(Modern Jazz / Smooth / Contemporary) Christian McBride (w. Joshua Redman, Steve Turre, Roy Hargrove etc) - Gettin' To It {Verve 314 523 989-2, USA} - 1995, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

This 1994 recording was McBride's debut as a leader, and it consolidated his place as the most eminent bassist of the mainstream youth movement. His big sound, relaxed time-feel, and keen harmonic sense all hearken back to the great bass players of the '50s, and his adroit bowed solos can recall the work of Paul Chambers. McBride has assembled some of his most talented peers here in various permutations, forming a tight rhythm unit with drummer Lewis Nash and inspiring strong contributions from trumpeter Roy Hargrove, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, trombonist Steve Turre, and pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Together they invoke many of the moods of classic modern jazz, from Chestnut's elegance to Redman's rambunctious energy. Neal Hefti's "Splanky," a staple of the Basie book, gets an unusual workout from a bass trio with Ray Brown and Milt Hinton, McBride holding his own with members of the bass pantheon. --Stuart Broomer

5.0 out of 5 stars - Gettin' to the New Generation, December 28, 2001
By: Tom Schusterbauer (West Bloomfield, Michigan United States)
Hey, you lovers of Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Paul Chambers,Ron Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, Miles, Coltrane, et al: round out your collections of yesteryear's jazz giants, and then take heart, because there's a whole new posse in town. And this cd is a great place to start.
What a marvelous collection of young talent. Certainly, the cd belongs to McBride. He shows himself to be an extremely talented composer (The Shade of the Cedar Tree, Black Moon, Gettin'to It) and an already accomplished bass man. His solo interpretation of the great Night Train is audacious, confident, and attention getting.
McBride, however, doesn't hog the spotlight. Pianist Cyrus Chestnut is bluesy, tender, boppish, and extremely supportive.
Roy Hargrove and Joshua Redman take their turns on trumpet and sax respectively and go a long way in bringing this strong material to life. Young trombonist Steve Turre even sits in on a couple numbers and wields that unwieldy instrument with detexerity and determination. And Lewis Nash on the drums holds everything and everyone together.
A few of the pieces feature McBride, Chestnut, and Nash in trio; a few more add brass or reed to the mix, and one cut--Splanky-- consists of only three bass players: McBride, Milt Hinton, and Ray Brown. That cut, along with McBride's solo work on Night Train, makes you wish these bassmen would get together for an all-bass outing.
Young lions, and two old giants--Hinton and Brown-- come together here in a way that makes you optimistic for the future, where the likes of Kenny G and "smooth" jazz can scare the life (and other things) out of you. Hinton and Brown seem pretty comfortable and confident here. You will, too. Get to Gettin' to It.
----
5.0 out of 5 stars - Great debut album...great bassist., February 13, 2001
By: G. Sawaged
A fantastic debut for Christian as leader. Plus 6 of these songs are his own compositions which really prove his song writing skills. Joined here by first class musicians...Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Steve Turre, Cyrus Chestnut and Lewis Nash, this album is sizzling. Plus the wonderful bass trio of Christian, and the legends Ray Brown and Milt Hinton on "Splanky", make this a must have album for any jazz lover. And Christian sounds exactly how he wanted to on "Night Train", which he plays completely solo. As he states in the liner notes, he only worked it out 15 minutes before recording, and he simply wanted it to sound as low down, gritty, nasty, and funky as possible. Well, it does, and is absolutely brilliant. Every song on this album is fantastic, I can't rate it highly enough.
----
4.0 out of 5 stars - Getting into it is easy to get into..., May 13, 1999
By: A Customer
Great album with a breadth of musical styles and tones. Every song is seriously tight and crisp, yet he avoids sounding merely like a technician. It's a special treat too to hear Joshua Redman on this album. Splanky is my favorite track: it's a all-bass number with Christian, Milt Hinton, and ray brown. Worth the whole album just for this one track...IMHO.
----
Other Customer Reviews @ Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Gettin-Christian-Mcbride/product-reviews/B0000046WL/