Bringin' It

It isn’t just Christian McBride’s fierce bass playing but his subtle, harmonically astute arranging that makes Bringin’ It such a welcome follow-up to 2011's The Good Feeling. Whether he’s honoring Freddie Hubbard (“Thermo”), McCoy Tyner (“Sahara”) and Wes Montgomery (“Full House”), reinventing pop like “Mr. Bojangles,” or endowing the ballad “I Thought About You” with the most nuanced chordal shading, McBride is in top form. His first-call soloists include guitarist Rodney Jones, trumpeter Brandon Lee, saxophonist Steve Wilson, and trombonist Michael Dease.