ON J(AIR)ED Jared Shahid

Hey folks! I had the privilege of chatting with bass extraordinaire Christian McBride a couple weeks ago. Since this interview, I saw Christian perform alongside Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and others for the White House's celebration of International Jazz Day. He is everywhere!

Christian is a 5 time Grammy Award winner whose recorded on more than 300 albums and is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished and respected bassists of our generation. In his youth, Christian was a prodigy and his contributions to the music world as an adult have not disappointed. As a jazz bassist, he’s played alongside the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, McCoy Tyner, Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis and on and on. Outside of Jazz, he’s played with James Brown, Paul McCartney, Celine Dione, Usher and countless others. When Sting had the chance to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, he decided just to sing and not to play bass and thus, he recruited Christian — and as Sting said, “I don’t give up the seat in my band easily, unless it’s, you know, The Best.”

While Christian remains humble about his own original work, there is a playful sophistication to his composition, and in that way, it's representative of who he is. In other words, even though he may extenuate the depth of his own work, that's Christian being Christian. His technical abilities allow him to push the music further that most musicians could wish for.

Just a few months ago, Christian was the Musical Director for the Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House. Christian, his upright bass and his unmistakable smile are center stage leading the charge throughout the night. In March it was announced that Christian has accepted the role as the new Artistic Director for the Newport Jazz Festival -- he'll replace legendary founder George Wein. You can hear him on “The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian” on SiriusXM satellite radio or on NPR's “Jazz Night in America” weekly radio show. He’s a legend in his time and I’m proud to call him a friend.

Thanks to Kicking Horse Coffee for making this possible!

Welcome Back! I had to take a substantial break from ON J(AIR)ED while I worked on some other projects, but it's great to be back!

Firstly, A big thanks to the awesome folks at Kicking Horse Coffee for sponsoring this new season and for keeping me well caffeinated! The first thing you see on their site is a mug that says "wake up & kick ass" -- which about sums it up.

Season Two kicks off with one of the "Godfathers of Rock n' Roll" -- Mr. Lloyd Price. Lloyd wrote hits like "Stagger Lee," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Personality," "I'm Gonna Get Married," "Just Because," and my personal favorite, "Lady Luck." His life story reads like something out of fictional script -- he was the first artist to ever sell a million records, the first black artist to hit #1 on the charts, his music has been covered by artists like John Lennon, Elvis and James Brown, he was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and his story is now rightfully being taken to Broadway and to Hollywood. Lloyd's music was the first to bring black and white audiences together. During a time of intense segregation, teenage boys and girls of different races filled concert halls, sang together, danced together, and started a youth movement in America and changed things forever.

Beyond his music career and social impact, Lloyd became an incredibly successful entrepreneur, promoter and businessman. From promoting the biggest boxing matches in history, to developing affordable housing in New York, to negotiating licensing deals in Africa for 10 years, it's safe to say that Lloyd Price has an innate drive to learn, create and thrive.

On a cold day this winter, Lloyd generously visited me at my home to talk about his life. Now at 82-years-old, you'll hear that he remains as excited about life and possibility as someone a quarter of his age.

Lastly, as a side note, due to all kinds of complications with licensing and copyright laws, we can't play Lloyd's tunes in this episode, so I've included links for you to check out. Hopefully we'll sort out that legal business as we move forward.