A 7-time Grammy Award winning bassist/composer, Christian McBride’s music career took off shortly after moving to New York in 1989 to pursue classical studies at the Juilliard School. There, he was promptly recruited to the road by saxophonist Bobby Watson. In 2000, the lessons of the road came together in the formation of what would become his longest-running project, the Christian McBride Band, which has consistently evolved with McBride’s all-inclusive, forward-thinking outlook on music.
In 2009, McBride began focusing this same energy through a more traditional lens with the debut of his critically-acclaimed Inside Straight quintet, and again with the Christian McBride Big Band, whose 2012 release The Good Feeling won the Grammy for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album. As his career entered its third decade, McBride added the role of mentor, tapping rising stars pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. for the Christian McBride Trio’s Grammy-nominated album Out Here.
He is also a respected educator and advocate. He has since served as Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions, co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and the Second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.
Currently he hosts and produces “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio and National Public Radio’s “Jazz Night in America,” a weekly radio show and multimedia collaboration between WBGO, NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center, showcasing outstanding live jazz from across the country.
Completing the circle is his work with Jazz House Kids, the nationally recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. Exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz, the “Jazz House” concept brings internationally renowned jazz performers to teach alongside a professional staff, offering students a wide range of creative programming that develops musical potential, enhances leadership skills, and strengthens academic performance.