Grammy Award-winner jazz bassist Christian McBride

Three-time Grammy Award-winner jazz bassist Christian McBride is currently working with six of the University’s 24 student jazz ensembles as a distinguished artist-in-residence with the Jazz Studies Program for the 2014-15 academic year.
 
McBride, one of the world’s foremost bassists, is an international performer who maintains a significant recording career that includes more than 300 albums as a sideman and as a leader. Classical Music called his most recent CD, Out Here, “a revelation.”
 
As distinguished artist-in-residence, McBride serves as a mentor to all of the program’s students to provide them with the professional jazz performer’s perspective. More specifically, he leads the small group ensembles in weekly rehearsals as they prepare for performances.
 
A Montclair resident, this is McBride's first major involvement with the College of the Arts and Communication's music program, but he performed many times with the late Mulgrew Miller, former director of jazz studies, and was closely mentored as a young player by the late James Williams, also former director of jazz studies, who McBride credits with launching his early career by introducing him to numerous jazz legends via recording and touring opportunities.
 
David Demsey, William Paterson University coordinator of jazz studies, said “Our students, our faculty and our entire William Paterson community are extremely fortunate to have an artist of Christian McBride's stature with us this year.  Along with his world-class musicianship and teaching ability, he brings a wonderfully positive energy that is contagious, and allows the students to play at a higher level under his mentorship.”
 
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