Christian McBride backed up Billie Eilish on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" on Saturday Night Live this week. Lots of players could have nailed this gig, but Christian got the call and did a great job. Thanks to Billie and her team.
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Double Bass Christian McBride on Saturday Night Live
- Thread starter Neon Scribe
- Start date
Noticed that. I guess Jason must not have been available! 
I still think she needs to take a laxative and then drink a big cup of strong black coffee.
One of my least favorite versions of Indie Girl.
One of my least favorite versions of Indie Girl.
My only beef is, if you’re going to do a Christmas song as a jazz ballad, why not actually study up on how the greats phrased it?
(At least learn how to not break a line by breathing in the middle of it.)
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas this year is AutoTune... I really need it for my live performances of jazzy xmas tunz in front of millions of people on the TeeVee.
Oops...Almost forgot - can you also bring me a pianist who doesn't play lame changes on jazzy xmas tunz? (Sorry, Finneas! You got zero jazz rizz, bro!!!)
Thanks,
B.E.
All I want for Christmas this year is AutoTune... I really need it for my live performances of jazzy xmas tunz in front of millions of people on the TeeVee.
Oops...Almost forgot - can you also bring me a pianist who doesn't play lame changes on jazzy xmas tunz? (Sorry, Finneas! You got zero jazz rizz, bro!!!)
Thanks,
B.E.
That was nothing. She really showed off her breathing chops in her first number.
I don't get it.
Any of you all on any Xmas records you'd like to share? Or any SNL appearances I missed?
Beautiful. Well done. And I'll take this as a lesson from Mr. McBride: talk about the Bass Player doing his job laying back and serving the gig.
Good on James Genus for spreading some of the SNL Christma$ Ca$h around to a fellow bassist!!!!
Srsly.
Srsly.
I don’t think it was intended to be a jazz piece anymore than her first tune was.
The only jazz entity up there was Christian.
The only jazz entity up there was Christian.
So, re post 7 that intermittently vanishes, only people who've achieved the same level of success are allowed to criticize or have negative opinions about a performer? I call BS on that. NO, I have not appeared on SNL, nor have I sold millions of albums, but I am still allowed to think Billie Eilish is an affected indie-girl with a style of singing and general presentation that look and sound like she's 3/4 asleep and the 1/4 that's awake just smelled something distasteful. And I'm allowed to think that she needs some training on how to breathe without sending all the needles into the red. You OPEN your throat when you're breathing in, for crying out loud! No one wants to hear someone sounding like they're in the last stages of TB.
I think I've heard of Billie Eyelish or however you spell it, but I don't think I've ever heard her stuff. Actually, this thread was the first I learned she wasn't a he... I always thought "Billy" as in "Bill" when I heard the name mentioned.
Saying that only to indicate that my next comments are not directed to her work, as I know nothing about it, although I did get a kick out of your descriptiona above.
I can think of lots of stuff I've heard where performance "intensity" was certainly the driving force behind music product, rather than creativity, harmonic or melodic interest, technical proficiency, practice, thoughtful and/or artful lyrics, etc. Anyone remember this sketch?
Everyone can think what they want about whatever aspect of her performance. However, she has a ton of fans who enjoy that "style" of performance. You may not like it or think it's good, but LOTS of others do, and that's why she's on SNL and we are not.
For the record, I didn't think it was that terrible, but I'm also trying hard these days to not be so judgmental of artists in general, and genres I don't particularly like (or know that well) specifically. They are making music that people like, and they are enjoying performing it so ease up a little maybe?
For the record, I didn't think it was that terrible, but I'm also trying hard these days to not be so judgmental of artists in general, and genres I don't particularly like (or know that well) specifically. They are making music that people like, and they are enjoying performing it so ease up a little maybe?
Apparently, a lot of people DO want to hear her gasping. I am not necessarily one of them. But that is her thing and a lot of her following are probably gasping right along with her.
I don't know....maybe Tom Waits will chime in with his take on it.
It is getting a little beyond the OP, but we are all musicians to some extent, whether or not we gig. As such, I think it worthwhile to consider and discuss why some performers gain fame/popularity/wealth, and why others don't. For example, I'm a mediocre bassist myself. When I see a mediocre rock band with a mediocre bassist making tons of money, I wonder what it would be like to be that bassist.
I first became aware of Billie Eilish after her previous spot on SNL. Her singing did not impress me, but I learned that many MANY people were HUGE fans. And after that, I noticed how often she was in the news. That's fine. But I find it interesting to consider what it is that made her so popular, when so many singers we may feel are so much more talented are driving the van from town to town for low paying gigs.
Billie and her brother do seem to have some talent in terms of songwriting and arranging. And she seems to have projected an image that triggered a reaction. While the overly emotional performance style does not appeal to me, it has obviously sold well for many folk over the years.
So I have to respect her as having been extremely successful in the music business, even tho the music she makes is nothing I would ever pay for or intentionally listen to.
And she is obviously capable of attracting worldclass people to collaborate with her. Whaddya think CMcB's motivations were? Does he think he was making amazing music? Was it done for exposure? A gig's a gig?
I first became aware of Billie Eilish after her previous spot on SNL. Her singing did not impress me, but I learned that many MANY people were HUGE fans. And after that, I noticed how often she was in the news. That's fine. But I find it interesting to consider what it is that made her so popular, when so many singers we may feel are so much more talented are driving the van from town to town for low paying gigs.
Billie and her brother do seem to have some talent in terms of songwriting and arranging. And she seems to have projected an image that triggered a reaction. While the overly emotional performance style does not appeal to me, it has obviously sold well for many folk over the years.
So I have to respect her as having been extremely successful in the music business, even tho the music she makes is nothing I would ever pay for or intentionally listen to.
And she is obviously capable of attracting worldclass people to collaborate with her. Whaddya think CMcB's motivations were? Does he think he was making amazing music? Was it done for exposure? A gig's a gig?
Billie is awesome. She's such a true sweetheart! It can't be easy for her what with swimming through the shark infested waters of the music industry.
Billie truly loves what she does and she always expressed gratitude for being able to sing as a career. I think some comments may just be sour grapes. As always, IMO "Jealousy is the ugliest emotion"
Billie truly loves what she does and she always expressed gratitude for being able to sing as a career. I think some comments may just be sour grapes. As always, IMO "Jealousy is the ugliest emotion"
I meant to mention in my earlier post that (not that he would or should care, of course) I think it's great that Christian McBride got and played the gig. The more exposure great jazz players get to audiences that would otherwise never hear them, the better. Billy Joel featuring Freddie Hubbard and Phil Woods. Branford Marsalis with Sting. Great stuff. Heck, I've had the chance to play with some artists that I would otherwise never have checked out. One notable instance was playing piano for LeAnn Rimes. Since I was unfamiliar with her stuff too, I was ready to chalk her up as a studio-produced no-talent marketing product. Nope. She can sing.. .REALLY well... great pitch, and was very nice to work with, to boot. She's one of quite a few that have taught me to at least try and keep my mind a little more open.
Having said that, I still pretty much listen primarily to acoustic jazz and "legit" stuff, with very occasional forays into some more electric jazz, funk, and R&B. The vast majority of what passes for "popular" music these days I can't stand, and I have my reasons. Anything computer-generated (sampled, sequenced, overdubbed, studio-created) hurts my soul. Just as there's nothing wrong with liking what one likes, neither should one be castigated for their dislikes. I participated in a supposedly audio-related forum for quite a while, and there was a common trope that unless you constantly sought out and appreciated all kinds of new music (and by "all kinds," they meant primarily subgenres of rock. Any suggestions that they seek out jazz, opera, orchestral, etc., were... wasted.. because it was "old"), you were unintelligent, close-minded, and bigoted. I gave up on that place. This is the only forum I can stand, right now. Not all music will appeal to all people, and it's OK not to like it... or even hate it.
Having said that, I still pretty much listen primarily to acoustic jazz and "legit" stuff, with very occasional forays into some more electric jazz, funk, and R&B. The vast majority of what passes for "popular" music these days I can't stand, and I have my reasons. Anything computer-generated (sampled, sequenced, overdubbed, studio-created) hurts my soul. Just as there's nothing wrong with liking what one likes, neither should one be castigated for their dislikes. I participated in a supposedly audio-related forum for quite a while, and there was a common trope that unless you constantly sought out and appreciated all kinds of new music (and by "all kinds," they meant primarily subgenres of rock. Any suggestions that they seek out jazz, opera, orchestral, etc., were... wasted.. because it was "old"), you were unintelligent, close-minded, and bigoted. I gave up on that place. This is the only forum I can stand, right now. Not all music will appeal to all people, and it's OK not to like it... or even hate it.
"Overly emotional"?
Really?
She looks and sounds to me like she's just two gaspy breaths away from turning over and going back to sleep.
You want examples of "overly emotional" I'd say Elvis, Roy Acuff, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, Al Hibbler, Billie Holiday whether in her prime singing "Strange Fruit" or on her last albums, Marianne Faithfull singing "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife" or Dagmar Krause singing "Surabaya Johnny", Janis Joplin, Dinah Washington singing "This Bitter Earth"...