Gettin' to It


Gettin' to It is the debut studio album of American jazz bassist Christian McBride. The album was released in 1995 via Verve label.

Background

The album was produced by Richard Seidel and Don Sickler, and released by Verve Records on 1 September 1994. Although this was McBride's first solo album, he had previously featured on records as a sidesman for Gary Bartz on the album Shadows, Benny Green on Greens, Roy Hargrove on Public Eye, Joe Henderson on , Freddie Hubbard on Live at Fat Tuesday's, Joe Lovano on Tenor Legacy, Harold Mabern on Lookin' on the Bright Side, and Joshua Redman on Joshua Redman. Redman and Hargrove appear on Gettin' to It as instrumentalists. The record features 10 tracks and a total running time of 55 minutes and 34 seconds.

Reception

Howard Reich of Chicago Tribune noted "That Christian McBride is one of the most appealing and accomplished young bass players to come along in years must be obvious to anyone who has heard him accompany Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard and other stars. Now McBride is stepping into the spotlight with his first recording as leader. Though the music isn't particularly adventurous, it celebrates jazz tradition with a technical brilliance, a rhythmic vigor and a sonic warmth that are uniquely McBride's." Jeff Levenson of Billboard commented "Gettin' To It is not a typical bass player's album. McBride is not showcased in a flamboyant manner, nor is he placed front and center, overshadowing his bandmates. His presence and authority, however, are unmistakable, from the radio-friendly funk of the title track to his solo tour de force on "Night Train,' to the uplifting treatment of "Splanky," on which McBride proves himself the descendant of trio mates and spiritual godfathers Milt Hinton, age 84, and Ray Brown, 68". Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly added "Christian McBride has a big, fat tone and limitless dexterity, and the music boils, but everything feels a little antiseptic — this isn’t, after all, a working band, just a one-shot convocation of hired guns".

Track listing

Personnel

Band
Production