Christian McBride Quartet featuring Roy McCurdy
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Christian McBride brings his billed quartet to the Village Vanguard, with Roy McCurdy featured on the date. The engagement places the group in the club’s triangular basement room, where the stage sits at the point of the space and tables fan out toward it. Portraits of jazz legends line the walls, and the house asks for silence before the music begins, keeping attention on the performance. The room seats 123.
McBride is an eight-time Grammy winner, according to Jazz Journal. In its review of a separate Village Vanguard appearance, the magazine wrote that he “can instantly inject a spine-jangling dose of funk into every tune he plays” and called the concert “another superlative night’s work.” Jazzwise, writing about his separate Inside Straight group, praised his “inside playing” and “straight-ahead feel.” Those notices describe McBride’s work in other contexts, rather than establishing the personnel or programme for this particular quartet date.
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.