With Out Here, premier bassist Christian McBride introduces his latest working group: a trio, perhaps the most essential and meaningful postulation of jazz history—the literal G-spot of improvisation and interplay. Pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.—both younger, emerging artists— have been performing with McBride’s smallest group for about three years, honing their trio conception to a fine point of expressive depth and nuance with select performances around the world. “It’s a pretty diversified trio,” says McBride descriptively. “The real core foundation is hardcore swingin,’blues and the American songbook. Part of that is because Christian [Sands] is so well-rounded and willing to go to so many places, that I can’t help but want to swing hard with him and Ulysses.” When he hit the jazz scene like a comet at age 17, McBride’s huge, woodsy sound and precocious agility invited comparisons to the legendary bassist Ray Brown. The late jazz bassist was not only renowned for performing on classic jazz dates with modern greats from the 1940s onward, but also for his central role in trios led by Oscar Peterson as well as his own stellar trio ensembles afterward. Helming a trio was the furthest thing from McBride’s mind—until an Inside Straight appearance in 2009 became a trio date due of the absence of saxophonist Steve Wilson and vibraphonist Warren Wolf. But instead of calling for replacements for two members of Inside Straight, he opted for expedience and played the gig with pianist Peter Martin and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. Out Here is GRAMMY®-winner McBride’s 11th recording as a leader.