Christian McBride releases Kind of Brown

Tree Lawn Artists would like to congratulate CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE on his new release Kind of Brown. This CD, the title of which is a play on the iconic Kind of Blue album title, a nod to McBride's mentor Ray Brown, and a tribute to the omnipresent influence of James Brown, features McBride's new quintet Inside Straight, comprised of pianist Eric Reed, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, drummer Carl Allen, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf, McBride's former student. The self-produced album, released by Mack Avenue records, blends hard swing to gospel and blues grooves. The set delivers top-notch improvisations and memorable melodies on ten selections, including two tribute tracks - one to the late trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and a cover of "Theme for Kareem" by pianist James Williams.

Christian McBride's "The Movement Revisited" featured on NPR

NPR.org, January 18, 2009 - CHRISTIAN McBRIDE is best known as one of the most sought-after contemporary jazz and pop bass players. But he's also a serious composer.

His hour-long work "The Movement Revisited" melds spoken texts from four leading figures of the civil-rights movement - Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. - with a jazz band and a gospel choir.

McBride says it was challenging to find just the right spoken passages to go with the music, particularly with King.

"Every speech the man wrote was a masterpiece, so we're talking about a good 13 years of speeches and letters and different sorts of texts to chose from," McBride says. "You really can't go wrong, you know. If you find a book of Martin Luther King Jr. quotes, close your eyes and put your finger on the page; you'll come up with a great quote."

As he put together the work, there was one text he knew he absolutely needed to include.

"Obviously, you have to pick 'I Have a Dream,' which is probably one of the greatest speeches in history," McBride says. "So that was sort of a no-brainer."

To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, NPR Music presents the last section of Christian McBride's "The Movement Revisited," dedicated to King. To hear a live performance of the work, go to:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99483337&ft=1&f=1039

The entirety of "The Movement Revisited" will be featured this summer in an installment of Discoveries at Walt Disney Concert Hall, an eclectic mix of concert specials recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

PERFORMERS
Christian McBride, bass/conductor
Wendell Pierce, narrator
St. James Sacred Nation Concert Choir
17-piece jazz big band

CREDITS
Jeff Lunden, host

Fred Vogler, recording engineer

Recorded at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, Calif., on May 16, 2008.

Tree Lawn Artists' 2009 APAP Showcases

Tree Lawn Artists will once again attending the 2009 APAP Conference at booth #549 in Americas Hall I. We will be presenting the following showcases (text version below for your convenience):




Eliane Elias
TUE-SAT, JAN 6-10
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
7:30 & 9:30 p.m. nightly
plus 11:30 p.m. on Saturday
Broadway & 60th St.

Tim Ries — The Rolling Stones Project
FRI, JAN 9
Jazz Standard
7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 p.m.
116 E. 27th St.

Marco Benevento Trio
SAT, JAN 10
Winter Jazzfest, Sullivan Hall
10:20 p.m.
214 Sullivan St.
btw. Bleecker & W. 3rd

Watts featuring Jeff "Tain"
Watts, Terence Blanchard,
Christian McBride &
Prometheus Jenkins
SAT, JAN 10
(Le) Poisson Rouge, 11:55 p.m.
$25 for all APAP badge holders
158 Bleecker St.

Christian Scott
FRI & SUN, JAN 9 & 11
Export NOLA Showcase
Sullivan Hall, 10:40 p.m. (1/9)
& 9:50 p.m. (1/11)
214 Sullivan St.
btw. Bleecker & W. 3rd

Erin Bode
SUN, JAN 11
Birdland, 6:00 p.m.
315 W. 44th St. btw. 8th & 9th

Karrin Allyson
SUN, JAN 11
Birdland, 7:00 p.m.
315 W. 44th St. btw. 8th & 9th

51st Annual GRAMMY Nominees Announced

Nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced today by The Recording Academy at which two Tree Lawn Artists were nominated in three categories. Congratulations to the Yellowjackets feat. Mike Stern, and to Karrin Allyson!

Here is a list of the Tree Lawn nominees and the respective categories in which they were nominated:

Category 45 - Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Lifecycle
Yellowjackets feat. Mike Stern
[Heads Up International]

Category 46 - Best Jazz Vocal Album

Imagina: Songs of Brasil
Karrin Allyson
[Concord Jazz]

Category 85 - Best Instrumental Composition
"Claire's Closet"
Russell Ferrante, composer (Yellowjackets feat. Mike Stern)
Track from: Lifecycle
[Heads Up International]

Congratulations also go out to Christian McBride who appears as part of the recent Pat Metheny Trio recording, Day Trip [Nonesuch], nominated for Category 48 - Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

For a full list of the 51st GRAMMY Awards nominees, click here. For more information on the official 51st GRAMMY Awards click here. The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 8, 2009, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Tree Lawn welcomes Christian McBride

With the New Year, Tree Lawn is thrilled to announce the exclusive worldwide signing of the young and already legendary bassist CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE. Christian's many talents -- from first-call collaborator with everyone from Sting and Billy Joel to Sonny Rollins and Pat Metheny to composer and bandleader for the soon-to-be-debuted The Movement Revisited, a musical meditation on the Civil Rights movement -- will ideally complement those of the existing family of Tree Lawn Artists. Welcome aboard, Christian!