Christian McBride

Few bassists have carried as many musical conversations as Christian McBride. Born in Philadelphia in 1972, he came up through the city's arts-focused high school before studying at Juilliard, and he has since appeared on more than 400 recordings as a sideman. Across them he has worked alongside Herbie Hancock, Sting and Diana Krall, and his playing spans double bass and bass guitar, with a bowed solo style that recalls Paul Chambers. He is also an eleven-time Grammy winner.

He joined saxophonist Bobby Watson's group Horizon at 17 and spent his early twenties under older leaders such as Hubbard, Benny Golson and Milt Jackson. In 1992 he formed SuperBass with Ray Brown and John Clayton, and in 1995 he began leading his own groups with the debut album Gettin' to It on Verve. His Christian McBride Band recorded Vertical Vision for Warner Bros. in 2003. Live recordings with the Five Peace Band won a 2010 Grammy, and The Good Feeling brought another in 2011. He was artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival from 2016 until stepping down in September 2025, and he hosts NPR's Jazz Night In America.