A Young Bassist Announces Himself
McBride walks in with confidence, claiming space as a bandleader from note one.
Christian McBride was 23 when he made Gettin' to It, and you can hear the eagerness — not in sloppiness, but in the sheer directness of what he's doing. This is a debut that doesn't apologize or overthink itself. He assembled smart players around him: saxophonists Chiaroscuro in the front line, a rhythm section locked in and ready. The album swings in a relatively straightforward way, rooted in the hard bop and post-bop language McBride had grown up studying. There's no genre experimentation here, no attempt to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it's proof of concept: a young bassist can write, can lead, can hold a session together.
What makes it work is the clarity of McBride's voice on the instrument itself. His bass lines are conversational and melodic without being show-offy. On the better tracks, the band finds real momentum — not flashiness, but the kind of swing that comes from everyone listening to each other. It's the sound of someone who spent time in the shed and knew exactly what he wanted to say before hitting the studio. Some tracks feel more pointed than others; not everything lands with equal force. But across the record, there's a consistency of purpose that catches your attention.
If you're new to McBride, this is actually a solid entry point. It's straightforward enough that you don't need a guide, but skilled enough that it rewards paying attention. He would go on to deeper, more adventurous work, but Gettin' to It shows why people believed in him from the start. It's the kind of debut that doesn't try to be your favorite album ever — it just tries to be honest and competent, and it succeeds at both.
Who's playing
Christian McBridedouble bass
Ray Browndouble bass
Milt Hintondouble bass
Cyrus Chestnutpiano
Joshua Redmantenor saxophone
Roy Hargrovetrumpet
Steve Turretrombone
Lewis Nashdrums
Where next?
More by Christian McBride
All 14 albums →
The musicians on this record
Nothing Serious 1994
Roy Hargrove
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
This One's for Blanton! 1975
Ray Brown
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
where are we 1993
Joshua Redman
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
