Christian McBride - The Gig

 

Thank you very much. I'm here to share a story with you about a man who was a jazz legend, someone I had the great honor and privilege to work with very early in my career. That's the late, great trumpet player Freddie Hubbard. Here for Freddie. [audience applause] 

 

I was born and raised in Philadelphia. Growing up-- Thank you again. [audience chuckle] Jazz musicians of my generation, our number one hero, the person we all wanted to play with more than anyone else was Art Blakey. We wanted to be a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Every great jazz musician since the 1950s played with Art Blakey, from Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Wynton Marsalis, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Wayne Shorter. They all played with Art Blakey. So, as a teenager, I had my wish list of people I wanted to play with.

 

Art Blakey was unquestionably number one. Number two was up for grabs, but that was answered the first time I saw Freddie Hubbard perform live. It was in the summer of 1987, in Philly. I had grown up going to a lot of rhythm and blues shows, a lot of gospel shows, so I knew what that intensity, that fervor, that drama was in the music, and the stage art of those great soul and gospel performers. I never quite got that with a jazz performance. Too many times with jazz concerts, you leave going, I think I liked it, [audience laughter] because it got you here, but not here all the time. 

 

] First time I saw Freddie Hubbard, it was the jazz equivalent of James Brown. He might as well have gotten on his knees with his trumpet, and had a guy come put a cape on his back. [audience laughter] But that excitement, every time he would take a trumpet solo, the whole audience would just start screaming, like anything you could ever imagine. Freddie Hubbard quickly became number two on my list. 

 

I moved to New York in 1989, and as fate would have it, some of my closest friends, my quickest friends that I made, were a beautiful drummer named Carl Allen, pianist named Benny Green and a saxophonist named Don Braden. Just by chance, they were all in Freddie Hubbard's band at that time. Art Blakey had just changed to what would become his final band, so I missed the opportunity to play with Art Blakey. I got to see him, but I never got to play with him.

 

So, at that point, I started looking on number two. At least I thought I was being sly and subtle, and I would ask Carl, say, “Carl, who plays bass with Freddie when his regular bass player can't make it?” Carl started looking at me like, "I got you." I said, "Yeah, well, who does the gig?" He said, "Well, whoever's available." “Oh great.” [audience laughter] A few months later would go by. "Hey Benny, Freddie doesn't need a sub yet, does he?" "Don't worry, we got you covered." Every time I would mention Freddie Hubbard, Don, Benny, Carl, they wouldn’t give up anything. 

 

Finally, Carl calls me. I'm a student at Juilliard at this point. Carl calls me up and he says, "Listen, McBride, I have a very bizarre gig for you. It's in Columbia, South Carolina, and we’re going to be the house rhythm section for the Budweiser Jazz Explosion." [audience laughter] If you ever saw that in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it was rarely jazz. He says, "We’re going to play behind Noel Pointer, Jean Carn, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Freddie." That’s all I heard, Freddie. This was probably my intro to see if Freddie would like me well enough to maybe call me to sub for his regular bass player. 

 

So, we go down to Columbia, South Carolina. The gig was at a place, I kid you not, called The Plantation. [audience laughter] They built a stage in front of a big white house. [audience laughter] I’m not lying to you. [audience laughter] And we play this gig. Freddie Hubbard was very much an alpha male. He was a man with a huge spirit, very macho kind of guy, almost had a mob boss mentality. Just to be a good musician wasn’t enough, you also had to be a man. And so, Freddie was very dramatic.

 

He didn't make the rehearsal, didn't make the soundcheck, just showed up for the gig. So, I'm in the dressing room-- I'm in the trailer, actually, and I'm just shaking in my shoes. And Carl says, "Hey, Freddie, this is Christian McBride." I was 17 at the time. Freddie just looks at me, "Yeah, nice to meet you." We go on stage and we play. And to hear his horn up close like that, I almost had a heart attack. I thought, oh, my God, I'm playing with Freddie Hubbard. I can't believe this. 

 

Gig is over, I'm thinking to myself, God, I hope I made some sort of impression on Freddie. Something. Freddie turns around after the gig, he says, "Nice meeting you," gets in his limo, goes back to the hotel. I went, "Guess he didn't dig it." But I know I'll see him again. I'll know I'll see him again. I knew all of Freddie's music, got together with Carl and Benny and would always try to ask what songs they were playing. So, if I ever got the call, I'd be ready. Three months later, I get the call. Carl says, "McBride, we need a bass player for Freddie's gig in Chicago. You ready?" I went, "You have no idea how ready I am." 

 

We fly to Chicago. The gig was at the South Shore Jazz Festival, and there's Don and Benny and Carl there to support me. I don't expect Freddie to remember me from South Carolina, because obviously, I made no impression. Freddie comes in the dressing room with about five people, big entourage, coat draped over his back, sunglasses, guy carrying his trumpet. He comes in and greets the band members loudly, "Hey, what's up?" Gives everybody a hug. He gets to me. I don't have sunglasses, I just have these. He looks at me and he goes, "This must be the bass player." 

 

So, I'm sitting there like, [audience laughter] “Yes.” Benny Green, bless his heart, he comes over, he says, "Freddie, this is Christian McBride, man. You going to love him, man. I swear, he knows every song you've ever written. He is so ready. He's going to knock you out. You just wait." Freddie pulls his glasses halfway down, and looks at me and says, "You know my shit, huh?" [audience laughter] "Yes, sir, Mr. Hubbard. I know every song you've ever written. I'm ready." He pushes his glasses back up and says, "We'll see." [audience laughter] 

 

We go out, play the gig. I am not lying to you, Freddie did not acknowledge me one bit on this concert. During the saxophone solo, Freddie would stand there and he watched Don and go, "Yeah. Yeah, he sound good, baby." Piano solo, he turned and looked at Benny, go and pat him on the back after the solo's over. Bass solo, he leaves the stage. [audience laughter] Now, I'm trying to follow him to see where he's going. [audience laughter] Maybe he just doesn't want to give me too much dap, you know, he's just going to go behind the stage and watch me, doesn't want to make me nervous. 

 

I follow him. He lights up a cigarette, starts talking to the sound guy, paying no attention to me at all. "Oh, wow, this is bad." He comes back, we play about three more songs. No acknowledgement. He doesn't even look at me, doesn't introduce me, no, nothing. I said, okay, in this case, I'm guessing it's probably strike two. In the end, I'm not going to get a third opportunity. Last song of the night comes, I take another big, long bass solo. Freddie, he's out in the audience doing something. [audience laughter] My heart is down here, you know, I'm thinking, well, at least I could tell my friends I made one gig with Freddy Hubbard, you know, whatever. 

 

So, he comes back, we're vamping out, and Freddie now is introducing the band, said, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our saxophone player, Mr. Don Braden. [audience laughter] Mr. Benny Green, our pianist. Our drummer and straw boss, Mr. Carl Allen." Looks and goes, "This bass player here, [audience laughter] he just turned 18 years old a couple months ago. He don't think I remember, but we played together in South Carolina a few months ago, [audience laughter] and he's playing his ass off tonight. How about it for my new bass player, Mr. Christian McBride." [audience cheer and applause]

 

I could have won $10 million. [audience laughter] I'm on stage just like-- And it was so sweet, because Benny and Don and Carl, they also openly went, "Yes!" [audience laughter] After the gig was over, I was like, "Thanks, Mr. Hubbard, I appreciate it." He gives me a big hug. And our next gig was in Detroit. He was like, "I'll see you in Detroit." And for the next three years, I had the most amazing time being in this band. Freddie passed away three years ago. So, God bless Freddie Hubbard, and thank you for listening.