Seven-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride, 48, has been on the road since age 17 — as a bandleader and one of the most sought-after sidemen in the music industry. The pandemic has meant a rare and lengthy stay at his home in Montclair, N.J.
Thank you. Yeah, it has been quite a while. They always do the jazz awards pre-telecast. Most of the awards, actually, are pre-telecast. The last time I performed on the Grammy telecast was, I believe, in 1998. A while. When Dave Brubeck passed away, they had a very, very quick snippet of something. I think it was Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and maybe Kenny Garrett, and they literally played [60] seconds of “Take Five.” And I remember thinking: It would have been better had they not had them play at all. You have the greatest musicians in the world, and they [only] get a minute.
How does that sit with you, that lack of attention to jazz in award shows, and elsewhere, really? You’d think that with everyone looking for content, there’d be room for jazz programming.
There have been a lot of conversations along those lines for many, many years. In fact, I remember back in 1996 people came together and decided to have the first New York Jazz Awards, sort of as an answer to the Grammys, because jazz doesn’t get any time on the televised portion. The Latin Grammys started about that time as well, to much success. We had our own Grammy ceremony of only jazz, but it didn’t quite catch on, for reasons I’m unsure of, but those types of conversations always come up every once in a while. I’m sure it’ll come up again.
Could technology, and the ability to distribute and talk directly to fans, whatever the format, be the future of jazz?
I actually hope it is. I understand that jazz is all about tradition, jazz is all about this legacy. But the world does progress and develop. And music — particularly jazz — has to grasp and embrace technology. I know a lot of musicians who kind of choose not to deal with that, but, man, I’d hate to see those particular musicians get left in the dust.
There’s a reason why people like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea managed to stay relevant. Chick just passed away, of course, but the man stayed relevant and was very much a part of contemporary culture, and it wasn’t only because he was a great musician. He really embraced and kept up with what was going on in modern technology. And, of course, Herbie Hancock is a legendary and celebrated tech-head. He went to college for that.
Speaking of Chick Corea, he’s always been on heavy rotation on my playlist, but especially now, as well as people like Wallace Roney and McCoy Tyner, who also passed recently. Do you think that we have even processed the incredible loss to music we’ve suffered during this time?
No. No. Not at all. I really don’t think a lot of these losses are going to be felt until we get back to playing and touring and being amongst each other again. I’m trying to brace for that impact.
We do a whole circuit of European festivals in the early summer, then domestic festivals in the late summer, and you get used to seeing people like Wallace Roney and Chick Corea, or Henry Grimes and Lee Konitz. And, you know, we’re not going to see those anymore. There’s going to be a lot of people who you got accustomed to hanging out with. Once we realize we’re not going to experience those people again, that’s when it’s going to set in.
What’s your prediction for what that touring and festival world will look like in terms of audiences, say, six months from now? Do you see a rush to get back into music venues, or more of a slow walk back to something that looks like normal?
I don't know. I think it's going to be a mixed bag. I know there are a lot of people who are quite anxious to get back. I think it also depends on where it is. You've got places like New York, L.A., San Francisco, and then the smaller cities like Cleveland and St. Louis. My gut tells me there will be slightly more of a rush than an ease, particularly in New York.
You know, my sense is that New Yorkers like to be defiant: "I'm going. I'll wear my mask, but we're gonna pack this club tonight!" I think clubs will have to be very diligent about the covid protocols, and that will determine what we'll see. I know there have been a couple of clubs that have tried to go rogue during this time. Not a smart move.
That’s all assuming that clubs survive. Blues Alley in D.C. is having some challenges around space, but seems to be holding on. ...
Well, yeah. There was a big initiative called Save Our Stages, that went all the way to Capitol Hill, to get emergency funding for music venues across the stages. It passed. I think this bill is actually going to do exactly what it says it does — it's going to save a number of stages. I don't know exactly how that money is going to be distributed or when, but I think there will be a lot of clubs that were in danger of closing that could potentially be saved now.
I have a feeling Blues Alley will be okay. That place has so much history. We can't let Blues Alley go.
Pre-covid, what was your schedule? The movie lore of jazz musicians is that you don’t wake up until the afternoon, then stay up all night playing and working. How much of that was your reality, and what’s changed?
Obviously covid has thrown everybody's reality off in some way. But we were in the middle — well, not quite yet in the middle — of a European tour with Chick Corea, me and Brian Blade. We were, I believe, only on gig number eight of a 20-city tour. We were in Brussels on, I think, March 10th [2020]. We had a series of shows that kept getting canceled, and we were getting word that the pandemic was getting worse. So we got sent home on about March 15th, and life changed forever after that.
Who would've thought that would have been Chick's last trip to Europe, or the last time we would see each other and play together? But, you know, had covid not happened, we would have done a wonderful tour, probably would have recorded a third album. Who knows all that could have or would have happened?
And how has this time affected you creatively? I know a lot of creatives, especially writers — myself included — were used to blocking out the world to get into the mind-set to create, but in some way the world has to be crazy to block it. But with things being so quiet, the focus is not as strong for some.
You know, I have a little bit of what I call “covid guilt.” I’ve actually enjoyed being home for the first time ever since high school. To be able to hang in my own home, enjoy spending time with my wife and get to play whenever I want. Not for any particular reason, but just to play. I don’t have any particular project to have to prepare for.
I have done some writing. I did a piece for the Temple University jazz orchestra, and I’m currently writing a piece for the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, and I’m also writing a piece for the New Jersey Symphony. So the creative juices are still there. My only challenge is to pick a good time to work. I really enjoy writing late at night, when nobody’s around. The problem is that doesn’t really work out well when you’re married. My wife, Melissa, is like, “Are you going to come to bed at any time before the sun comes up? I don’t like this!” And I just say, “Yes, dear.”
Eric Easter is a writer and producer in Washington. This interview has been edited and condensed.
