Christian McGhee

A Young Man Already Making a Name By Don Jay Smith

The award-winning film composer and multi-instrumentalist Christian X.M. McGhee leads his band The Xtet plus a 10-piece string orchestra for two shows at Dizzy’s Club, within Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Circle, on Monday, May 20 at 7 and 9 p.m.. You may not be familiar with Christian because he just graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and is just beginning his career. You will be!

This show will be the world premiere of his debut album A Winged Resilience (BMI). The music combines his love for film scoring with his passion for improvisation as it brings together styles ranging from standards to free improvisation, groove and funk to classic film compositions, and it always swings!

As Christian explains, “A Winged Resilience combines my background in film scoring and my love for improvisation. I’m trying to strike a balance with a music that is jazzy, intricate, and spiced with complex forms, but also has lyrics that tell a story.”

It’s clear that Christian enjoys writing for and working with talented vocalists. With him at Dizzy’s will be Tyreek McDole, winner of the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, recent Juilliard graduate and rising star Georgia Heers, Olivia Chindamo, Master’s recipient from The Juilliard School where she received the Joseph W. Polisi prize for “Artist as Citizen,” and the powerful jazz singer, Imani Rousselle.

“I love singers,” says Christian. “That’s probably why there are vocals throughout A Winged Resilience. While I have been fortunate to already work with many great musicians, I would love to work with someone like Cécile McLorin Salvant who not only is a great vocalist, but also draws on the whole history of singing.”

Christian has indeed played with many great artists and renowned groups. The list includes the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Cynthia Erivo, the 2017 Grammy Band, Barry Harris, Gideon King & City Blog, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joshua Redman, Keon Harrold, and Jahari Stampley to name a few.

Moreover, he has performed at a number of well-known jazz festivals including Monterey, Montreal, Newport, Rochester, Washington, D.C., SF Jazz and Exit Zero because he is much in demand as a drummer.

When asked about his drumming, he explains that he “started playing drums when he was two years old,” Then he added some perspective on his attendance at the Manhattan School of Music where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “It was the drums that got me in the door,” he says. “I studied with John Riley and Kendrick Scott, both fabulous drummers.”

Clearly his influence behind the set combines old school big band with a more modern style. As he elaborates, “I would say that I have been influenced by Jeff Hamilton or John Riley. I love pushing a big band. But I am also captivated by the modern style drummer like Brian Blade. I guess I would say that I blend the old with the new.”

As for his composition work, he already has an impressive roster of clients including Adobe, PBS, Butter Music & Sound, Weiden+Kennedy and Delta. When you hear A Winged Resilience, you will know that he is both an impressive drummer and a talented composer.

“I was fortunate to study composition with the Grammy Award-winning composer Jim McNeely, and A Winged Resilience draws a lot on Linda May Han Oh, which whom I work. She is a bassist who has won a great many awards including Grammys, several Bassist of the Year Awards, the APRA Award for Best New Jazz Work, and the prestigious Herb Alpert Award in the Arts.”

For the CD release celebration, the Xtet will feature four vocalists, a string ensemble, five musicians, and a conductor. The vocals will be handled by Tyreek McDole, Olivia Chindamo, Imani Rousselle, and Georgia Heers. The jazz musicians will include Santosh Sharma on tenor sax, Brad Kang on guitar, Esteban Castro on piano, Rafael Enciso on bass, and, of course, Christian on drums. Shaleah Feinstein will be the principal violinist as well as strings contractor, and the whole evening will be conducted by Matt Wong, award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger.

Tickets are available through the Dizzy’s Club website: jazz.org/dizzys/. The shows will also be livestreamed. After experiencing Christian’s compositions and enjoying his drumming, I think you will agree that Christian has a very bright future! He is definitely a young man making a name for himself.

The Xtet featuring Christian X.M. McGhee plays at Dizzy’s Club, 10 Columbus Cir., May 20 at 7 and 9 p.m.