What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

Christian McBride & Ursa Major – Points of Light (Mack Avenue)

One of our very own radio hosts, Christian McBride (Jazz Night in America airs at 7pm on Mondays) has a new album out, Points of Light, with his latest band, Ursa Major.  Just like the constellation that it’s named after, this band burns bright, which makes sense, given the talent assembled for it. The great young saxophonist Nicole Glover is in the band, as is Savannah Glover on drums, Mike King on keys and Ely Perlman is the guitarist. If you needed a reminder, Christian McBride is the bassist and leader of the band. “Sakura” opens the album and kind of functions like a call to prayer of sorts. It dovetails really nicely into “Two Check” which is a potent swinger, as is “Familiar Steps.” Ursa Major is also capable of playing gorgeously on a ballad, as they do on “Same Folks” and “A Morning Story.” All in all, Points of Light is exactly what you’d expect it to be: another excellent Christian McBride album. What more can you ask for?

Marques Carroll – Live at Jazz Showcase/Live at The Green Mill (JMarq Records)

Chicago based trumpeter Marques Carroll is back with another two-fer from a couple of legendary Chicago Jazz clubs. This time, he’s caught live in action at The Jazz Showcase and at The Green Mill, with two mostly different bands (bassist Christian Dillingham is the only constant here). At the Jazz Showcase, Marques shares the stage with tenor saxophonist Pawan Benjamin, pianist Elio Wijaya, and either Neil Hemphill or Greg Artry on drums. At The Green Mill, Brent Griffin is the alto saxophonist, Julius Tucker plays piano and either Samuel Jewel or Ernie Adams is behind the drums. The spirit of Roy Hargrove is deep in the mix here; out of 14 tracks spread over two discs, three are Hargrove compositions, and one is a tribute to him. With one exception, Joe Henderson’s “Shade of Jade,” the rest of the songs are all Carroll’s. “Riding with Claudette,” “The Stroll into Bronzeville,” and “Amused by the Spirit of a Muse” are among my favorites, but everything here is well worth hearing. If it’s not already evident by now, Marques Carroll is in the top tier of Jazz musicians working and creating in Chicago. Live at Jazz Showcase/Live at The Green Mill gives us two fantastic documents to back that up. And if it makes you want to go check him out at one of Chicago’s great Jazz clubs, well, that’s even better.

Steve Johns – Extrasensory (Steeplechase)

Drummer Steve Johns has put together a rather percussive group on his latest album, Extrasensory. Besides his own battery of drums, he’s joined by Monte Croft on the vibes and Chicagoan Greg Murphy on the piano, and the group is rounded out by John Hart’s guitar, Joris Teepe’s bass, and on three tracks, Troy Roberts’ saxophone. Between the sticks, mallets and hammers, Extrasensory ends up being a very striking affair. Puns aside, Teepe’s “Keep That Smile” kicks things off with a jaunty, angular melody that really works. It takes a minute for “Lava” to erupt, but once it does, it’s a satisfying way to spend some listening time. The bossa nova-esque “Murray Avenue” is pretty, “Wild Kingdom” has a little something that reminds me of the Modern Jazz Quartet. “Hope” is a pretty Jazz waltz, and “The Whole Note” gives one the idea that Joris Teepe might have been listening to a lot of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers when he was writing it. Steve Johns assembled a great quintet (and sometimes sextet) on Extrasensory, and the payoff is evident on nearly every song heard here.