Christian McBride brings together all of his varied stylistic passions on 2026’s Points of Light. The album is the bassist’s first with his quartet Ursa Major, an exploratory ensemble of younger improvisers from across jazz, gospel, and R&B, featuring saxophonist Nicole Glover, keyboardist Mike King, guitarist Ely Perlman, and drummer Savannah Harris. Also on board is keyboardist Quintin Gulledge and keyboardist Terrace Martin, the latter of whom also produced the album. While acclaimed for his deep grasp of the acoustic hard bop traditions, McBride has long investigated his many diverse influences, even digging into Weather Report-style electric fusion and R&B as far back as 2003’s Vertical Vision. Here, he strikes a nice balance, moving between…

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