Legendary bassist Christian McBride (James Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea) talks to KJ (‪@TheOddysy‬) about mastering both acoustic and electric bass. Christian makes it look easy. But it's harder than it looks. A lot harder.
There's playing both instruments and there's PLAYING both instruments. Christian McBride knows how to PLAY both upright and electric bass. Don't fool yourself into thinking it's easy to do. Very few bassists have made an art form out of playing both types of basses.
The notes are in different places. You use different muscles to grab the right phrases. And, if you're not careful, the music industry will do its best to put you in one box or another.
But Christian defies labels (just try to tell him he's "only" a jazz musician). His mastery of both instruments goes far beyond most bassists who spend their whole lives practicing only one of the two beasts.
KJ, whose real name is Kevin Jacoby, asks Christian if he's felt typecast as an acoustic bass player. The answer comes back a resounding, yes. "Oh, the jazz guy's playing electric now," he mocks, calling to mind the myriad jazz disciples who feel that electric is anathema to the "true jazz experience." You really think so? Miles would have something to say about that.
Christian says that the turning point was his work with the great jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard whose genre bending music required McBride to wield both upright and electric during shows. Check out live recordings of his solos on Hubbard classics like Red Clay and you'll see why.
Later on when George Duke produced Christian's 1998 album, A Family Affair, the electric really got its chance to shine in the master's hands. Subsequent recordings and tours with Quest Love, Joshua Redman, and Uri Cane cemented the deal.
Christian McBride and KJ have been Epifani Artists for decades. They both play a potent combination of Piccolo and UL 901 bass amplifiers, and DIST2 dual-impedance bass speaker cabinets. KJ plays Fodera basses and La Bella Strings.
Audio/Video by 23b Productions
Special thanks to La Bella Strings, The Guitar Shop NYC, Nick Epifani, and Shawn Whitely.