Photo by Evelyn Freja
On August 27, 2025, nine-time GRAMMY® Award winning bassist / composer Christian McBride released a live performance video of "Op. 49 - Cold Chicken Suite, 3rd Movement," featuring his big band from their Newport Jazz Festival set.
With the full album Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 out this Friday, August 29 – featuring a who’s who of vocalists – the fiery, yet eloquent closer of the album allows for the big band to shine. Following up his big band’s GRAMMY® Award winning 2020 release For Jimmy, Wes & Oliver, the new release employs a jaw-dropping array of talent, featuring Sting, Andy Summers, Samara Joy, Dianne Reeves, José James, Cécille McLorin Salvant, Jeffrey Osborne, and Antoinette Henry to bridge eras with elegance and groove, reaffirming McBride’s status as a champion of jazz past, present and future. The album will be released via Mack Avenue Records, and is currently available for preorder here.
When asked about the piece, McBride reflected “Is this really my 49th piece ever? Who knows? Opus 49 sure sounds official, though, right? In 2020, I was commissioned by the North American Saxophone Alliance (yes, NASA) to compose a piece. I composed a three-movement suite dedicated to the official food of the working musician, cold chicken. This is for all the musicians who don’t get to eat until after the gig when the chicken is cold, or you have to go to the hotel pantry and get one of those ready-made chicken caesar salads, of which the chicken can break concrete. May this piece take your mind off the dangerous late-night hunger pains.”
The live performance teaser of “Op. 39 - Cold Chicken Suite, 3rd Movement” follows “Old Folks,” a stunning rendition of the beloved jazz standard featuring 2023 GRAMMY Best New Artist Samara Joy and the album’s lead track “Murder By Numbers,” which reunited Sting with his bandmate Andy Summers for the first time since The Police’s 2007-2008 reunion tour.
Having played with artists ranging from Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis to Billie Eilish and Celine Dion, several of McBride’s artistic paths converge on Without Further Ado, Vol 1 creating an electrifying collection of reimagined classics and surprises. The inspiration and many of the arrangements for the album grew out of the annual NJPAC Gala, for which the Big Band has served as house band and McBride as musical director since 2012.
“We've always invited a bunch of great singers to come and perform at the Gala,” McBride says, “and as musical director, I’m responsible for arranging all of the music. After so many years of writing big band charts for these incredible singers, I realized that I had stacks of music that had only been played once. This has been a fantastic opportunity to finally record some of these arrangements and to play them with some of my favorite singers.”
If there is any doubt that we are living through a vocal jazz renaissance, the multi-generational line-up of singers McBride has assembled for Without Further Ado, Vol 1 definitively settles that debate. From Samara Joy’s breathtaking version of the jazz standard “Old Folks,” to three-time GRAMMY® winner Cécil Mclorin Salvant’s burning, uptempo reinterpretation of Cole Porter’s dreamy ballad “All Through The Night”, Without Further Ado, Vol 1 is like a vocal all-star game that’s heightened by the elegance and fire of the Christian McBride Big Band
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In 2026, McBride will launch the first ever McBride’s World at Sea cruise, featuring performances with all of his critically acclaimed bands and loads of special guests onboard, including Samara Joy.
Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Art Center’s TD James Moody Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, serving as Artistic Director of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always part of the music.
From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him. McBride’s 2024 album But Who’s Gonna Play The Melody? was recorded with renowned bassist, composer, and seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winner Edgar Meyer. Released via Mack Avenue Records, the album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart.
