Label: Mack Avenue, 2020
Personnel Big Band - Christian McBride: bass; Steve Wilson: alto sax, flute; Todd Bashore: alto sax ; Ron Blake: tenor and soprano saxes; Loren Schoenberg: tenor sax ; Carl Maraghi: baritone sax; Michael Dease: trombone; Steve Davis: trombone; James Burton: trombone; Doug Purviance: bass trombone; Lew Soloff: trumpet; Ron Tooley: trumpet; Frank Greene: trumpet; Freddie Hendrix: trumpet; Darryl Shaw: trumpet; Warren Wolf: vibraphone, tambourine, timpani; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; Terreon Gully: drums + Alicia Olatuja: vocals; J.D. Steele: vocals + choir Voices Of The Flame.
The Movement Revisited, the newest opus of first-class bassist/composer/arranger Christian McBride, is an important African American manifesto that takes the form of a five-part suite focused on four indelible figures of the Civil Rights Movement - Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Muhammad Ali. The bassist gathered an 18-piece band that includes vibrant soloists, a great choral team led by soul/gospel singer JD Steele, and four skilled speakers, who profess the words of each protagonist with passion. In addition to these four activists, the last track on the album, “Apotheosis: November 4th, 2008” acknowledges Barack Obama, the first African American President of the US, as the fifth element. This particular piece is launched with a reflective classical-like intonation and then blossoms with more vivid colors once McBride tosses in a well-balanced bluesy, rock n’ rollish vibe that completely defines the harmonic progression.
The opener, “Overture/The Movement Revisited”, appeals to unity by sequencing spoken word that confronts darkness and light, hate and love. It covers a handful of crucial topics such as violence, fear, freedom, religion, justice, war, and equality. After the wise words, it’s the bandleader’s dancing bass lines that not only encourage the invigorating swinging rhythm imposed, but also substantiates scorching solos from saxophone and piano.
“Sister Rosa - Prologue” describes the Montgomery bus boycott with the benefit of Sonia Sanchez’s dramatic description and a resolute, sometimes spiritual interplay between bass, flute, and percussion. The soulful tones of “Sister Rosa” flutter in the air, resulting from a wise arrangement that incorporates impactful melodies, influential choir singing, and great improvisations from Ron Blake on soprano saxophone, Warren Wolf on vibraphone and Geoffrey Keezer on piano. Also headed by a prologue, which in the case comes underpinned by slick bass slides and bends, “Brother Malcolm” is a musical prayer that complements the human rights activist’s deeds. It features singer Alicia Olatuja as well as Blake’s spiritual tenor calls over a modal piano accompaniment. On the other hand, on “Ali Speaks”, we have drummer Terreon Gully, alone, emphasizing rhythmic punctuation in response to Dion Graham’s cadenced words.
Both “A View From the Mountaintop” and “Rumble in the Jungle” mix jazz, soul, and gospel, featuring the lead vocals of JD Steele and the gospel choir Voices of Flame, which he leads. The latter piece has Carl Maraghi’s baritone sharing the groove with McBride, and its infectious rhythm supports a buoyant conversation between saxophones, which arrives with plenty of in-and-out crusades.
The splendor of the music sides with the force of the words in a powerful and personal musical statement that envisions to alert the world for essential principles. This is the third big band recording for McBride.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Overture/The Movement Revisited ► 03 - Sister Rosa ► 09 - Rumble in the Jungle