CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND URSA MAJOR

BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB / JULY 23-26

Christian McBride’s Ursa Major residency at the Blue Note is a chance to hear one of the most iconic bassists of his generation plug into his most exploratory electric persona. Rather than the straight-ahead swing of his acoustic trio or the widescreen punch of his big band, Ursa Major lives in a funk-, groove-, and fusion-inflected space, where deep pocket and unapologetic backbeat sit comfortably alongside sophisticated harmony and open-ended improvisation. Christian has teased “lots of surprises in store” for this run, and that feels right: the band’s personnel has shifted from performance to performance, and part of the thrill is hearing how he reshapes the book with each new configuration. The one constant is his enormous sound, time, and charisma, and the Blue Note—his de facto New York home base—offers a close-up, club-scale vantage point on a four-night stretch that’s likely to feel as much like a living laboratory as a victory lap.