Christian McBride has today released his new single collaboration with Samara Joy titled ‘Old Folks’, from his upcoming album ‘Without Further Ado, Vol. 1’, dropping August 29th via Mack Avenue Records.
Old school truly finds new cool via this nine-time GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. Knowledge crashes with history and finds a new voice with the assistance of another legend in Samara Joy. A pair of true visionaries, Christian and Samara, take a feeling and make it an experience with a classic form of music that never lost its wind in its sails and gives us that timeless sound with a new flavor. This is what happens when you infuse music with magic.
About ‘Old Folks’
Nine-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist/composer Christian McBride released a stunning rendition of the beloved jazz standard “Old Folks” featuring five-time GRAMMY® Award winner Samara Joy. It’s the second single from McBride’s upcoming release Without Further Ado, Vol 1, a new album featuring his acclaimed big band and an all-star cast of special guests. Following up his big band’s GRAMMY® Award winning 2020 release For Jimmy, Wes & Oliver, the new release employs a jaw-dropping array of talent, featuring Sting, Andy Summers, Samara Joy, Dianne Reeves, José James, Cécille McLorin Salvant, Jeffrey Osborne, and Antoinette Henry to bridge eras with elegance and groove, reaffirming McBride’s status as a champion of jazz past, present and future.
When asked about the performance, McBride reflects, “Oftentimes, jazz can get so deep into its vacuum, we forget what’s the most important thing – emotion. Many jazz critics will tell you it’s a process or concept, but if nobody can feel it, what good is either? Samara Joy doesn’t have that issue. She always emotes. I have a strong feeling that after you hear her interpret ‘Old Folks,’ you will intimately understand just who ‘Old Folks’ was, and your eyes dare not be dry. Thank you, Samara.”
“‘Old Folks’ could be multiple people that you think about in your life, whether it’s family or not,” Samara says. “I heard Carmen McRae’s, Ernestine Anderson’s, and Charlie Parker’s versions. It was a song that people don’t normally record or hear the lyrics to, so I thought about Roy Haynes, Quincy Jones, and all of these different people who have so much wisdom bottled up that they share.”
“Old Folks” follows the album’s lead track “Murder By Numbers,” which reunited Sting with his bandmate Andy Summers for the first time since The Police’s 2007-2008 reunion tour. The single was featured in American Songwriter, Consequence, Jambase, Stereogum, SPIN, and many other publications.
Having collaborated with artists ranging from Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis to Billie Eilish and Celine Dion, several of McBride’s artistic paths converge on Without Further Ado, Vol. 1, creating an electrifying collection of reimagined classics and surprises. The inspiration and many of the arrangements for the album grew out of the annual NJPAC Gala, for which the Big Band has served as house band and McBride as musical director since 2012. “We’ve always invited a bunch of great singers to come and perform at the Gala,” McBride says, “and as musical director, I’m responsible for arranging all of the music. After so many years of writing big band charts for these incredible singers, I realized that I had stacks of music that had only been played once. This has been a fantastic opportunity to finally record some of these arrangements and to play them with some of my favorite singers.”
If there is any doubt that we are living through a vocal jazz renaissance, the multi-generational line-up of singers McBride has assembled for Without Further Ado, Vol 1, definitively settles that debate. From Samara Joy’s breathtaking version of the jazz standard “Old Folks,” to three-time GRAMMY® winner Cécil Mclorin Salvant’s burning, uptempo reinterpretation of Cole Porter’s dreamy ballad “All Through The Night”, Without Further Ado, Vol 1 is like a vocal all-star game that’s heightened by the elegance and fire of the Christian McBride Big Band.
Ahead of the album release, the Christian McBride Big Band will be performing at the Newport Jazz Festival on August 3, where they’ll perform some of the new music from the album. In 2026, McBride will launch the first-ever McBride’s World at Sea cruise, featuring performances with all of his critically acclaimed bands and loads of special guests onboard, including Samara Joy.
About Christian McBride
Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s TD James Moody Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, serving as Artistic Director of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions.
In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him. McBride’s 2024 album But Who’s Gonna Play The Melody?, was recorded with renowned bassist, composer, and seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winner Edgar Meyer. Released via Mack Avenue Records, the album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart.
About Samara Joy
Samara Joy is a 5x Grammy Award winner, born and raised in the Bronx. The 25-year-old grew up immersed in music, inspired by classic R&B, gospel, and a rich family legacy that includes her father, musician Antonio McLendon, and grandparents from the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes.
She discovered jazz while studying at SUNY Purchase, where she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and quickly gained recognition as a “once in a generation” vocalist. Her self-titled 2021 debut was followed by Linger Awhile, her Grammy-winning breakthrough on Verve, earning accolades including Grammy Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album. With her latest album, Portrait, co-produced with Brian Lynch, Joy deepens her artistry through original lyrics and inventive arrangements that honor jazz legends like Charles Mingus and Barry Harris while forging her path forward.
Portrait was awarded the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album, further solidifying her place among the genre’s most vital voices. Joy’s global tour, which recently included her anticipated sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in her hometown of New York City, will continue throughout 2025.
‘Without Further Ado, Vol. 1’ Tracklist
- Murder By Numbers (ft. Sting & Andy Summers)
- Back In Love Again (ft. Jeffrey Osborne)
- Old Folks (ft. Samara Joy)
- Moanin’ (ft. José James)
- All Through The Night (ft. Cécile McLorin Salvant)
- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (ft. Dianne Reeves)
- Come Rain or Come Shine (ft. Antoinette Henry)
- Op. 49 – Cold Chicken Suite, 3rd Movement
LINKS:
https://www.christianmcbride.com/
https://www.facebook.com/officialchristianmcbride
https://www.instagram.com/chrmcbride/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ChristianMcBrideTV
