Christian McBride & Ursa Major: Points Of Light album review – A masterclass in modern jazz
A fluid set that swings between soulful grooves and elegant improvisation
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One of jazz’s leading acoustic and electric bassists, Christian McBride is said to have entered an Art Blakey phase with his latest band, Ursa Major. Blakey was renowned as much for talent spotting as for his authoritative and directional drumming, and the comparison fits for McBride as his four colleagues here could hardly give the music more colour, personality, subtlety, suppleness or attack.
McBride and Ursa Major have been working live for four years now and Points Of Light captures them very much with a live-in-the-studio quality. It opens with ‘Sakura’, a lovely tone poem that might be a homage to bass hero Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report co-pilot Joe Zawinul (it has something of the latter’s ‘His Last Journey’ about it) and closes with the album’s one cover: George Duke’s ‘No Rhyme, No Reason’, both elegiac and celebrational in its adherence to the late keyboard genius’ melodicism.
In between sit six pieces that showcase the boundless capabilities of the band (saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist-keyboardist Mike King, drummer Savannah Harris) and in other circumstances might be big band or hard-bop quintet material. Perlman’s ‘Cows’, with its admirably squelchy intro, greasy organ, boss bass groove, crisp drumming and tight-as-siblings sax and guitar, is reminiscent of filthy groovers Dr Strut. King’s ‘Orquieda’ has the most subtly appealing Latin rhythm and a Havana-esque piano twist. ‘A Morning Story’ brings the energy levels down beautifully with its guitar and sax melody, shadowed superbly by King’s mysterious keyboards. The players all have ample opportunity to display their often joyous individual improvisation skills. Between those and the album’s melodic strengths, Points Of Light is emphatically persuasive.
Christian McBride & Ursa Major: Points Of Light is released by Mack Avenue Records on Friday 30 October.