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Monday, September 29, 2025

Saxophonist Christopher McBride embarks upon a personal journey on "The Hang, The Hustle, The Path" #jazz #music


He’ll perform with his band, The Whole Proof, in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York City to launch the album dropping October 3.

 

Saxophonist Christopher McBride taps into the Black music diaspora to set the people, places, and events that shaped his life to music on his third album, “The Hang, The Hustle, The Path.” Rooted in bebop, swing, straight-ahead and contemporary jazz, the alto saxman, producer, composer, and arranger’s culturally rich alchemy of sound mixes in R&B, hip-hop, gospel, and Latin music on this, the first album of a trilogy. McBride’s band, The Whole Proof, features on the CR McBride Music release that drops on October 3rd and will be supported by a four-city concert tour.

 

Recorded in a Brooklyn studio in three days earlier this year, “The Hang, The Hustle, The Path” sounds live and McBride opens by introducing the players on the album starting with the three musicians who comprise The Whole Proof: Jon Thomas (piano, keyboards, and organ), Barry Stephenson (acoustic and electric bass), and Michael Piolet (drums). Featured guests include trumpeters Josh Evans and Wayne Tucker, guitarist Marcus Machado, and vocalists Charles Turner and J. Hoard. After the intro “Welcome (#AllDay),” McBride invites listeners to go on a personal musical journey with a soundtrack composed of ten original compositions and two reimagined covers.

 

“Every original song on this record was inspired by a person, place, or moment in my life so far. The title track was inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow saxophonist, Jason Marshall. Oftentimes you work and hang with the same people. You bond and they become a part of your community. You are all on the same career journey together. Then life happens. Maybe you have a major disagreement, maybe they move away. Perhaps a pandemic kept you apart for years and you both cultivated different values and morals. Your priorities change. The path you walk, not everyone is meant to walk that same path with you. Sometimes, two people might be on the same path, break away for a bit, and converge again. However, at the end of the day, we are all walking the path of life together, even if unique in our own way. This album is a complete reflection of my unique life path thus far,” said McBride, a Chicago native who is a longtime resident of New York City.

 

The swinging bebop cadence on “Opportunity Lost” is alacritous, frenetic, and hectic, reflecting McBride’s intention to communicate how he felt about having to miss certain life events because of other obligations. 

 

Capturing McBride’s move from “CHI to NY,” which he wrote on the drive in a U-Haul during his move from city to city, the track swings to a hip-hop groove, tapping into the sounds of both metropolises that have immensely impacted the saxophonist’s life. 

 

McBride wrote the chill, Latin-infused “Punta Cana” while on vacation even though he intentionally was on break from music, which means he didn’t bring his horn with him. What emerged is a soothing and serene sonic reflection of the beach and water that surrounded him at the time. 

 

Turner’s cashmere voice croons “A Downpour of Beauty,” a love song McBride wrote for his fiancée, Chantel. It’s the first time he has penned lyrics. In this case, it’s to capture the seamless beauty of their connection.

 

Revisiting “Funky Good Señor Blues,” McBride’s rollicking, backyard barbecue version adds crowd sounds to underscore the fun and excitement of the piece.

 

Slowing down for romance, “You Are My Joy” was written for his friends, Chris and Joy Mitchell, to document their relationship. 

 

“I always saw their love as being natural while also taking time to acknowledge issues and working through them together. Recently, they celebrated ten years together and they have three beautiful children. I wanted to write this song from Chris’ perspective and how he felt about his life partner,” McBride shared about the tune that changes tone and tempo midway through.

 

Mirroring the song’s subject matter, “Seven (The Human Cost)” is a powerful and commanding listen from its arresting piano opening passages through to the dissonant sounds constructed by McBride and the band along with Evans’s probing trumpet.  

 

“In the National African American Museum of History and Culture, there is a paragraph written about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. If a slave works to survive the voyage once they landed in America, their body lasted seven years before it broke down and couldn’t work anymore. This paragraph impacted me so deeply that this composition was written the day after that museum visit,” McBride shared.

 

The album’s first single, “Saxophone at Night” provides a joyous, present day danceable swing number that you can line dance to, as seen in the accompanying video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJaFglgg4Ag&t=6s).

 

“Jeanette” celebrates McBride’s late aunt; someone he unfortunately only knew for two months.

 

“I met my mother’s side of the family for the first time in 2021. This tune is inspired by an aunt who I met in March that same year. She passed away two months later. It was our first time meeting, and we told each other, even though we had just met, how much we loved each other and appreciated being able to meet. This song is about celebrating life, because while sorrow is a part of the journey, there is beauty in sadness,” said McBride.

 

Hoard’s silky voice embraces the funky groove constructed on “Kiss of Life.” McBride told his band to imagine “if Clyde Stubblefield took Sade on a date. I wanted to present this one with more of a driving sound and more colors from the saxophone.”

 

“The #BAM Continuum (for NP)” showcases the collaboration between McBride and DJ Skaz Digga. McBride explains, “This composition came about from just jamming with the band between takes. When I listened to the studio takes, it sounded great, so I kept it on the album. Then I had the idea to add the DJ and show the organic chemistry between hip-hop and how it fits into Black American music. This song was inspired by my work with The Jazz Continuum, which features a live band and a DJ.”

 

“The Hang, The Hustle, The Path” closes with the title cut. 

 

“The song was inspired by my childhood and where I am now. I wanted to show the connection between Chicago Juke music and swing with both styles complimenting and enhancing each other. It’s one of the biggest risks that I’ve taken in composition, and I am truly proud of how this piece came out,” McBride concluded.

 

“The Hang, The Hustle, The Path” is distinctly jazz presented in a variety of shades, sonicscapes, and settings both modern and historic. Although it is jazz music, the album has an inherent street edge, reflecting the influence of authentic hip-hop and dance floor cultures. Throughout the set, McBride’s sax play is astute, soulful, and impassioned. He’s being his unique self while making bold and emphatic statements, taking big courageous swings at the status quo. McBride indulges his freedom to explore, experiment, and embody a leadership role in a musical genre starved for originality and freeform expression while respecting and advocating for the history and preservation of the seminal art forms that shaped his versatile voice as a saxophonist.

 

To launch the new album, McBride and The Whole Proof will play shows in Chicago (Jazz Showcase from October 2-5), Los Angeles (Sam First on October 9), Atlanta (Eddie’s Attic on October 12), and New York City (Red Rooster on October 14). 

  

McBride launched his professional career as a musician in 2007 and released his debut album, “Quatuor de Force,” in 2012. Two years ago, his acclaimed “Ramon” album climbed into the top 25 on the JazzWeek chart and remained on the chart for fourteen weeks, earning a spot on the yearend chart as one of the year’s best. McBride has played with a remarkable array of artists from the jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul, alternative rock, and pop worlds including Billy Preston, Percy GrayRoy HargrovePete RockRakimBig Daddy KaneSlick RickTalib KweliLupe FiascoSolangeNe-YoJennifer HudsonBrandon Flowers88 Keys, and Marquis Hill.

 

As an educator, McBride has served as Director of Education at the nonprofit Second Line Arts Collective in New Orleans in addition to teaching at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Currently, he is the Musical Supervisor for The Soapbox Presents: The Stoop Sessions in Harlem and Music Director of The Jazz Continuum, both of which allow him to incorporate his passion for jazz and seamlessly mixing different genres. As a composer, McBride was selected as the 2022 Make Jazz Fellowship artist at The 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, California. 

 

McBride’s “The Hang, The Hustle, The Path” contains the following songs:

 

“Welcome (#AllDay)”

“Opportunity Lost” featuring Josh Evans

“CHI to NY” featuring Wayne Tucker

“Punta Cana”

“A Downpour of Beauty (Ceta’s Song)” featuring Charles Turner and Marcus Machado

“Funky Good Señor Blues” featuring Josh Evans

“You Are My Joy”

“Seven (The Human Cost)” featuring Josh Evans

“Saxophone at Night”

“Jeanette”

“Kiss of Life” featuring J. Hoard

“The #BAM Continuum (for NP)” featuring DJ Skaz Digga  

“The Hang, The Hustle, The Path”

 

 

For more information, visit https://www.crmcbridemusic.com




Friday, September 19, 2025

Sarah McLachlan - "Better Broken" Released today Concord Records #music


When Sarah McLachlan first emerged as a global phenomenon over three decades ago, the Canadian singer/songwriter introduced an unprecedented new voice into the pop canon: soulful, spellbinding, and supremely capable of transforming pain into transcendence. On her first album of new material in 11 years, the three-time Grammy-winner furthers her legacy with a selection of songs that speak an uncompromising but radically illuminating truth about the state of the human condition. The latest triumph in a career with countless milestones—including 12 JUNO Awards, over 40 million albums sold worldwide, and major cultural achievements like founding the groundbreaking Lilith Fair—Better Broken ultimately affirms McLachlan as an unparalleled artist whose nuanced perspective and unfettered empathy feel more essential than ever.

“A lot of the lyrics on this record came from thinking about the world right now and asking, ‘How do we move through this landscape? How do we keep our heads above water when it feels like so much is falling apart?’” says McLachlan. “I don’t know if I have any answers, but channeling all that angst and uncertainty into the music has been so cathartic. So even though some of the songs may seem quite dark on the surface, singing them has given me an incredible amount of joy.”

In a monumental leap for McLachlan, Better Broken finds her widening her creative circle and working with producers Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, boygenius) and Will Maclellan (Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers). “I’d worked with the same person for 30-plus years, so this really felt like stepping out on a limb and trying something new,” says McLachlan, who enlisted producer Pierre Marchand for landmark albums like her 1993 breakthrough Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and 1997’s eight-times-platinum Surfacing. Mainly recorded at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, Better Broken instills a potent new energy into her lush and moody form of pop-rock, thanks in part to contributions from esteemed musicians like Wendy Melvoin (a former guitarist for Prince and the Revolution), drummer Matt Chamberlain (Bob Dylan, David Bowie), multi-instrumentalist Benny Bock (Lucy Dacus, beabadoobee), and pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Kacey Musgraves, Florence + the Machine). “I went into the studio with a ton of trepidation, because I hadn’t made a record in so long and was unsure of about what I wanted to say and whether the songs were strong enough.” says McLachlan. “But all that fear and uncertainty dissipated so quickly once we started working. The whole process was deeply collaborative, and every musician added something so magical to the songs.”

Her tenth studio album and debut release for Concord Records, Better Broken takes its title from its opening track—a soul-searching reflection on the fortitude that comes from weathering life’s constant storms. “I’m 57 now, and nobody gets to this point unscathed,” says McLachlan. “Life is hard, and you get bashed around a bit, but I feel more wholly myself than I ever have, I think it’s true that we learn so much more about ourselves from our failures – what it takes to heal and find ways to stay open and curious is a theme for a lot of this record.” A gorgeous showcase for her inimitable voice, “Better Broken” unfolds in delicate beats and lavish textures as McLachlan once again proves her singular gift for spinning wisdom into indelibly catchy melody (from the chorus: “Let it be all it is/Small and still and better left alone/Some things are better broken”). The result: a perfect entry point into her latest body of work, instantly revealing her one-of-a-kind ability to swiftly lure the listener into a more elevated state of mind.

The first song recorded for Better Broken, “Gravity” delves deeper into her emotional life and explores the complexities of her relationship with her older daughter. With its graceful string arrangement (courtesy of Patrick Warren, who’s also worked with Fiona Apple and Stevie Nicks), the tender piano ballad channels both quiet heartache and tremendous compassion in its words of loving benediction. “For a long time my daughter and I had a very combative and fraught relationship, and what I came to realize is that so much of what I perceived as obstinance or rage was actually masking a ton of anxiety on her part,” says McLachlan. “We went to counseling together and I learned that she felt so alone and unvalidated by me—which was devastating to hear, but it led us both to change the way we communicate with each other. I wrote ‘Gravity’ as a way of saying to her, ‘I’ve always loved you and want the best for you, and you’re perfect the way you are.”

An artist who’s endlessly matched her intense sensitivity with an undeniable strength, McLachlan embodies a glorious ferocity on “One In a Long Line”— an irrepressible anthem railing against the rapid erosion of women’s rights in recent years. “At first I debated about how far to push on this song, because I’ve seen how people get eviscerated when they speak their minds about anything political,” says McLachlan. “But finally I decided that I can’t be one of those people who waits for someone else to speak up. I want my daughters to feel free, and I want all women to be able to choose how they live their lives.” In a particularly moving turn, McLachlan’s daughters India and Taja Sood lend their own vocals to the galvanizing track, which reaches a feverish urgency at the bridge: “Fuck your judgment, your violence/I am a wildfire/I am a forest burned/But I will rise, you’ll see/And if you think that you can bring me down/Well, go ahead and call the cavalry.”

All throughout Better Broken, McLachlan and her fellow musicians bring an ineffable beauty to her expression of longing and grief and fierce determination. On “The Last to Go,” for instance, resplendent synth and gently tumbling rhythms lend an unexpected luminosity to her defiant meditation on self-sacrifice and regret. “That song came from thinking about my mother and everything she gave up for other people, and all the anger and resentment that built up for her over the years,” says McLachlan. “It actually started out as a pretty dark piano ballad, but overnight Will went in and turned it into a weird and wonderful little symphony that completely lifted it out of that morose, heavy place.” Meanwhile, on “Long Road Home,” McLachlan flips the script and delivers a rapturous love song adorned with haunting guitar tones and darkly hypnotic vocal effects. “I wrote that about finding love again and coming into the experience with a lot of war wounds, but realizing how wonderful it feels to stay open to love,” she says.

With its tracklist encompassing everything from the pedal-steel-laced reverie of “Reminds Me” (a lovestruck duet with MUNA’s Katie Gavin) to the poetic social commentary of “Rise” (a heavy-hearted but radiant track McLachlan refers to as a “hopeful lament”), Better Broken closes out on its most majestic moment: a profoundly unsettling yet strangely thrilling epic called “If This Is the End…” “I’m an eternal optimist but I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the end of the world and what that could look like, because lately it seems like a possibility,” says McLachlan. “That song started with a few lyrics and a riff, and when I played it for Tony he told me about a movie where the atomic bomb is coming and everyone knows so they all walk out to the beach and sing ‘Waltzing Matilda.’” Inspired by that scene in the 1959 sci-fi drama On the Beach, Tony assembled a 28-person choir including many of the musicians who’d played on the album, acutely magnifying the impact of the album’s final lyrics (“So let’s drink to the Earth that will wear a new tapestry/Rainbows of sinew and bone/All of our struggles, our ego and avarice/Fall at the end of the road”). “It’s reminiscent of an Irish drinking song, so we decided we needed a drunken choir,” McLachlan recalls. “The last day of tracking, we got a bartender and gave everyone a lot of tequila, and we all sang this song of profound loss and waiting for the end of the world. Joyful and morose at the same time.”

As McLachlan points out, Better Broken took shape in the midst of a bustling schedule that included touring North America on her sold-out Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Tour as well as her ongoing work as founding chair of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music (a not-for-profit founded in Vancouver in 2002). “Before we made this album I thought it might be my last, because my other responsibilities have really pulled me away from music over the last decade,” she says. “But the whole process rekindled my love for making records, and now I can’t wait to start the next one.” And with the release of Better Broken, McLachlan hopes to impart others with the pure unbridled joy she experienced in creating the album. “We all need something to lift us up out of all our challenges and the negative things we’re dealing with every day, and music has always done that for me,” she says. “I hope that this record provides people with some relief and release—but in the end I just want them to take whatever they need from it, and make the songs part of their own story.”




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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Friday, September 05, 2025

Legend of the Saxophone - NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman #jazz #music


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Thursday, September 04, 2025

R&B singer-songwriter Jeff Logan taps into four generations of domestic violence for an intense album dropping October 3 #jazz #music


He wrote and recorded “Ghost Protocol” in response to his daughter becoming a repeat victim of abuse at her intimate partner’s hands.

 

When Jeff Logan returned home from his shift at Prince George’s County correctional facility and saw that his daughter had been beaten up for the third time by her relationship partner, he became enraged. In that instant, he knew he had a choice to make - find and kill her boyfriend or channel his anger creatively, productively, and responsibly. Knowing full well the consequences of the former, he chose the latter, entering his home recording studio to write, perform, produce, and arrange sixteen powerful, emotionally charged R&B and hip-hop songs about domestic violence. Holed up in the studio for eight straight days during which he continued to serve as chief of population management and slept only two or three hours per night, the prolific artist emerged with “Ghost Protocol.” The Fire & Ice Entertainment Network album drops on October 3 during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

 

Logan’s family history with domestic violence runs deep. He was a victim as a child as was his grandmother, mother, and now one of his daughters. Logan says that he channeled the album, never conceiving and crafting a recording project so swiftly. His graphic storytelling lyrics uniquely script domestic violence from various perspectives: the victim, the abuser, the abuser’s mother, and the victim’s parents. Beyond his own personal history with domestic violence, working in the correctional system for over 35 years informs Logan’s true life, unvarnished tales. Each imaginative song rooted in provocative and shocking truth is set to a different beat and tempo: soulful down-tempo neo soul vibes, hard-hitting hip-hop beats, relentless R&B grooves, and transformational gospellike confessionals.    

 

“I consciously tried to enter into an alter ego state of mind for each perspective as I attempted to channel my angst about what happened to my daughter, my mother, me when I was a child, my paternal grandmother, and a host of women who have, over the years, confided in me about how at some point of their respective lives, they were emotionally, financially, physically, and psychologically abused in previous intimate relationships. I honestly believe this phenomenon does not discriminate against class, ethnicity, geographic borders, race, and/or socioeconomic status. From the beginning of time to the present day, domestic violence is a public health risk that is just as adverse, devastating, harmful, impactful, pervasive, traumatic, and, too often, just as lethal as a global pandemic. Four generations of my family have been and are affected, and I want to do something about it. That is the purpose of this album,” said Logan whose daughter thus far has refused to listen to a single song on the album her experiences have inspired. 

 

The album opens with the bluesy ballad “Misery Loves Company,” which is about the moment a person realizes that they are in a relationship with someone who has an abusive personality, that staying would be detrimental to their life. The abuse continues on “Please to the 3rd Power” on which the victim implores the abuser to get help. Logan speaks from his own perspective on “Daddy’s PSA.”

 

“This song is my emotional outburst about the initial angst, helplessness, and rage I felt when I saw the physical manifestations of the abuse and attack my daughter suffered at the hands of her abuser,” Logan admitted.

 

“I Don’t Know Why” was written from the abuser’s perspective during an introspective moment questioning why they lash out in anger and assault the person(s) they genuinely care about. The album’s haunting title track is a warning from a victim who lost their life speaking from beyond to warn other potential victims to get out of an abusive relationship. The tempo picks up on “2-Minute Reflections” capturing the remarks of family members at the funeral for the deceased victim sharing how they tried to warn their loved one to get out of the abusive relationship, but the victim didn’t listen. The hip-hop anthem “BOLO-juris prudence” speaks to the fact that criminal cases are enormously expensive, and that the money could be better utilized to finance higher education. “M.O.S. (Mother of Suspect)” is a testimonial from the abuser’s mother, and how she may lament her feelings for her son although he’s been charged with assault in a domestic violence relationship. “Flame” speaks from the child’s perspective as they grapple with the reality that they lost their mother to domestic violence and how their present and future life is now in peril.

 

Taking on a completely different perspective, “Move to the Cool” tells the responsible, level-headed way for two individuals to exit a relationship that no longer works without engaging in emotional, physical, or psychological attacks. Logan uses math to state that abuse plus battery equals cell block on “a2 +b2=c2.” The deceased victim’s grieving mother delivers a heartbroken statement on “V.I. (Victim Impact Statement)” despite the years the defendant has spent incarcerated.

 

Logan explains the story behind “P.R.T. (Preach, Reach, Teach).”

 

“It’s taken from the approach of a man, such as me, coming to the crossroads of reality that there are far too many lost young men who have been raised without having proper conflict resolution skills, emotional intelligence, guidance, and being able to channel their insecurities or handle rejection, especially with regard to complex intimate relationships. The person is coming to terms that people like me can continue to look down on these individuals or attempt to become part of the solution by mentoring other younger men before their compulsive and impulsive out-of-control emotions get the better of them, too.”

 

“Adulting 101” offers another reminder that there are always more productive options, alternatives, and scenarios that don't have to lead to violence.

 

Logan says that “Ghost Host Protocol 2” was penned from the perspective of the late victim’s spirit as she tries to inhabit the bodies of those who loved her.

 

“She wants them to let her spirit settle into them so they can battle-cry and bello the tragic recapitulation of her life and death at the hands of a domestic partner, ultimately hoping that it saves someone else from the same fate,” revealed Logan.  

 

The album closes with a visit into the inner thoughts of the abuser, locked away behind bars on “Penal Purgatory,” not knowing if or when he will ever get out of prison. Logan goes into vivid detail about the song’s message.

 

“These are the defendant's inner thoughts being voiced at years and years of parole hearings. He has served too many years to count, but he is also initially cautious about sharing the hell he has experienced while being locked up. However, he expounds more as his chances for parole come and go year by year. He cries out in agony that he just wants to be let out because he has realized that incarceration is no place for any human being due to the inhumane conditions a person is subjected to. He laments not knowing if or when he'll ever be paroled, but he wants the parole board to get his story out to the young people and future generations so that they each must and should avoid incarceration. My intention is that the listener realizes that regardless of the heinous crime(s) this individual committed, he too, has been subjugated and mistreated while serving his decades long sentence. To him, release from prison would be a glimpse of heaven. The time he has served has been and is hell. And the not knowing if he will ever be released presents a figurative and literal purgatory-esq way of life for him.”  

 

Logan is a multi-instrumentalist who has an innate gift for composing captivating melodies. He released his debut album, “Black Tie Affair,” in 2011 and last year’s “Indigo” collection was produced by two-time GRAMMY® winner Paul Brown (Boney James, Luther Vandross, George Benson, Norman Brown). In June, Logan released the single “Fire and Ice,” which has garnered global airplay. His previous releases were R&B-jazz instrumentals while “Ghost Protocol” marks his first foray into the R&B/hip-hop space. An imaginative creator, Logan’s next urban-jazz instrumental project, “Obsidian,” will release in the first quarter of 2026. For now, his mission is singular: reach as many people as possible through the music on “Ghost Protocol” that was divinely created “through” him.

 

“My overarching desire for ‘Ghost Protocol’ is for it to be a cautionary tale set to music, and for its message to strongly encourage victims and victimizers to seek immediate help.”

 

Logan’s “Ghost Protocol” album contains the following songs:

 

“Misery Loves Company” (part 1)

“Please to the 3rd Power”

“Daddy's PSA” (part 1)

“I Don't Know Why” (reflective version)

“Ghost Protocol” (part 1)

“2-Minute Reflections”

“BOLO-Juris Prudence” (part 1)”

“M.O.S. (Mother of Suspect)”

“Flame!”

“Move to the Cool”

“a2 +b2=c2” (Extended Version)

“V.I. (Victim Impact Statement)”

“P.R.T. (Preach, Reach, Teach)”

“Adulting 101”

“Ghost Host Protocol 2”

“Penal Purgatory” (part 1)

 

 

To pre-order “Ghost Protocol,” go to https://unitedmasters.com/m/ghost-protocol-rap-sody.

 

For more information, please visit www.fireandicenetwork.com/press.



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