Bassist Christian McBride and the music education program Jazz House Kids have found a means of reaching their target audience during this time of quarantine and social distancing. Tonight, March 20, Jazz House Kids will sponsor the inaugural Friday Night Listening Party—an online broadcast event. Or, as Jazz House Kids is calling it, “a ‘bring your own and stay at home’ interactive hang.”
The event begins at 8 p.m. on Zoom and Facebook Live.
McBride has a tradition of hosting listening parties, both in live fora and through his National Public Radio program Jazz Night in America. This one will be streamed from the bassist’s home in Montclair, N.J. (which he shares with his wife and Jazz House Kids cofounder Melissa Walker). The focus will be on pianist McCoy Tyner, who passed away two weeks ago at 81.
McBride, who worked frequently with Tyner, will “share and riff on” his favorites among the pianist’s vast body of recordings. He will also respond to questions and comments from viewers, who will be able to use online chat to interact with McBride.
Jazz House Kids plans to host an ongoing series of online programming events while social distancing recommendations remain in effect. This will include regular Friday Night Listening Parties, each week featuring a different special guest or Jazz House Kids faculty member. A full schedule will be published soon.
Tonight’s Friday Night Listening Party event is viewable at either Zoom (register here) or at Jazz House Kids’ Facebook page. (Note that Zoom only allows 100 registrants; viewers who miss that window are asked to use the Facebook page instead.)
