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A Jazz CD from a Renaissance Man

By Bonnita Jones
Black College Wire

As members of the hip-hop, bling-bling, “Hollyhood” generation, many college students are less familiar with James McBride than they are with Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige or 50 Cent.

Photo credit: www.jamesmcbride.com James McBride

But this jazz musician, a New York native, actually has quite a bit in common with many hip-hop artists, including a true appreciation for music as a whole. Said McBride, "a lot of rap music is very good and for the most part a very creative form of music. There are the exceptions of the derogatory statements that are targeted towards the female population, but it is one of the rarest art forms."

With a love of jazz's more classic forms and a successful literary career under his belt, McBride recently released his first solo jazz project -- a CD entitled, “The Process.”

How did the award-winning author of "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother,” and former journalist for the Washington Post and Boston Globe, turn to musicianship?

In a word: Effortlessly.

Since age 9, the clarinet, piano and saxophone have nourished McBride's musical appetite. McBride and his 11 siblings were nourished by their parents’ determination to send all 12 of them to college. And despite what were often hard knocks growing into manhood in the Big Apple, McBride developed a love of the arts that was fostered by family and rivaled by few. By age 22, McBride had earned a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and performed in countless New York jazz clubs.

For McBride, there seems almost to have been a natural progression from one art form to another.

"I love music now probably more than I did 10 years ago, because I see it as a much more pure art form. There are so many elements of writing in journalism that keep you young and keep you happy," said McBride.

“The Process” provides one of the year's best jazz performances; laced with McBride's signature maneuvers through rousing, but sleek note combinations. Easy favorites for listeners are the “Pink Panther”-inspired vibe of "Deserting the Boogeyman," the smooth salsa jazz sound of "Lucindee" and McBride's personal favorite, "Goodbye to All That,” which he wrote to symbolize the love his wife had for her grandfather.

“The Process” encompasses the many forms of jazz, from contemporary and classic to bebop and Dixieland. This album pays great tribute to "jazz making" and the manner in which musicians' lives wrap around their music.

McBride has worked with top-notch musicians and performers, including Anita Baker, Gary Burton and the late Grover Washington Jr.

McBride's national tour has been serenading such cities as Jackson, Miss., Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles. So stay alert, because the show is bound to shore up his place as a jazz notable!

Bonnita Jones is a student at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., who is variety editor of The Blue and White Flash.

Posted Sept. 29, 2003