Artist: Christian McBride
Album: Conversations with Christian
Genre: Jazz
Release Date: 2011
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24 bit, 96 kHz
Duration: 01:16:31
Total Tracks: 13
Total Size: 1,28 GB

Tracklist:

1-1. Various Interprets – Afirika (04:21)
1-2. Various Interprets – Fat Bach and Greens (04:40)
1-3. Various Interprets – Consider Me Gone (04:19)
1-4. Various Interprets – Guajeo y Tumbao (06:18)
1-5. Various Interprets – Baubles, Bangles and Beads (05:21)
1-6. Various Interprets – Spiritual (07:07)
1-7. Various Interprets – It’s Your Thing (05:09)
1-8. Various Interprets – Alone Together (05:32)
1-9. Various Interprets – McDukey Blues (05:34)
1-10. Various Interprets – Tango Improvisation #1 (09:06)
1-11. Various Interprets – Sister Rosa (06:38)
1-12. Various Interprets – Shake ‘n Blake (05:37)
1-13. Various Interprets – Chitlins and Gefiltefish (06:43)

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Conversations with Christian is an unusual release, as it features the veteran bassist playing duets with a number of good friends. The vocal meetings include Angélique Kidjo, Sting, and Dee Dee Bridgewater (the latter with a hilarious, funky cover of the Isley Brothers’ signature song “It’s Your Thing”). The pairings with musicians of McBride’s generation (trumpeter Roy Hargrove, tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, and guitarist Russell Malone) all exceed expectations. There are several enjoyable duets with pianists, one featuring Latin jazz master Eddie Palmieri, a duo improvised tango by Chick Corea and the leader, plus an all too rare acoustic outing by the talented George Duke (who tears up the keyboard with his hard-charging “McDukey Blues”). But McBride’s meetings with Dr. Billy Taylor (playing his beautiful “Spiritual” with some potent arco playing by the bassist) and the elegant, swinging meeting with the gifted jazz master Hank Jones (“Alone Together”) remain moments to savor, as they are among the final recordings by the two jazz greats, both of whom died in 2010. The last track is a funky blues just for laughs, with actress Gina Gershon joining the bassist by playing a Jew’s harp, and featuring lots of comic spoken exchanges between the two. Throughout it all, Christian McBride plays with the chameleon-like adaptability of a Milt Hinton or Ray Brown. In the two-plus decades since arriving on the jazz scene, Christian McBride has demonstrated that he is a jazz master in the making, and this is easily one of his most compelling sets. – Ken Dryden