Live at Tonic

Disc 1
1	Technicolor Nightmare 12:48
2	Say Something 6:04
3	Clerow's Flipped 6:05
4	Lejos de Usted 7:01
5	Sonic Tonic 11:44
6	Hibiscus 6:02
7	Sitting on a Cloud 6:52
8	Boogie Woogie Waltz 14:54
Disc 2
1	See Jam, Hear Jam, Feel Jam 29:23
2	Out Jam/Give It Up or Turn It Loose 9:35
3	Lower East Side/Rock Jam 6:26
4	Hemisphere Jam 3:36
5	Bitches Brew 4:51
6	Out Jam/Via Mwandishi 7:57
7	Mwandishi Outcome Jam 7:10
8	The Comedown (LSD Jam) 3:58
Disc 3
1	E Jam 33:03
2	AB Minor Jam 12:59
3	D Shuffle Jam 9:00
4	D Shuffle Jam, Pt. 2 11:32

All Music Guide

When bassist Christian McBride first emerged on the jazz scene, he was a youthful phenomenon who seemed set to follow in the footsteps of his early inspiration, Ray Brown. However, McBride has too much talent to merely want to be a copy of the past and, although he can swing as hard as any bebop bassist, his interests go beyond straight-ahead jazz into funk, fusion, and more adventurous improvising. Live at Tonic is a three-CD set that contains highlights from his opening sets during two nights at Tonic on the first disc, and his complete second sets on discs two and three. It is clear, after hearing the first couple of numbers, that McBride loves funk and stretching out. The first disc has his regular quartet with tenor-saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoff Keezer, and drummer Terreon Gully digging into eight numbers, including Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz" and some straight-ahead jamming. The second disc has the group augmented by guest pianist Jason Moran, violinist Jenny Scheinman, and guitarist Charlie Hunter, while the third has guests on trumpet, guitar, boom box, and turntables. Unfortunately, the songs (particularly on the second and third CDs) are not of very high quality and the funk seems to go on forever, particularly on the 29-minute "See Jam, Hear Jam, Feel Jam." Each set has lengthy (definitely lengthy) introductions of the musicians over endless vamps that would be extremely difficult to sit through twice. More is definitely less on this three-CD set, which would have benefited greatly from being two or even one CD, cutting out the excess of fat and the long "vamp till ready" sections. There are some good moments along the way and the musicians are great, but some editing and common sense should have gone into this production. Scott Yanow

Los Angeles Daily News

Jazz's preeminent bassist returns with his first release in three years and what a release.... This is not your dad's jazz, though the engaging McBride does quote everyone from Monk to Kraftwerk in his modernly funky fusion. Glenn Whipp