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CHRISTIAN MC BRIDE

Named in the May, 1992 issue of Rollins Stone Magazine as "Hot Jazz Artist" of the year, Christian Mc Bride is a young bassist from Philadelphia, Pennsylviania. Initially influenced by his father and uncle, who are also bass players, Christian started playing electric bass at age eight and began formal training on the acoustic bass when he was eleven. Two years later he was playing professionally and, in June of 1989 he graduated from the famed High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia. That same year Christian was accepted by The Juilliard School of Music, where he commenced studies with Homer Mensch, the legendary bass teacher. Soon after his arrival in New York and at Juilliard, Christian was hired by alto saxophonist Bobby Watson to play with his band at Birdland. This was the beginning of what has been, in less than three years, a meteoric ascent to his present status as one of the most sought-after bassists in the world of jazz. Christian is in constatn demand for both recorded and live performances, and is now acclaimed by veteran and younger jazz players alike as one of the preeminent bassists working today. In just the past year, for example, he was featured on both the Freddie Hubbard/Joe Henderson Big Band and John Coltrane evenings of Classical Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as on a special segment of "The Edge" PBS Television series. And all of these accolades and accomplishments have occurred before his 20th Birthday.
Christian is also a multi-instrumentalist - playing drums and piano - and a promising composer.

Photo: Richard Laird

Europe Jazz Network