Our Alone Together series is a celebration of spontaneous creation, presenting exclusive and unrehearsed duo performances captured live in the intimacy of the SFJAZZ Center. Whether they’re longtime collaborators or meeting on stage for the first time, these world class artists are improvisors of the highest level, creating powerful musical dialogues in the moment.

Episode 2 pairs legendary bassist Christian McBride with Oakland-born drummer Savannah Harris, who’s in McBride’s new band, Ursa Major. When asked to call a tune, McBride simply said “the blues!” What you hear in this episode is pure spontaneous composition over a standard blues form.

About Christian McBride
Among the most recorded artists in jazz history, McBride has appeared on well over 300 sessions by many of the most illustrious figures in jazz, including Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, and Pat Metheny, while also collaborating with artists as diverse as Kathleen Battle, Sting and Questlove of The Roots. The bassist has led a procession of diverse groups in the studio and on tour since the mid-90s, most recently his hard swinging Inside Straight quintet featuring SFJAZZ Collective vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and the Christian McBride Big Band, whose 2011 release The Good Feeling won that year’s GRAMMY for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. With this fresh new quintet, as with all his projects, McBride brings a kaleidoscopic musical vision and a restless drive for fresh avenues of expression.

About Kendrick Scott
Savannah Harris is a New York City-based drummer, composer, and producer and is currently on tour with McBride’s Ursa Major. Raised in Oakland, California by musician parents, she is an alumnus of the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. She’s recorded with indie and experimental artists Helado Negro, Kate Davis, Justin Allen, and Standing on the Corner. Her jazz recordings include releases from Peter Evans, María Grand, and Or Bareket. She’s performed with Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Billy Childs, Christian Scott, José James, and Georgia Anne Muldrow. In October of 2021, she debuted her solo piece “With Inner Sound, Truth” commissioned by Issue Project Room as a tribute to composer Ruth Anderson.

Personnel:
Christian McBride: upright bass
Savannah Harris: drums