Christian McBride Releases Points Of Light
Bassist Christian McBride's quintet Ursa Major has released Points Of Light, an album combining original band compositions with a reimagined George Duke piece.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Jazz
Christian McBride has released Points Of Light with his quintet Ursa Major, featuring original compositions from band members. The album also includes a reimagining of George Duke's "No Rhyme, No Reason."
Why it matters
The release places a veteran bassist's ensemble work in front of listeners through a station-driven broadcast schedule, with WBGO airing a track from the album each weekday morning. It offers New York City jazz audiences a new recorded document of the group's sound.
The album is a five-member quintet release with daily weekday airplay at 8:20 AM on WBGO. Comparative sales or chart data was not provided, and the full track list remains unspecified.
The players
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is a Grammy-winning American jazz bassist and bandleader widely regarded as one of the most prominent bassists of his generation.
WBGO
WBGO is a Newark-based jazz radio station that has long been a major broadcast platform for jazz artists in the New York metropolitan area.
The details
Points Of Light features original compositions from the members of Ursa Major, which includes McBride on acoustic and electric bass, saxophonist Nicole Glover, drummer Savannah Harris, pianist and keyboardist Mike King, and guitarist Ely Perlman. The record also reimagines George Duke's "No Rhyme, No Reason."
Timeline
• November 1, 2026: Points Of Light article published on WBGO
Jazz Lineage
Christian McBride's reinterpretation of George Duke's "No Rhyme, No Reason" places the album within a lineage of jazz musicians who revisit fusion-era compositions by Duke. The release situates Ursa Major among contemporary ensembles that connect electric and acoustic jazz traditions.
Listeners can hear a track from Points Of Light on WBGO each weekday morning at 8:20 AM. The full album's availability on streaming or physical formats was not specified in the source.
The takeaway
Tune in to WBGO on weekday mornings at 8:20 AM to hear a track from Points Of Light, and listen to the album to compare McBride's original compositions with his reimagining of George Duke's "No Rhyme, No Reason."
Further reading
Explore more coverage in Jazz for context on contemporary ensembles and recordings.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WBGO.
