Iconic bassist Christian McBride has been doing what the title of his new Mack Avenue big band album implores for years: Bringin' It. This highly anticipated release, which follows the Christian McBride Big Band's 2011 Grammy Award-winning debut, The Good Feeling, puts his status and skills as an all-around entertainer on full display. While the music played by the Christian McBride Big Band is on the cutting edge of 21st century large ensemble music, the orchestra's presentation, like its sound, respects the past while looking forward.

Melissa Walker graces Bringin' It on two tracks: "Upside Down," originally done by Brazilian superstar Djavan, and the unlikely slick arrangement of "Mr. Bojangles." Only two tracks on the 11-song set were not arranged by the leader: the "Upside Down" arrangement was contributed by Norman Simmons, while "Optimism" is from the person he's known the longest in his band, trombonist Steve Davis. McBride played bass for Freddie Hubbard's quintet for nearly three years starting when he was 18. One of the songs he loved to play with the legendary trumpeter was "Thermo" which appears here. Perennial poll-topping arranger Maria Schneider has also been an influence on McBride. He honors her with his rendition of "I Thought About You."

"As for my originals, they all have been recorded with my small groups," McBride explains about the tracks "Gettin' To It," "Youthful Bliss," and "Used'ta Could." "As an arranger I'm still in the early stages of my development so it seems to me the best way to really make my hopeful ascension into a better arranger is to obviously take a song I've already written and try to add to that and make it a worthy large ensemble song." While the Wes Montgomery smoker "Full House" isn't a McBride original, it is part of his development as an arranger – it's a big band chart he first created for guitarist Russell Malone at Jazz Aspen in 2009. And McBride's work ethic is in evidence on the steamy old ballad "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning."