Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Bassist Christian McBride (left) and Bootsy Collins sat down for a moderated conversation with journalist Andy Hermann in Los Angeles.
(Photo: Paul Wellman)“Greatest day of my life,” declared Christian McBride without a hint of hyperbole. Even for a six-time Grammy-winner who’s shared stages and studios with dozens of jazz, pop and r&b luminaries, few experiences can top his first meeting with one of his childhood heroes: Funk legend Bootsy Collins.
Among bassists, there are few figures more revered than Collins, who during his brief stint with James Brown in 1969 and 1970 played on several of the Godfather of Soul’s most iconic singles, including “Sex Machine,” “Soul Power” and “Super Bad.” From there he became part of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective, where he continued to create some of funk’s most indelible bass lines. He also perfected the persona he’s still famous for today: a fun-loving, bespectacled, psychedelic spaceman, playing a star-shaped bass and preaching the gospel of funk in a distinctively laid-back speaking style as syncopated as his bass lines.
Both as a solo artist and with his group Bootsy’s New Rubber Band, Collins remains active, collaborating with numerous artists across a variety of genres. His most recent album, last year’s World Wide Funk (Mastcot), features guest appearances by Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, Musiq Soulchild, former Zap Mama bassist Manou Gallo and hip-hop icon Chuck D, of Public Enemy, who all slide seamlessly into the syrupy, multi-layered grooves of Collins’ music.
McBride—one of the most accomplished jazz bassists on the scene today—is no stranger to funk, having explored the genre on a variety of projects, most notably the Philadelphia Experiment, his 2001 collaboration with key- boardist Uri Caine and Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. He also has the distinction of having been the bandleader and bassist for James Brown’s final performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006, just a few months before the singer’s death.
For much of 2018, McBride’s focus will be New Jawn, his quartet with Josh Evans (trumpet), Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet) and Nasheet Waits (drums). The group’s album, Christian McBride’s New Jawn, is slated for an Oct. 26 release on Mack Avenue. The program features adventurous original compositions by all four members. McBride also continues to host NPR’s Jazz Night in America and serves as artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival.
Collins, meanwhile, is working on a Broadway show and writing a memoir tentatively titled Funky Tales From The Crib!
Despite having a long list of mutual collaborators besides Brown, McBride and Collins had never crossed paths before coming together for their DownBeat interview and photo shoot on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. Within minutes, though, they were laughing and joking like old friends, swapping stories about the tempestuous Godfather of Soul and comparing notes about instruments, techniques and influences.
Collins spoke about cutting his teeth in the jazz clubs of his native Cincinnati, often alongside his brother and fellow future Brown sideman, Phelps “Catfish” Collins (1943–2010). The tracks they recorded with Brown made a lasting impression on the Juilliard-trained McBride, especially when he later learned that his father, Philly soul bassist Lee Smith, had once shared a stage with Brown and Bootsy.
Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Bootsy, you’ve worked with a lot of jazz players, but have you played a lot of jazz yourself?
Bootsy Collins: Well, I grew up around a lot of jazz players. They were inspiring to me, and brought me in as one of the little young cats. Probably the reason I didn’t go that direction was because James Brown called us off the street. ... And as soon as we got out of there, we went straight to George Clinton. So I didn’t get a chance to learn all the jazz stuff and music theory.
Were you self-taught?
Collins: Oh, yeah. I had no training at all, man. None. It was all for the funk of it. Whatever I heard in my head, that’s what came out.
Christian McBride: Do you remember a guitar player named Kenny Poole? Did you play with him in Cincinnati?
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
