Sarah Vaughan

Beyond his incomparable reputation as the standard-bearing bassist in modern jazz, Christian McBride has always been a restless explorer, constantly immersing himself in different musical environments with stimulating collaborators. After seven years of SFJAZZ performances that have run the gamut from bass duo and classical sextet to big band and his funk-infused Situation band, McBride presents the long-awaited return of New Jawn, a quartet named in reference to that most Philadelphian of indefinable words. Echoing the two horns/no piano lineup of the classic Ornette Coleman quartet, New Jawn is comprised of some of the most forward-thinking jazz artists on today’s scene. First recorded on their 2018 eponymous debut, they return with music from their 2023 Mack Avenue follow-up Prime.



Enjoy an evening of musical entertainment with two of the world’s foremost bassists. Eminent jazz bassist Christian McBride brings his unique musical flair to complement Edgar Meyer’s accomplished background of classical, folk, and bluegrass. The two virtuosos and friends join forces and share the stage for a transfixing and lively performance that’s sure to be an electric evening for all!

Special Event: Bass Sensations Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer

Aspen Meadows Resort

Bassist Christian McBride was named artistic director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions (2000), co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (2005) and creative chair for jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (2005). He now serves as artistic advisor for jazz programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and as artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival. From jazz to R&B to pop/rock to hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, McBride is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights -- and the other extended in fellowship. McBride will be joined by Nicole Glover (sax), Ely Perlman (guitar), Mike King (piano) and Savannah Harris (drums).

Christian Mcbride/samara Joy

Mimi Ohio Theatre

Christian McBride is an eight-time Grammy®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He is also a respected educator and advocate as the artistic director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR’s Jazz Night in America and The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, McBride is always of the music. From jazz, R&B, pop-rock, hip-hop, and neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Christian McBride’s New Jawn

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Eight-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride fuses the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman. Powered by relentless energy and a boundless love of swing, McBride’s career is now blazing into its third decade and he is one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in music.

Irvine Barclay Theatre

Tia Fuller, a professor in the ensemble department, presents Christian McBride/Esperanza Spalding Ensemble.

2023 Spring Ensembles: Christian McBride/Esperanza Spalding Ensemble

David Friend Recital Hall

The WashU Jazz Band students will perform under the direction of Chris Becker.

Jazz Band Concert

560 Music Center

Bassist Christian McBride is one of the most in-demand jazz musicians of his generation. A six-time Grammy award-winner, McBride consistently combines his deft musicianship with an innate ability to communicate his enthusiasm to an audience. He originally attended Juilliard to study classical music, but soon was recruited to a touring jazz combo that launched his career. He has performed on over 200 recordings and has collaborated with varied musical legends including Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, James Brown, Kathleen Battle, and Edgar Meyer.

Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center

Widely considered one of the best bassists of his generation, Christian McBride is an eleven-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He has performed and recorded with jazz legends like Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes and Chick Corea, as well as new-school stars Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton and Benny Green.

Ronnie Scott's

Jazz and classical meet in this genre-defying program full of color, rhythm, and fun. Montclair’s own jazz legend and nine-time GRAMMY Award-winner Christian McBride debuts with your New Jersey Symphony in a concerto tailor-made for him. Eric Jacobsen, hailed by The New York Times as “an interpretive dynamo” returns with the perfumed hues of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Rachmaninoff’s final orchestral work, written in New York City and full of longing for his Russian home.

Bassist

Christian McBride

Events

Upcoming events

1 - 2 Oct, 2026

Christian McBride & Ursa Major · Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club

19 - 22 Nov, 2026

New Jersey Symphony: Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances · New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Past events

Jul 1, 2026

Declaration: Songs of Democracy, Voices of Hope · American Composers Orchestra

Jun 7, 2026

Christian McBride & Ursa Major · McCarter Theatre Center

Future and recently performed repertoire

Bass in Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for McBride by Duke

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

About

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