McBride Engages Emotions and Ensemble Energy on Ramon

However honest and honorable, songs saluting females in their titles possess a certain characteristic. When discussing “Jeannine,” Duke Pearson’s classic composition during a 1960 Jazz at the Philharmonic performance in Paris, Cannonball Adderley said, “You know, tunes named after girls like Jeannine are usually slow, wispy ballads, but this Jeannine is a swinging chick, right?”

Chicago-born alto saxophonist Christopher McBride had Cannonball’s words in mind when composing “Lady D,” the first tune on Ramon, his new album, set to be released on February 17.

“Lady D is moms!” McBride stated, during a recent conversation. “My mom was super hip, so I wanted to write her a super hip song.”

Bearing the leader’s middle name, Ramon is McBride’s second album and the first featuring the Whole Proof, his ensemble. Soloists include trumpeter J.S. Williams, pianist Jonathan Edward Thomas, and bassist Noah Jackson. Guitarist Bobby Broom makes a guest appearance and contributes a solo to “You Put a Smile On My Face.” “He wasn’t able to record ‘live,’ but I left him enough room where he could get busy, and that’s what he did,” McBride said. “The stuff he sent back was dope!”

McBride, who composed all 11 tunes on Ramon, recalled the tension that resulted in “Bronx Unchained.” One day, he and a bud were stuck in the South Bronx. While waiting for a return to civilization, McBride, whose musical palette includes hip hop, observed his surroundings and contemplated.

“Being in that area reminded me of the gritty ruggedness of the old Nas track, ‘New York State of Mind,’” said McBride, who is currently based in Harlem. “I kept hearing this menacing bass line in my head, and that’s how the song starts off.”

Episodic in feel, the tempo for “Bronx Unchained” is decided by in-the-moment intuition. The expressions for these excerpts, he said, served as cues for the ensemble.

“I got that idea from a Wynton Marsalis song called ‘Knozz Moe King,’” McBride said. “There is a phrase where, whenever anybody played it, everyone else knew where to go in the song. I tried to use that as a reference point.”

Bassist Noah Jackson begins “Stand Your Ground,” “Confrontation,” and “In Memoriam,” a suite commemorating Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager killed in an altercation with George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman. Their fight is reenacted through the saxophone and trumpet, while drummer Cedric Easton’s single snare snap at the conclusion recalls the resolution.

“I have always wondered what would have happened if Trayvon’s case were tried today,” McBride said. “That whole tribute was just for him and bringing awareness to his story. These songs have been on my heart for a minute.”

“Intimacy,” with tonal colors provided by Rhodes piano, “was written,” McBride recalled, “after a particular moment with a young lady who shall remain nameless -- ” 

“What’s her name?” Counsel interjected.

“Naw! I can’t say,” responded the accused, also known as “McBrizzle.”     

“So…you abandoned this poor woman to write a song?!”

“She was asleep,” C. Ramon McBrizzle responded, laughing. “I just wanted to encapsulate that moment, how I was feeling, so I just started composing. I feel that if people don’t have your music on during their most vulnerable moments, then you gotta step up to the drawing board.”

After witnessing another woman walking with purpose down a street in New Orleans, McBride mentally conceived another tune.

“She had a mean walk on her, and in my head, I said, ‘Girl Get ‘Em,’” he recalled, invoking the title with those last three words. “That song is about a lady that has subtle swagger and quiet confidence brimming underneath. I’m all about women’s empowerment!”

Even though McBride’s relocation to New York has surpassed a decade, he makes sure his Chicago identity, connections, and knowledge remain firm.

“I’m excited to hear about the newer cats coming out of Chicago. Isaiah Collier is doing his thing; Alexis Lombre is doing her thing, and Makaya McCraven is holding it down around the world,” he said. “There are many cats carrying the city and music in a positive direction, and I hope to be on that list, too.”