Christian McBride & Ursa Major at Assembly

Christian McBride & Ursa Major
Assembly
Kingston, New York
March 18, 2025

More than a West Philly kid who fell in love with the city's smooth '70s soul, bassist/bandleader/composer Christian McBride is a true ambassador of the vibe. The man radiates good times and good intent. With over three hundred recordings and nine Grammys in his pocket, McBride spirits five different recording and touring ensembles and oversees his many commitments that include NPR and Sirius XM radio host, Newport Jazz Fest director, Artistic Director of Harlem's National Jazz Museum and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, etc.

His Ursa Major project features saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, drummer Savannah Harris and pianist James Francies, (apparently sitting in for or replacing original Ursa Major pianist Jan Michael Looking Wolf). The quintet took to the beautiful, bathed-in-blue, third-floor stage of Assembly, New York's latest arts venue, and tore into a set that was tight, funky, furious, and most of all, free-wheeling.

Glover (who also boasts a star stance in Artemis)) called the shots on the funk-rock opener. With a vivid storm of integrated solos back-powered by McBride's amped-up five-string, Glover reached for the rafters as the quintet quietened to a trio, then built back to the opening theme. Set to a brisk neo-cha cha pace, pianist Donald Brown's winsomely soulful "Theme For Malcolm" gave each player, especially an animated Perlman, a chance to shine.

Set against dreamy, manipulated guitar loops, Perlman took centerstage with "Elevation," a melodic respite that evolved into a warm group meditation. McBride's solos were pristine, reflective, and resonant. Harris, whose laid-back, unhurried, on-beat/off-beat style is the beating heart of Ursa Major, never seemed interested in soloing, no matter how hard her bandmates urged her on. McBride's "Familiar Steps," a feverish volley of jazz thrills, cut the night on the edge with Glover's sharp, angular tonality and Perlman's echoey assault. Only Francies seemed at odds, his jerky runs never clicking in with the whole.  

A showman through and through, McBride spent a few minutes fantasizing of playing the Apollo Theater in the '60s with James Brown, then introduced Ursa Major's single "More Is," a softly flowing fusion ballad written by Harris that rose on Glover's full roundness  and gained momentum on Francies' vintage Kong Kronos solo. Harris' unfussy rhythms backboned Glover's lilting "Petrichor" (an Artemis highlight from Arboresque (Blue Note, 2025)) The night closed out spectacularly with a fierce run through "Brouhaha" (from The  Q Sessions (Mack Avenue Records, 2021) wherein Ursa Major, especially Perlman, McBride, and Harris, took the original to new heights. In simpler terms, this was one hell of a show and bodes well for Assembly.

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