We’re rather big fans of seven time Grammy Award winning jazz artist Christian McBride who has been very busy during the pandemic. McBride has solidified his reputation as one of the foremost jazz bassists of his generation. Benny Carter and Ray Brown were huge supporters of McBride on his way up and he’s earned his stripes playing alongside Roy Hargrove, Benny Green, and Joshua Redman.
In support of International Jazz Day on April 30th, Qobuz have commissioned Christian McBride for the Q Sessions EP that is a dynamic presentation of McBride’s music and the sonic advantages of Qobuz’s hi-res digital streaming.
McBride visited NYC’s Power Station earlier this year to record three start-to-finish Hi-Res songs commissioned by Qobuz. The project was created with top-notch equipment at 24-bit/ 192kHz quality, and the final product streams and downloads with the exact same sound, tones, and touches, in which it was first recorded.
With no digital compression or downgrading involved, The Q Sessions is the first in a new series of Qobuz exclusives designed to transport listeners directly to the studio and show the difference Hi-Res recording, production, and listening can make.
The EP features three McBride performances, played in a quartet with Marcus Strickland (saxophone), Eric Harland (drums), and Mike Stern (guitar). Comprised of one blues improv, one standard and one new original commissioned by Qobuz (“Brouhaha,” a song inspired by the then-recent passing of Chick Corea), The Q Sessions was custom-designed for the jazz fans who turn to Qobuz for the best quality sound.
This EP joins Qobuz’ already established catalog of exclusive content – expert penned “panorama” interactive essays, artist-created playlists, liner notes and lyric booklets – to add to the platform’s reputation for the best listening experience in the field.
Take an exclusive Hi-Res listen to the new “funk-fusion workout” “Brouhaha” right now, in the same 24-bit / 192kHz quality with which it was captured in the studio.
Christian McBride said, “What a pleasure it was to put together a special group featuring one of my favorite guitarists of all time, Mike Stern. It was a great day in the studio with Mike, Marcus and Eric not only jamming a couple of tunes, but to also record a new original of mine, ‘Brouhaha.’ I’m thrilled we captured these performances in Hi-Res audio and can deliver them to the listener without compromise, and I look forward to more with Qobuz.”
Dan Mackta, US Managing Director of Qobuz, said, “Seeing the guys create this incredible music right before my eyes in the historic Power Station Studio A was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Knowing that everyone can have that same studio quality experience by listening on Qobuz makes it even better.”
