1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: from iHeart Radio. The sound you're hearing is the magic 3 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: fingers of acclaimed jazz bassist, composer and arranger Christian McBride. 4 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: That's him on Stick and Move with his band Inside, 5 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: straight from Live at the Village Vanguard. The eight time 6 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 1: Grammy winner is the leader of several bands of various 7 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: sizes and configurations. He's collaborated with everyone from Herbie Hancock 8 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: and Diana Crawl to Sting and Celine Dion. He also 9 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: serves as the artistic director of both the Newport Jazz 10 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Festival and the educational organization Jazz House Kids. Growing up, 11 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: McBride was known to many as a child prodigy. He 12 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,559 Speaker 1: attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts 13 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: in the same class as Questlove and Boys to Men. 14 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: He even performed on stage with both Wynton Marsalis and 15 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: Miles Davis while still in high school. I wanted to 16 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: know how a young talent like McBride found his entry 17 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: point to a challenging genre like jazz. 18 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 2: The music I grew up on was James Brown. James 19 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 2: Brown has always been my number one musical hero our household, 20 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: you know, like you said, you grew up on Cream 21 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 2: and Hendrix and Zappa. My household was full of James Brown, 22 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 2: the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and the Pips, Al Green, 23 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: Isaac Hayes. So I sort of backed my way into jazz, 24 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 2: you did, Oh yeah, absolutely? And what was the. 25 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: Beginning of that seduction? How did you decide? Because I mean, 26 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: I'm not saying this to be kind. You seem like 27 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: you could play any music you wanted to, well, thank you, 28 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: and you'd have a seed in any band you wanted. 29 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 2: Well, that was my ultimate goal. You know, my dad 30 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 2: is also a professional bass player, and so while I'm 31 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: growing up listening to all this R and B and 32 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: soul music, my dad started playing with the great Cuban 33 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 2: percussionist Mongo Santa Maria. And so I saw my dad 34 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 2: play with Mongo a lot, and you know, I thought, 35 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: I don't know much about Latin music, but this is killing, 36 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 2: you know. And I was eight years old and I 37 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: was watching dad play with Mongo and Dizzy Gillespie was 38 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 2: the guest soloist with the band that night, and I 39 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 2: knew who Dizzy was I wasn't familiar with his music, 40 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: but I knew who he was, you know, who didn't 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 2: know those cheeks, you know, And I had seen him 42 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 2: on The Muppet Show and you know, so he was 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: like the only jazz musician who I knew. And after 44 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: the show was over, my dad took me backstage, and 45 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,399 Speaker 2: I remember Meltor May was also there that night, Ella 46 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: Fitzgerald and Dizzy and you know, just being around all 47 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 2: these legendary jazz musicians, I thought, man, he's these guys 48 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 2: are cool, you know. But even still. It wasn't until 49 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 2: I got to middle school and I started playing the 50 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 2: upright bass. That's when the other bass player in my family, 51 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 2: my great uncle, he plays bass also. He got so 52 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 2: excited that I was playing upright bass. He said, come 53 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: over to my house. I got something for you, and 54 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: he had a stack of records waiting for me. He 55 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 2: gave me a crash course in the history of jazz 56 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 2: in like six hours, you know. He played my house 57 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 2: Cold Traine, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong all the way up 58 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 2: through Weather Report and Return It Forever, and things that 59 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 2: were contemporary like Win Marcellus and Terrence Blanchard. So He 60 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: really pulled me all the way in. And the reason 61 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 2: why I fell in love with jazz was partly because 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 2: of the music, but also because of the way my 63 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 2: great uncle taught me, which I feel is probably the 64 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: most important thing that I wish more instructors would learn. 65 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 2: So most jazz teachers, I think most jazz fans tend 66 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 2: to be a little dogmatic. You know, they teach you 67 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 2: how great the music is by belittling what you already like. 68 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 2: And my great uncle never did that. So what do 69 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: you mean, the little one. It's like Prince Man, he 70 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 2: don't need to listen to No, Prince that's garbage. See, 71 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: you need to listen to you need to listen to 72 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 2: cat Jazz is a higher place, right right. So my 73 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 2: great uncle never did that. He knew how much I 74 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 2: loved James Brown and Michael Jackson and Prince and Rick James, 75 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 2: and he was like, oh, yeah, they're bad too, they're 76 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 2: bad too, But listen to this, you know. And you 77 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 2: know he would like a cigarette, and you know he was. 78 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 2: He had a favorite rocking chair that he like a 79 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 2: lounge chair he sat in when he listened to his records, 80 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: and he would sit way down his back was almost 81 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 2: on the bottom of the chair, and his knees would 82 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 2: wiggle and he would talk to the record as it 83 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 2: was playing. He'd be like, yeah, baby, who listen to that? 84 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 2: You hear you here with Miles is putting down baby, 85 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 2: you know. So he was always so comical. How could 86 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 2: you turn down? You know what I'm saying. I said, 87 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 2: if jazz makes him that cool, I want to be 88 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 2: like him. So that's what got me in there. Now, 89 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 2: where'd you grew up a part of the county? You 90 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 2: were in Philly. You're in Philly, you know. 91 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: For me, I grew up with that music, you know, 92 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: British Invasion, all that stuff in the seventies and Pink 93 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: Floyd whatever. And then, as I told people on this show, 94 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: because I'm a big classical music junkie, I was in 95 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: a car once in nineteen eighty six, I think it was, 96 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 1: and I turned on the radio, and you know, all 97 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: the popular music that was playing at that. 98 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 2: Time ceased to speak to me. 99 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: Right, So I turn on the radio and on comes 100 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: SCHALTI conducted the Chicago that we were doing them all 101 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: or ninth and I go down that rabbit hole of 102 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: classical music forever and the same with jazz. When I 103 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: saw Fosse's movie, I just was like, you know, the 104 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: mathematics of jazz. Jazz to me is mathematical. Are jazz 105 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: compositions written and scored like regular music, like any other music? 106 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 2: Some of them are. You know, jazz is based on improvisation, 107 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 2: but there is a there's very much a form to it. 108 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 2: For example, most pop songs have a very strict structure, 109 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 2: you know, verse, verse course, verse course, bridge, verse course. 110 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 2: You know, whereas jazz, you get a melody with the 111 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 2: set of chord changes. You play that melody with those 112 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 2: chord changes. Now, once you do that, you have a 113 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 2: conversation based on that melody and those chord changes. So 114 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 2: it's kind of like giving someone a topic and say, okay, 115 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 2: talk about this. I don't really know what I'm going 116 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 2: to say, but you know enough about this subject that 117 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 2: you can just have an open conversation about it. So 118 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 2: that's what jazz is for me. 119 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: When I listen to different types of jazz, I mean, 120 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: there's jazz I find very soothing. Obviously piano. I'm a 121 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: huge Oscar Peterson nut soundtracks of movies you mentioned cab 122 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: Caliwaight Nose sequences and cotton Club. But then there's jazz 123 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: that is like, you know, I got no idea. 124 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 2: Where we goes that way. Yeah, it goes that way. 125 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 2: What you said, It goes that way. 126 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: And these guys are playing then you're going and you know, 127 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: I feel like they're going to play until they just drop. 128 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: There's no end to the song. I feel they're going 129 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: to play until they just pass out. Is it always 130 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: was twas? 131 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 2: Ever? 132 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: Thus was a jazz always like that? Or has it 133 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: evolved over time which was much more freeform? 134 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 2: Definitely evolved before. Actually before I answered that. Knowing that 135 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 2: you're a big Oscar Peterson, you might want to know 136 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 2: that my godfather was the late great Ray Brown. Oh yeah, 137 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 2: I actually have one of his basses. Oh my god. 138 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, so Ray lives with me every day, and 139 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 2: therefore some of the's Oscar. But it has evolved big time. 140 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 2: You know. One beautiful thing is a built in challenge 141 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 2: with jazz because no one's ever played jazz to get 142 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 2: rich or famous. We play it because we love it. 143 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 2: It's the highest form of musical artistry, and that you 144 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 2: get to bring all of these things in one place 145 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 2: and interpret it through this lens. Of what we call jazz, 146 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 2: you know, this this swing based blues idiom. You know. 147 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:04,239 Speaker 2: But in the sixties, when people like on that Coleman 148 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 2: and Cecil Taylor and Coltrane left Miles Davis's band, he 149 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 2: starts to evolve on his own. The music took this 150 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 2: extremely cataclysmic explosion where like it was turned into free 151 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 2: jazz or what some would call avant garde, meaning that 152 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 2: you have a form, but you don't actually have to 153 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 2: stick to that form anymore. You know, if the song 154 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 2: is twelve bars, well, once we start improvising, let's making 155 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 2: thirteen bars. Let's making fourteen bars. Now the challenge is 156 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 2: that that's a lot of fun for the musicians, but 157 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 2: sometimes the listener is going, what the hell are you 158 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 2: people doing? Right? 159 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: You guys have a lot of fun on glad, I'm 160 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: glad you're enjoying this. And so who would you say 161 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: were some of the pioneers there? Rather in terms of 162 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: the changes, like who is a person that came along 163 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: and click there's a change? 164 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 2: Well, I think most people would say on that Coleman 165 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 2: was sort of like the definition, like he was the 166 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 2: demarcation point in you know what Miles Davis and Harras 167 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 2: Silver and blaking the jazz messengers were doing up until 168 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 2: the late fifties, and then Ornett came along and just 169 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 2: kind of really shook the tree and like you know, 170 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 2: he calls the stir when he came on the scene. 171 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 2: So most would say Ornette Coleman was sort of like 172 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 2: the godfather of free jazz. 173 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: What I notice is that when I read about because 174 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 1: you seem like a very robust, physically fit, healthy man, 175 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: and I wonder, what is it about jazz that No 176 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: more so than the rock and roll world, but for sure, 177 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: but a lot of the people in that world were 178 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: very troubled. People like Bill Evans is somebody that I 179 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: was obsessed with, and I got all the Bill Evans 180 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: records I could, and Evan singing with Tony Bennett. 181 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 2: But I love Bill Evans, and I found. 182 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: That that his life was horrible when he was like 183 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: a huge he was a heroin Annet and all this 184 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: other stuff, and Miles was all messed up. 185 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 2: I mean not saying that the jazz plays. 186 00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: Into that or any more so than rock and roll, right, 187 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: but to this day, do you find there's a spirit, 188 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: there's a soul to the people that can play that music, well, 189 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: that's a tormented soul. 190 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 2: I don't know if that's a myth or a fact, 191 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 2: because just like you said, I mean, you can find 192 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 2: just as many musicians in any other style of music 193 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 2: that had a lot of personal problems, you know. But 194 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 2: I feel like the way jazz has been probably inside 195 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 2: the last half century, you find less of that now 196 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 2: than ever now. On the other hand, one of the 197 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 2: great legends who I played with early in my career 198 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 2: was the late great trumper to Freddie Hubbard, and I 199 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 2: remember Freddie. He told this to my friend Clark Gaton, 200 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 2: great trumpbone player. He says, see, man, you know what's 201 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 2: wrong with you young cats? Y'all. Don't drink y'all, don't 202 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 2: smoke y'all, don't eat meat y'all, health conscience by nine o'clock. Man, 203 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 2: what the hell is that? Man? You know what you 204 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:51,839 Speaker 2: sound like it? 205 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: Harold Klerman spoke at this school when I went back 206 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: to school, and he did this lecture there, the famous 207 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: producer Harold Cleerman. And when it was over they someone 208 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: said to me, what would you do differently? And by 209 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: then he was in his eighties, what would I do differently? 210 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: He said, I'd go to more parties, I'd stay out 211 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: late at night, I'd have more alcohol. 212 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 2: He just was like, so balls to the wall. 213 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: Now, is it tough in the I mean people in 214 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: the classical world, people in every corner of the music 215 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:25,119 Speaker 1: business are lamenting the difficulty with digital downloads? 216 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 2: Is it? Is it tough in jazz as well? Obviously? 217 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 2: Well it was so tough before then. I don't know 218 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 2: if it really hasn't mattered that much. You know, because 219 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:38,079 Speaker 2: even before streaming came along, both jazz and classical musicians 220 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 2: had the smallest piece of the pie. I think it 221 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 2: was like one percent and three percent of the entire 222 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 2: record buying market. So, you know, all of our money 223 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 2: comes from playing live performances. When do you first go 224 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 2: on the road. When are you in a club and 225 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 2: you're getting paid? 226 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 3: Yeah? 227 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 2: When did that happen? Nineteen eighty nine. I graduated from 228 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 2: high school and by that time I had become good 229 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 2: friends with when Marcellus, who was the hottest young name 230 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 2: in jazz, and you met him where I met him 231 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 2: in Philly. He came to do a masterclass and I 232 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,200 Speaker 2: attended this master class, and you know, I told him 233 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 2: how much I admired his music, and I had all 234 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 2: of his records and he kind of put me on 235 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 2: the spot. He says, yeah, what do you play? I said, 236 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 2: I played a bass. He said go get it, and 237 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 2: so I ran and grabbed my bass and all the 238 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 2: kids in the classroom were like, ooh, you know, what's 239 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 2: he about to do? And so went and said let's 240 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 2: play something and we played a little blues. And a 241 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 2: couple of nights later he said, Hey, my band is 242 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 2: playing at the Academy Music. I want you to come 243 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 2: and sold fifteen yeah and playing with Wynton at the 244 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,199 Speaker 2: Academy of Music at fifteen yeah. Well he just invited 245 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 2: me to the show. I didn't know he was going 246 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:49,959 Speaker 2: to actually invite me to come. He didn't tell you 247 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 2: that you were going to play. No, he didn't come 248 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 2: to see the show man. I'm sitting backstage with two 249 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:56,760 Speaker 2: of my friends, one of which was the late great 250 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 2: Joey D. Francesco. And went and gets on a micro phone. 251 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 2: I see his bass player is putting us bass down 252 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 2: and my feet start getting like, where's he going? And 253 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 2: went and gets on the microphone. He says, you know, 254 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 2: ladies and John want to tell you about this kid 255 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 2: I met at this masterclass a couple of days ago, 256 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 2: like what and you know, two thousand people in the audience, 257 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 2: you know, he said, I think you're going to be 258 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 2: hearing a lot more about him. Please welcome Christian McBride 259 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 2: to the stage. And I mean, like I had icicles 260 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 2: coming off of my hands, like, oh my god. And 261 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 2: we played what was the title track to his new 262 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 2: album at that time. It's called Jay Mood. And from 263 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 2: that point on he became a big brother, a mentor. 264 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 2: He started telling people about me, say, hey, you got 265 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 2: to look out for this kid in Philly. And so 266 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 2: by the time I moved to New York to go 267 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,880 Speaker 2: to college, a few jazz musicians knew who I was. 268 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 2: So the saxophonist Bobby Watson found out that I was 269 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 2: going to Juilliard and he came and said, hey, I 270 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 2: want you to make some gigs with me. I was like, 271 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 2: what you know? So Bobby gave me my first gig 272 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 2: in New York and I was in the fall of 273 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty nine at Birdland back when it was up 274 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 2: on one hundred and fifth Street. So Bobby kind of 275 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 2: he kicked me off my career in New York. 276 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: Now when you talk about you guys don't pick it up. 277 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 1: You don't see Freddie Hubart, Freddy Hubbert. So when you 278 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: get Freddy Hubbard's admonition that you're not living the right life, 279 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: what was it like for you to be that young around. 280 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 2: These guys, Well, specific was your mother picking you up 281 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 2: at the stage door at the end of the show. 282 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 2: She was definitely worried, you know, because my mother saw 283 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 2: all the musicians that my dad played with, and they 284 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 2: come from their old school. So when I told my 285 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 2: mom I wanted to be a professional jazz musician, She's like, 286 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 2: oh god, you know, really you sure? You know? So Winton, 287 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 2: because he was so well studied. He was sort of 288 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 2: like the complete opposite of what the image of a 289 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 2: jazz musician had been. 290 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: You know. 291 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 2: He didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he was clean, well studied, 292 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 2: well read. He actually had a conversation with my mom said, listen, 293 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 2: miss McBride, it's not like it used to be. You know, 294 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 2: your son's going to be all right. You know, I'll 295 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 2: look out for him. He's got a lot of big 296 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 2: brothers who look out for him, you know. So he talked. 297 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 2: He made it easier for my mom to let me 298 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 2: move to New York. But when I started playing with 299 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 2: Freddie actually a little bit of Bobby Watson too, there 300 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 2: was still a lot of that old school element, you know, 301 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 2: a lot of tough love. You know. They didn't put 302 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 2: their hand on your back and say, you know, next time, 303 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 2: maybe you should do it like this. You know, they 304 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 2: were like, hey, what the hell are you doing? Yeah, 305 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 2: you know it's professional. 306 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Jazz Babs, Christian McBride. If you enjoy conversations 307 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: with preternaturally gifted musicians, check out my episode with Christian 308 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: McBride's band and classmate Amir quest Love Thompson. 309 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 4: We weren't even really going to accept the position, and 310 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 4: then the funniest thing happened. 311 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 2: We were on UCLA campus. 312 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 4: I went to do a quick interview in my dressing room, 313 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 4: and when it was over six minutes later, I opened 314 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 4: the door and on the field, Grass, Jimmy and all 315 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 4: eight members of the Roots were in the eight is 316 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 4: Enough Human pyramid stands and I looked at my manager. 317 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 4: We just looked at each other and we're like, we're 318 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 4: not giving rim this guy, are we. What Jimmy managed 319 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 4: to do was disarm us in less than ten minutes. 320 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 4: He's that guy like when you watch the movie and 321 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 4: the guys are trying to dissemble the bomb in like 322 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 4: zero point three seconds. Yea, he knows exactly how to 323 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 4: disarm you. 324 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: To hear more of my conversation with Questlove, go to 325 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: Hear's Thething dot Org. After the break, Christian McBride talks 326 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 1: about attending Juilliard and the challenging audition period he endured 327 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: to get in. I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to 328 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: Here's the Thing. This is eley Efe from The Philadelphia Experiment, 329 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 1: a collaboration between Christian McBride, pianist Uri Kane and Questlove. 330 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: As a jazz musician, Christian McBride natural spends a lot 331 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,159 Speaker 1: of time on the road. I wanted to know what 332 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 1: life was like for someone that tours for a living. Man. 333 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 2: I feel so fortunate that I get to do what 334 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 2: I love for a living. You know why complain? Yeah, 335 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 2: things get a little hard every now and then. You know, 336 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 2: you travel, you're on the road all the time. You 337 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 2: don't get to see your family. You're married. I've been 338 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,920 Speaker 2: married almost twenty years and you have how many kids? 339 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:28,639 Speaker 2: No kids? No kids, you're a genius. No kids. 340 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: So the traveler is does your wife get to come 341 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 1: with you. 342 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 2: Sometimes when she sings in my big band? So when 343 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 2: I play with my big band, she travels with me. 344 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,360 Speaker 2: But I mean she runs the foundation, so she's manning 345 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 2: the fort at home. But you know, it's like going 346 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 2: on the road seven days a week, probably forty to 347 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 2: forty five weeks out of the year. That grinds on 348 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 2: your health, you know. But the flip side of it 349 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 2: is like, Okay, what else would you rather be doing? 350 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,919 Speaker 2: You know, I get to travel around the world and 351 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 2: meet people and playing you know what I mean, It's like, 352 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 2: there's nothing better than that. How many people in your band? 353 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 2: So the band that I've been touring with the most 354 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 2: for the last four years is called the New John. 355 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 2: John is a slang terminology only used by Philadelphians in 356 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 2: New York would be joint. So John is j A 357 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 2: w N the New John joint yep exactly Philly term. Okay, 358 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 2: And so that's just four of us trumpet, tenor saxophone, bass, 359 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 2: and drums. Yeah. And I have another group called Inside Straight, 360 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 2: which is a quintet. That band was named by a 361 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 2: I had a fan contest I named the band contest, 362 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 2: and a couple from Fort bradd, California submitted inside Straight, 363 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,360 Speaker 2: and I thought, hmm, you know, I actually do play poker, 364 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,159 Speaker 2: and inside Straight is the name of one of my 365 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 2: favorite Cannibal Attley albums, so it made sense. And I 366 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 2: have a new group. I had my big band, which 367 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 2: is just the Christian McBride big band and comedy in 368 00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 2: that seventeen really yeah, how much did they get to travel? 369 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 2: Not much? It's expensive. Yeah, yeah, we've gone to Asia. 370 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 2: We went to China and Japan, but we we got 371 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 2: a grant to go on that tour, and we did 372 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 2: a two week European tour a few few years ago. 373 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,439 Speaker 2: So we don't get a chance to travel that often. 374 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 2: But we get at least one gig every year here 375 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 2: in New York or in Newark. 376 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: It's funny how the bands are touring, and therefore I 377 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 1: was more successful the less people are in the band. 378 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 2: Absolutely. Yeah, man, you gotta wat it down to a trio. 379 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:38,679 Speaker 2: You're gonna get rich. Listen here, man, you gotta balance 380 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 2: their budget. Now. 381 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:45,159 Speaker 1: When you are in Philadelphia and Winton calls you up 382 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: there at the Academy, when do you get to New 383 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: York what year? 384 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 2: So that was eighty seven when Winton called me up 385 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 2: to sit in So two years later in eighty to 386 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,680 Speaker 2: go where the Juilliard. There was no jazz program at Juilliard. 387 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 2: When I went there, went to study as a classical bassist. 388 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,160 Speaker 2: Because while I was in high school, I was also 389 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 2: playing a lot of classical music. So I was playing 390 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 2: in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Temple University Youth Chamber Orchestra. 391 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 2: So I had like a little parallel thing going. And 392 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:17,400 Speaker 2: even though my heart was in jazz, I had gotten 393 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 2: good enough at classical music where my base instructor said, 394 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 2: you know, you should take the audition. You know, see 395 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 2: what happens. I knew I wanted to be in New York. Again, 396 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 2: this was this had nothing to do with classical music. 397 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 2: I knew that I wanted to be in New York 398 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:35,719 Speaker 2: because I wanted to sort of go nag and stalk 399 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,679 Speaker 2: all my favorite jazz musicians. So I said, well, the 400 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 2: only way for me to get to New York is 401 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 2: to go to college. And so is that true, I thought, because. 402 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: You're the kid who's fifteen who gets hand picked by 403 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 1: Wynton to play I would. 404 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 2: Have thought you would have gone to New York and 405 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 2: you would have been walking through the doors and just 406 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 2: playing well, you know, but my mom wasn't going to 407 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 2: let that happen. So everybody agreed you should get an education, yes, yes, 408 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 2: And so I only applied to three schools, the New Schoo, Juilliard, 409 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 2: in the Manhattan School of Music exactly right, right, right. 410 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 2: So I took an audition for Juilliard, and uh, much 411 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 2: to my shock, I got in. You know, I think 412 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 2: back to how traumatic that was. And one of these 413 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,360 Speaker 2: did that on purpose. Like one thing that they probably 414 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 2: shouldn't have done is you could hear the other auditioners 415 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 2: before you. Right, So I'm sitting outside of this audition 416 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 2: room and I can hear the other bass players in there, 417 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:33,439 Speaker 2: and I mean they are awesome, you know. They're playing 418 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 2: the Echo Sonata and the Dragon Eddie and the Kusovitski 419 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 2: and I'm just sitting out there like, oh man, I 420 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 2: might as well go home because I'm not playing that. 421 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 2: You know. I went in with my little what did. 422 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 2: I played the Vivaldi Sonata and I played a Benidento 423 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 2: Marcello except from a sonata, and I just thought, just 424 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,879 Speaker 2: in terms of repertoire. I probably won't get in, you know. 425 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 2: But I took this audition and uh, it went It 426 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 2: was okay. I didn't think it was that great. But 427 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,680 Speaker 2: then two days later I auditioned for the Manhattan School 428 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 2: of Music. The bass faculty was almost exactly the same 429 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 2: faculty as the Juilliard, so they heard me again. And 430 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 2: that audition at MSM went really well, And so I 431 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 2: like to think that the bass faculty heard me and went, oh, 432 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,119 Speaker 2: that's what he really sounds like, you know. 433 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 3: So there was no invitation to MSM. They got I 434 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 3: got invited, Yeah, you got him both. Yeah, And I 435 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 3: got into the new school. But I thought that if 436 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 3: I want to continue studying classical base, I should. 437 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 2: Go to Juilliard. Four years. I didn't make it, but 438 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 2: I left. I started working. I started playing with Bobby 439 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 2: Watson and my dear friend, the late Roy Hargrove had 440 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 2: just moved to New York as well, and his career 441 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 2: was about to explode. And Roy was like, hey, man, 442 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 2: you're coming on the road with me. And so by 443 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 2: the end of the school year I started working enough 444 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 2: that only one year, right, Yeah, but that one years 445 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 2: I learned so much and I met a lot of people. 446 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 2: Audra McDonald was my classmate. 447 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:09,879 Speaker 1: You know, it's funny that you say that about the 448 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: blind audition or whatever and you hear the other guys 449 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: in the room, because I remember in the early days 450 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: when I was auditioning, it was the same. And that 451 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 1: was you know, we'd come to a place, the old 452 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 1: rehearsal spaces in Midtown where there were many of them, 453 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: not as many now as there used to be, and 454 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 1: we'd come to those spaces and when everybody would sit 455 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: in a row of chairs, and every guy you were 456 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: up against in that whole town was right right, there's 457 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,640 Speaker 1: Kevin Bacon, and there's that guy, and there's that guy, 458 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: and they're all there and we all have the same thing, 459 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,679 Speaker 1: which was when you sat down and the door opened 460 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 1: and out walked Kevin Bacon and you're sitting there and 461 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:43,600 Speaker 1: you know that something's going on in the room. Somebody's 462 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: in there, and the door opens and it's Gabriel Burn. 463 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean, all used to lower our heads like, fuck, I. 464 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 2: Get this job, right, did you guys, like when you're 465 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 2: sitting there waiting to go in, are you guys speaking 466 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 2: to each other? Was that sort of like minimally. 467 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: But what's interesting to me is I understand the benefits 468 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: of the digital audition online auditioning that people who can't 469 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: afford to come to LA they can't afford to come 470 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: to there. There's guys in Kansas City, and there's guys 471 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 1: in Salt Lake City, and men and women across the 472 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: country who were submitting, you know, digitally. But I said 473 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: to somebody, I go, you know, the reality was you 474 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: walked into a room and you do the audition, and 475 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: the casting directors who were prominent casting directors typically for 476 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: all these movies I was going up for back then, 477 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: they were casting multiple projects and they'd say to you, 478 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: would you wait outside please? And you learn later on 479 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: that they said, he's not right for this movie, but 480 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 1: he'd be great for what we were doing. And there 481 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: was a chemistry in the room that there's just denied 482 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: now that they've gotten rid of all the in person auditions, you. 483 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 2: Know, with social media now, I mean, I realize this 484 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 2: the way of the world now and it's not going 485 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,400 Speaker 2: to change. But I meet young musicians and mister McBride, 486 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:55,960 Speaker 2: you know, check me out, tell me what you think, 487 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 2: and they give me like a YouTube link and I 488 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,359 Speaker 2: hear and see them on YouTube and it's fabulous, but 489 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 2: you get no energy. You can't really tell what it's like, 490 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,479 Speaker 2: you know what I mean, I got it exactly. You know. 491 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 2: Tommy Lupuma used to make great producer, Tommy Lupuma who 492 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 2: he produced Natalie Cole, George Benson, Algiou, Diana Crawl. He 493 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:19,959 Speaker 2: used to tell me all the time. He's like, you know, 494 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 2: as a record producer, every day I'm getting thousands of 495 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 2: cassette tapes. You know. I was like, oh man, that 496 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,920 Speaker 2: sounds horrible, you know, And he said, but I will 497 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 2: not sign a singer unless I can experience him live, 498 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 2: because I want to feel what they're doing. I don't 499 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 2: want to hear what they're doing. Say, you know, anybody 500 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 2: can get in the studio and doctor it up a 501 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,359 Speaker 2: little bit and sound good. I want to hear you live, 502 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,480 Speaker 2: you know. So yeah, the whole digital thing, it's it's deep. 503 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: Now, Christian McBride. If you're enjoying this episode, don't keep 504 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: it to yourself, Tell a friend and be sure to 505 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:00,199 Speaker 1: follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or or 506 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts when we return. Christian McBride 507 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:09,400 Speaker 1: shares the most challenging part of being a professional musician 508 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: and bandleader. You can listen to all of the music 509 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: from this episode and more in a curated playlist of 510 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 1: my favorite pieces from Christian McBride. You'll find a link 511 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: to the playlist in the show notes of this episode. 512 00:27:39,880 --> 00:28:08,640 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and this is Here's the thing. This 513 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: is Christian McBride's new John. The track is Obsequious from 514 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: the album Prime. Christian McBride studied at Juilliard for only 515 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: one year before he left to play on the road 516 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:25,120 Speaker 1: with jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove. I wanted to know how 517 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: his very first professional touring experience suited him. 518 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,639 Speaker 2: Oh man, We went to Europe and it was the 519 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 2: summer of nineteen ninety. Now, I had gone to Europe 520 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 2: the summer before with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, but it's 521 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 2: hard to count that as my first tour because you know, 522 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 2: it was a bunch of other high school students and 523 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 2: my mom was one of the chaperone. It was a 524 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 2: school trailer. It was a school trailer. We used to 525 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,640 Speaker 2: say it right, right, But my first time actually getting 526 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 2: a chance to see the world was with Roy Hargrove, 527 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 2: how long were you over there that first tour? We did? 528 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 2: You know, I played in this band for a year 529 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 2: and a half and we did like we were in 530 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 2: Europe all the time. We did one month long European tour, 531 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 2: came home, did like six weeks of gigs in the US, 532 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 2: and then we went back to Europe for another two weeks. 533 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 2: So we were always on the road. When you're with a. 534 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: Band and you're a musician in a band, and you 535 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: say you went out with Roy Hargrove's band, so that 536 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: means Hargrove's the decider. Yeah, what music is played, what 537 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 1: the set list is, and for you it's the same thing. 538 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. 539 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,240 Speaker 1: What's the toughest part about leading a band? What's the challenge? 540 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 2: I think there's a balance in particularly in a medium 541 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 2: like jazz. You hear a musician play and they do 542 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 2: something that you like. There's a certain energy, there's a 543 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 2: certain thing that they play that you like. You said, 544 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 2: I want that in my band. But I know some 545 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 2: band leaders that they like to rebuild a player. I'm 546 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 2: not sure how wise that is, you know, because it's 547 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 2: like I hear you you're great, and now let me 548 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 2: change you, you know. So I think there's a balance 549 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 2: in the van leader having a vision, having a certain 550 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 2: sound in their mind, and then you bring somebody in 551 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 2: to help you achieve that sound, but you like what 552 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 2: they bring. So there's this give and take of like 553 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 2: I like what you do, but I need you to 554 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 2: do this, you know, and then that person says okay, 555 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 2: and then there's like this give and take. I don't 556 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 2: know if there's so much of a challenge anymore, because 557 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 2: I tend to work with musicians who are really high 558 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 2: level professionals. I haven't really had any rubs with too 559 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 2: many musicians, but that's probably the biggest challenge pat Riley. 560 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,760 Speaker 1: I've mentioned this before another podcast. When pat Riley was 561 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: coaching the Knicks, I went off to have lunch with 562 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 1: him because we were going to do a movie this 563 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: friend of mine and I about a professional basketball coach 564 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 1: and the intensity of the NBA. And we went to 565 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: lunch with Riley and we watched the next train up 566 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 1: in was it New Paul's wherever they were up outside 567 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 1: the city. That we ran up there and watched the 568 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: next train, which was kind of amazing, and then we 569 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: went to lunch with Riley and I said, what's the job? 570 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: I said, what's the challenge? He said, These guys have 571 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 1: been champions at every level of their life. They've been winners, 572 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: they've been champions. He said, They've been champions since they 573 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: were eight years old, high school, college, they get to 574 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: the pros, He goes, how do I get them to 575 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: care one more night? 576 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 2: Right? See, that's the job. 577 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,480 Speaker 1: They've been playing at the highest level for fifteen years. 578 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 1: Because now they're here, they getting millions of dollars, they're 579 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: famous around the world. He goes, how do I get 580 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 1: them to leave it all on the court and get 581 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 1: out there and just blut and really work hard. 582 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 2: I think that's a challenge for a musicians. Yeah, because 583 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 2: you know, you travel all the time, and you go 584 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 2: from club to club, stage to stage. At some point 585 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 2: it might get a little blurry, you know, you're like, oh, 586 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 2: I'm tired, you know, and then you fall into that 587 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 2: danger of phoning it in, you know. And I said, 588 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 2: another challenge for me as a band leader, I need 589 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:00,040 Speaker 2: to keep my energy up because I always tell you 590 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 2: younger musicians you need to follow the lead of the 591 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:07,600 Speaker 2: band leader. If the band leader is in a certain mode, 592 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 2: you follow that you know what I mean. So like 593 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 2: if I'm in somebody else's band and they're ready to go, 594 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 2: and then I don't have the right to say, you know, 595 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 2: I'm tired. I don't really feel like putting it all 596 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 2: out there tonight. I look at somebody like Michael Jordan. 597 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 2: I look at somebody like Freddie Hubbard. You know, like 598 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 2: every time they gave it all every gig, whether there 599 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 2: was thirty people in the audience, three hundred or three thousand, 600 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 2: they played the same way every night. 601 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 3: You know. 602 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 2: Oscar Peterson was like that, you know, just give it 603 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 2: all all the time. 604 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:39,680 Speaker 1: Now, do you write a lot of this? Do you 605 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: write something? And have you ever because again, this connection 606 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 1: between jazz and the movies, it creates the right it's 607 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 1: the right texture. Do you write for TV or film? 608 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 2: Ever? Do you ever do any saying? I did my 609 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 2: first work on a major motion picture. Just recently. I 610 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 2: wrote some of the big band music in the upcoming 611 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 2: Color Purple doing a remake, Yeah, coming out on Christmas Day. 612 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:04,719 Speaker 2: I wanted to ask you, man, like being around all 613 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 2: these great jazz legends and being like the young kid 614 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 2: among all these giants. One of my all time favorite 615 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 2: movies is Glengarry Glenn Ross and man, when I see 616 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 2: you in that? And also the music for that film 617 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 2: is one of the few film scores, if not the only, 618 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 2: one that features the saxophone of Wayne Shorter. And so 619 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 2: I remember, so I already liked the movie, but then 620 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 2: I realized that was Wayne. So that's become like one 621 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 2: of my all time favorites. Man, what was that like 622 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:32,560 Speaker 2: for you? Man? 623 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: Well, it was tough because I had to piss in 624 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,360 Speaker 1: their face for three days. I mean, are all these 625 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 1: legendary actors that I loved, right, And it was really tough, 626 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:41,960 Speaker 1: But I mean I had a job to do. 627 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 628 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: My last question for you, and that is that you 629 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: have a pre show routine, Like how do you get 630 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:53,120 Speaker 1: yourself clear? When I'm acting in the theater? I got 631 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: to get clear. I get the theater at six. 632 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 2: I'm glad you asked me that. What's your routine? See? 633 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,719 Speaker 2: One thing about the jazz communities as really small. We 634 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 2: all know each other, you know. I always always joke, 635 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 2: partially joking that jazz musicians probably know at least fifty 636 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:11,279 Speaker 2: percent audience personally, you know, And so everybody likes to 637 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 2: hang out backstage, other musicians show up, fans show up, 638 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 2: they all want to come backstage and hang. And I 639 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 2: have now realized that I'm not good to speak to 640 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 2: at least fifteen minutes before showtime, like leave me alone, 641 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 2: do not talk to me, don't come backstage to get 642 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,400 Speaker 2: into it exactly. You know, I only want to be 643 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 2: around the musicians who are in the band, you know. 644 00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:35,719 Speaker 2: And the older I get, the more I realize how 645 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 2: important it is just to have a little silence, you know. 646 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:41,279 Speaker 2: Just I don't want to do nothing, just I just 647 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,320 Speaker 2: need some peace and quiet around me. Fifteen minutes before showtime. 648 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:47,359 Speaker 1: You know, we wanted you to come on the show. 649 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:48,880 Speaker 1: And then I like when we do the research. I 650 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,279 Speaker 1: started to get more absorbed in the stuff. You are 651 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 1: so damn talented. Oh man, you are so damn talent 652 00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: from you. I was watching that thing when you're talking 653 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,959 Speaker 1: about a fast, playing you little tips of a fast. 654 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,840 Speaker 1: I'm watching all these and as I'm watching you, and 655 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: I start watching more and more of these clips, I'm thinking, 656 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:06,880 Speaker 1: there's nothing you can't do musically, There's nothing you can't do. 657 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,960 Speaker 2: Thank you, thanks for coming, thanks for having me on, 658 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:10,759 Speaker 2: and honor. 659 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 1: My thanks to Christian McBride be sure to check out 660 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 1: Christian McBride live at the Newport Jazz Festival August fourth 661 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:31,040 Speaker 1: through sixth, and at the Montclair Jazz Festival Bloc Party 662 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:35,760 Speaker 1: on August twelfth. For more upcoming shows, go to Christian 663 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:39,600 Speaker 1: McBride dot com. I'll leave you with the Shade of 664 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:44,239 Speaker 1: the Cedar Tree from Live at the Village Vanguard. I'm 665 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:46,879 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin. Here's the thing is brought to you by 666 00:35:46,960 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio 667 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:02,920 Speaker 2: Int.