Track of the Week
‘More Is’ finds Philly bass icon Christian McBride here on bass guitar with in Ursa Major Artemis saxophonist Nicole Glover, electric guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King (also on Rhodes and organ) and drummer Savannah Harris.
The lively ‘More Is’ was written by Harris (above – second right).
Vertical Vision from a couple of decades ago was the beginning of a pointer towards this strand of the bassist’s artistry unveiled a long way down the road in a new form on this track with a new generation band.
The instrumental which on the new recorded version is a shade under four minutes long and makes us dig out McBride album Vertical Vision from a couple of decades ago a bit searching for the shards of some sort of antecedent stylistically although this new track is a departure.
‘More Is’ was recorded at New York City studio Sear Sound in February last year.
Harris hails from Oakland, California.
She has performed as part of the Marta Sanchez Trio alongside bassist Chris Tordini. And in 2023 she released an album entitled Beyond Dragons with fiery alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier and acclaimed avant cellist Tomeka Reid. UK players who can be compared stylistically to Harris include Romarna Campbell.
But say a track like ‘The Wizard of Montara’ for instance, rough ballpark, from that Warner Jazz period album, gives you some sort of a clue about McBride shaped earlier work that sort of starts to point in the direction to a new fully altered conclusion here.
McBride was last on our radar for his likeable and very different two-bass Edgar Meyer collaboration issued last year But Who’s Gonna Play The Melody? by the same label Mack Avenue that has recently been announced as now taken over by Candid owner Exceleration.
