(Mack Avenue)

Bassist Christian McBride leads his trio in a solid outing on his latest recording Out Here. Joining McBride in this adventure are Ulysses Owens, Jr. on drums and Christian Sands on piano. The musical menu is quite diverse, and the sideman are a bit younger than their leader, but the trio takes the tunes on with cool of the true artisans they are.The set consists of a collection of standards arranged quite nicely to fit this jazz triumvirate. Included are tunes composed by Oscar Peterson, Dr. Billy Taylor, Brooks Bowman and Stanley Turrentine among others.The band is in complete sync and the album is a totally engaging listening experience.