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Christian McBride is a giant in the world of jazz. An eight-time Grammy Award winner, the bassist, composer, and arranger has appeared on more than 300 recordings, and performed with a who’s who of musicians, from Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, and Pay Metheny, to Sting, Questlove, and Paul McCartney.
During the spring 2024 semester, William Paterson’s jazz students had the opportunity to interact with the award-winning musician on campus during a four-part jazz residency program thanks to funding from donor Barbara Thoen and her late husband, Wayne.
“We have enjoyed jazz for most of our lives,” says Barbara Thoen, who with her husband attended the University’s Jazz Room series concerts for decades and continues to do so after his passing. In 2022, they established the Wayne and Barbara Thoen Jazz Studies Annual Scholarship at William Paterson, providing support for five high-achieving undergraduate or graduate students with financial need who are majoring in jazz studies.
Earlier this year, Thoen updated her estate plans to include support for the Jazz Studies Program through scholarships and a jazz studies residency. The desire to experience the residency during her lifetime prompted the opportunity to bring McBride to campus for this pilot artist-in-residence program. “I believe Wayne would have appreciated seeing how Christian interacted with the students and guided them during the four special days,” she says.
During the residency, students interacted with McBride in a variety of ways. During the first session, he participated in a conversation with Bill Charlap, the Grammy-winning pianist and Wiilliam Paterson’s director of jazz studies. Charlap introduced McBride as someone “with zero pretensions who honors the music, and the way he plays the bass is just ridiculous.” Charlap and McBride also performed several tunes together, to the delight of the students.
McBride discussed growing up in a family of musicians, his life as a performer, how to stay positive, and why it was important to him to participate in this program.
“I love seeing the next generation of musicians who are now out there killing it,” he told the students. “That’s the return.” He encouraged them to be intentional performers. “Intent is at the core of every important decision,” he added. “Don’t be scared; be as fearless as possible.”
The other sessions featured a lecture by McBride titled “Ray Brown Meets James Brown—The Convergence of Jazz, R & B, and Hip-Hop,” and two masterclasses, in which selected jazz student ensembles had the opportunity for McBride to critique their performances.
The jazz students were thrilled to have been able to participate in the program. For freshman drummer Chris Parr, the residency “opened a new perspective on what music means to me and how to better immerse myself in this art form,” he said.
“Getting to meet Christian McBride was a great experience,” said sophomore bass player Evan Wohlrabe. “He gave us a lot of feedback on how we could improve our playing. In addition, I really enjoyed his lecture on the connection of hip hop, jazz, and R&B…it opened my eyes to the influence that jazz has on other genres.”
For sophomore Killian Winn, a bass player, “The best part was getting to hear his perspective on the music business/industry world. He’s one of the most commercially successful jazz musicians alive and to hear his opinions and tips on the music scene today was very helpful.”
Charlap said the residency was “an unmitigated success for William Paterson University, and our music students. Christian McBride is, of course, world renowned as a jazz bassist of historical importance, but more importantly, he has that rare gift of instant communication, humility, profound insight, nurturing mentorship, and theatrical verve, which sets him apart in every area. His work with the students in this very special residency will be something that they carry in their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives.”
Thoen, who attended all four sessions, says she really enjoyed the program.“Christian was, of course, very knowledgeable but also very open and accessible to the students. Many of them thanked me and eagerly shared what they had learned,” she says.
David Demsey, professor of music and coordinator of the jazz studies program, says the residency had an enormous impact on the students. “Even with our world-class faculty, a program like this adds another level,” he says. “It was magic to have Christian McBride interacting with our students, as well as to have Barbara in the room as well.”
