originally published: 10/08/2025

Photo Credit: ABC/Randy Holmes

On October 8, 2025, nine-time GRAMMY® Award winning bassist / composer Christian McBride appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with his big band and Jeffrey Osborne to perform their take on the L.T.D. hit "Back In Love Again."

The song is taken from McBride's new album Without Further Ado, Vol 1, which in addition to Osborne features Sting & Andy Summers, Samara Joy, Dianne Reeves, José James, Cécile McLorlin Salvant, and Antoinette Henry. Praised by DownBeat as "a rewarding survey of the bassist's love for jazz, R&B and pop," the album is out now on Mack Avenue Records.

When asked about working with Jeffrey Osborne, McBride reflected "Speaking of timeless, Jeffrey Osborne seems like he never ages. He still sounds like he sounded when he first recorded this soul classic with L.T.D. in 1977. Jeffrey and I were first connected through the late, great George Duke on a Duke Ellington tribute album back in 2000, but I first saw him in 1979 at The Spectrum in Philly when L.T.D. opened for The Jacksons. What great memories! It's a stone gas to revisit this classic with the man himself."

Having played with artists ranging from Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis to Billie Eilish and Céline 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 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."

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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 five-time GRAMMY® winner Samara Joy's breathtaking version of the jazz standard "Old Folks," to three-time GRAMMY® winner Cécile Mclorin Salvant's burning, uptempo reinterpretation of Cole Porter's dreamy ballad "All Through The Night", Without Further Ado, Vol 1 is a vocal all-star game of new talent that's heightened by the elegance and fire of the Christian McBride Big Band.

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, Cécile Mclorin Salvant, and José James.

Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of 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.