Gettin' to It
Gettin' to It is the debut studio album of American jazz bassist Christian McBride.[4] The album was released in 1995 via Verve label.[5]
| Gettin' To It | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1995 | |||
| Recorded | August 30, 31 and September 1, 1994 | |||
| Studio | Clinton Recording Studios, New York City. | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 55:34 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer | Richard Seidel, Don Sickler | |||
| Christian McBride chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[2] |
| Tom Hull | A–[3] |
Background
The album was produced by Richard Seidel and Don Sickler, and released by Verve Records on 1 September 1994. Although this was McBride's first solo album, he had previously featured on records as a sidesman for Gary Bartz on the album Shadows, Benny Green on Greens, Roy Hargrove on Public Eye, Joe Henderson on Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, Freddie Hubbard on Live at Fat Tuesday's, Joe Lovano on Tenor Legacy, Harold Mabern on Lookin' on the Bright Side, and Joshua Redman on Joshua Redman. Redman and Hargrove appear on Gettin' to It as instrumentalists. The record features 10 tracks and a total running time of 55 minutes and 34 seconds.
Reception
Howard Reich of Chicago Tribune noted "That Christian McBride is one of the most appealing and accomplished young bass players to come along in years must be obvious to anyone who has heard him accompany Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard and other stars. Now McBride is stepping into the spotlight with his first recording as leader. Though the music isn't particularly adventurous, it celebrates jazz tradition with a technical brilliance, a rhythmic vigor and a sonic warmth that are uniquely McBride's."[6] Jeff Levenson of Billboard commented "Gettin' To It is not a typical bass player's album. McBride is not showcased in a flamboyant manner, nor is he placed front and center , overshadowing his bandmates. His presence and authority, however, are unmistakable, from the radio-friendly funk of the title track to his solo tour de force on "Night Train,' to the uplifting treatment of "Splanky," on which McBride proves himself the descendant of trio mates and spiritual godfathers Milt Hinton, age 84, and Ray Brown, 68".[7] Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly added "Christian McBride has a big, fat tone and limitless dexterity, and the music boils (especially a choice piece of funk called ”In a Hurry”), but everything feels a little antiseptic — this isn’t, after all, a working band, just a one-shot convocation of hired guns".[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In a Hurry" | McBride | 4:35 |
| 2. | "The Shade of the Cedar Tree" | McBride | 7:39 |
| 3. | "Too Close for Comfort" | Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, Larry Holofcener | 5:50 |
| 4. | "Sitting on a Cloud" | McBride | 5:46 |
| 5. | "Splanky" | Neal Hefti | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Gettin' to It" | McBride | 5:30 |
| 7. | "Stars Fell on Alabama" | Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish | 5:23 |
| 8. | "Black Moon" | McBride | 5:18 |
| 9. | "King Freddie of Hubbard" | McBride | 7:39 |
| 10. | "Night Train" | Jimmy Forrest, Lewis Simpkins, Oscar Washington | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 55:34 | ||
Personnel
Band
- Christian McBride – bass
- Roy Hargrove – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Joshua Redman – tenor saxophone
- Steve Turre – trombone
- Cyrus Chestnut – piano
- Lewis Nash – drums
- Ray Brown & Milt Hinton – bass on "Splanky"
Production
- Richard Seidel & Don Sickler – production
- Jim Anderson – recording
Chart performance
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Jazz Albums (Billboard)[8] | 13 |
References
- Ginell, Richard S. "Christian McBride: Gettin' to It". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- Scherman, Tony (January 20, 1995). "Gettin' To It". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- "Tom Hull: Grade List: Christian McBride". Tom Hull. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- Garelick, Jon (1996). "Second coming: Christian McBride makes his sophomore statement". Boston Phoenix. bostonphoenix.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Christian McBride – Gettin' To It". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- Reich, Howard (February 12, 1995). "Christian McBride: Gettin' to It (Verve). That..." Chicago Tribune. articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- Levenson, Jeff (7 January 1995). "McBride Gets to It With a Verve Debut". Billboard: 3, 108. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- "CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE: CHART HISTORY". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved 18 May 2019.