Christian McBride & Ursa Major Bring GRAMMY-Winning Jazz Power, New Jersey Legacy, and the Future of Modern Improvisation to the Berlind Theatre

New Jersey’s relationship with jazz has never been passive.

This is a state that helped shape the music itself — from the clubs of Newark and Jersey City to the legendary artistry that emerged from towns and cities across the region. Jazz in New Jersey has always existed as both cultural identity and artistic language, carried forward through generations of musicians, educators, broadcasters, institutions, festivals, and audiences who understand that the music is not frozen in history. It is constantly evolving.

That continuing evolution will take center stage on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM, when internationally celebrated bassist, composer, bandleader, educator, and eleven-time GRAMMY winner Christian McBride arrives at the Berlind Theatre alongside his electrifying ensemble Ursa Major for what promises to be one of the most important jazz performances of New Jersey’s summer arts season.

Running 90 minutes without intermission, the evening represents far more than a major concert booking.

It is the convergence of New Jersey jazz history, contemporary virtuosity, intergenerational mentorship, and the future of modern improvisational music all unfolding in real time on a single stage.

Few artists in contemporary music possess the stature, versatility, influence, and universal respect commanded by Christian McBride.

For more than three decades, McBride has occupied a singular position within the global music world — one equally grounded in technical mastery, artistic curiosity, cultural leadership, and relentless innovation. Although widely recognized as one of the greatest jazz bassists of his generation, that description alone barely scratches the surface of his impact.

McBride has become one of the defining ambassadors of American music itself.

Whether performing straight-ahead acoustic jazz, avant-garde improvisation, fusion, R&B, funk, orchestral composition, neo-soul, or cross-genre collaborations, he approaches every musical setting with remarkable fluidity and emotional intelligence. His work continuously demonstrates that jazz is not a museum piece but a living artistic force capable of absorbing and transforming virtually every musical language it encounters.

That expansiveness has helped make McBride one of the most respected figures not only in jazz circles, but across the broader global music industry.

His career has included collaborations with legends spanning multiple generations and genres, while his role as a bandleader continues pushing contemporary jazz into new territory without abandoning the deep traditions that shaped it.

Importantly for New Jersey audiences, McBride’s influence extends far beyond performance alone.

He currently serves as Artistic Director for several of the nation’s most important jazz institutions, including the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. His leadership inside these organizations reflects a larger mission that has become central to his career: preserving jazz history while aggressively investing in its future.

That investment in future generations remains one of McBride’s defining characteristics.

As Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions, McBride has become deeply involved in mentoring and supporting emerging musicians. His work as an educator and advocate continues shaping the next generation of jazz artists while expanding access to music education for young performers nationwide.

In many ways, Ursa Major represents the purest extension of that philosophy.

Rather than surrounding himself exclusively with established veterans, McBride intentionally assembled Ursa Major around four extraordinary rising musicians whose collective chemistry, technical daring, and creative fearlessness embody the future of contemporary jazz.

The ensemble features saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King, and drummer Savannah Harris — each already rapidly emerging as major voices within the modern jazz landscape.

Together, the group creates a sound that feels simultaneously rooted in classic jazz language and entirely forward-looking.

Nicole Glover’s saxophone work brings a powerful combination of lyricism, harmonic sophistication, and spiritual intensity that has quickly established her as one of the most compelling improvisers of her generation. Her playing balances emotional warmth with technical authority, capable of moving seamlessly from intimate melodic passages into explosive improvisational flights.

Ely Perlman contributes a guitar voice that resists easy categorization, blending jazz tradition with contemporary harmonic experimentation and rhythmic fluidity. His work inside the ensemble adds both atmospheric texture and sharp-edged improvisational momentum.

Mike King’s piano playing introduces another dimension entirely — one balancing rhythmic drive, harmonic daring, and modern compositional sensibility. His ability to shift dynamically between supportive ensemble work and highly adventurous solo exploration helps give Ursa Major much of its unpredictable energy.

Meanwhile, drummer Savannah Harris continues establishing herself as one of the most exciting rhythmic voices in contemporary music. Her playing combines precision, emotional instinct, and explosive creativity, creating rhythmic environments that continuously push the ensemble into new terrain.

At the center of it all remains McBride himself.

His bass playing has long been celebrated not simply for technical excellence, but for its extraordinary ability to unify ensemble performance. McBride functions simultaneously as rhythmic anchor, melodic counterpoint, emotional guide, and improvisational instigator. Few musicians possess his ability to elevate every player around them while still commanding the full emotional gravity of a performance.

That leadership becomes especially compelling inside a group like Ursa Major.

The ensemble operates less like a traditional hierarchy and more like an evolving musical conversation between generations — one where experience and emerging innovation continuously challenge and inspire each other. The result is jazz that feels urgent, adventurous, and deeply alive.

For New Jersey’s arts scene, the performance also represents another major moment in the state’s continuing emergence as a premier destination for world-class live jazz.

Over the past decade, New Jersey’s jazz ecosystem has expanded dramatically through a combination of institutional investment, educational outreach, performance programming, and audience development. Venues throughout Newark, Princeton, Montclair, Red Bank, Jersey City, and beyond have increasingly attracted elite international performers while simultaneously supporting local musicians and youth development initiatives.

Christian McBride stands directly at the center of that cultural movement.

As both performer and arts leader, he has become one of the most important figures shaping New Jersey’s contemporary jazz identity. His involvement with NJPAC and Jazz House KiDS has helped reinforce the state’s position as one of the nation’s most vibrant jazz communities while ensuring younger audiences continue discovering the music in meaningful ways.

The upcoming Berlind Theatre performance therefore carries significance beyond entertainment alone.

It reflects the ongoing vitality of jazz culture itself.

At a moment when live music audiences increasingly crave authenticity, improvisation, emotional connection, and artistic risk-taking, jazz has experienced a renewed cultural resurgence. Younger listeners are discovering the genre not as historical artifact, but as one of the few remaining musical forms built around spontaneity, interaction, and real-time creativity.

Ursa Major embodies that resurgence perfectly.

The group refuses predictability. Songs evolve organically. Solos become conversations. Rhythms fracture and reconnect. Harmonies expand unexpectedly. Every performance becomes unique because the music itself is being actively discovered in the moment.

That sense of unpredictability remains one of jazz’s greatest powers.

And few musicians understand how to harness that power more effectively than Christian McBride.

His work consistently demonstrates that technical brilliance alone is never enough. The greatest jazz performances create emotional immediacy — the feeling that anything might happen at any moment, and that the musicians themselves are discovering new possibilities alongside the audience.

For attendees entering the Berlind Theatre on June 7, that is precisely the experience awaiting them.

An evening led by one of the most important musicians of his era. A rising ensemble helping define the future of modern jazz. A performance rooted deeply in tradition while fearlessly reaching toward new artistic ground. And a reminder that in New Jersey, jazz is not simply preserved.

It is still evolving.

Oran Etkin’s “Timbalooloo” Brings a Global Musical Adventure for Families to New Jersey in an Interactive Celebration of Creativity, Jazz, Storytelling, and Early Childhood Discovery

In New Jersey’s rapidly evolving arts landscape, some of the most meaningful performances are no longer aimed solely at seasoned theatergoers, classical music enthusiasts, or longtime concert audiences.

Increasingly, major cultural institutions across the state are investing in a different kind of artistic experience altogether — productions designed to introduce children to creativity, live music, storytelling, rhythm, imagination, and emotional connection at the earliest possible age. These events are not treated as simplified entertainment or educational afterthoughts. Instead, they are being presented with the same artistic seriousness, production quality, and cultural importance as any major mainstage performance.

That philosophy comes vividly to life on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM, when internationally acclaimed musician, composer, and educator Oran Etkin brings his celebrated “Timbalooloo” experience to the Berlind Theatre for a one-hour interactive musical journey designed for children ages 1 through 8 and their families.

But describing “Timbalooloo” simply as a children’s concert would dramatically undersell what the production actually is.

The event functions simultaneously as live performance, musical storytelling, global cultural exploration, imaginative theater, rhythm workshop, educational experience, and family celebration. Built around audience participation and emotional accessibility, “Timbalooloo” transforms the theater into an immersive creative environment where instruments become characters, melodies become adventures, and young audiences become active participants rather than passive observers.

At a time when digital entertainment increasingly dominates childhood attention spans, productions like this carry growing cultural importance.

“Timbalooloo” is rooted in the belief that music should be experienced physically, emotionally, socially, and imaginatively from the very beginning of life. Instead of teaching music as rigid instruction or technical discipline, Oran Etkin’s approach invites children into music through play, curiosity, storytelling, rhythm, movement, and emotional discovery.

That educational philosophy has helped transform Timbalooloo into an internationally respected program reaching more than 10,000 children annually through concerts, recordings, workshops, and classes led by a worldwide network of trained Timbalooloo teaching artists.

Etkin himself remains uniquely qualified to bridge those worlds.

Known globally as both an extraordinary jazz musician and visionary educator, he has performed on major concert stages internationally while also contributing to Grammy Award-winning recordings. Yet unlike many elite performers who maintain distance from younger audiences, Etkin has dedicated much of his career to making sophisticated musical ideas emotionally accessible to children without ever diluting their artistic integrity.

That distinction matters enormously.

Too often, children’s entertainment assumes simplicity requires artistic compromise. “Timbalooloo” rejects that idea entirely. Instead, it introduces children to real musicality, global rhythms, improvisation, instrumental texture, and collaborative creativity through emotionally engaging storytelling frameworks specifically designed to spark imagination.

The result feels joyful, spontaneous, and deeply human.

The upcoming Berlind Theatre performance begins with one of the production’s signature narrative moments.

A character named Clara unexpectedly arrives at the concert still asleep in her bed — only for the audience to discover that Clara is actually “Clara Net,” the clarinet itself transformed into a living personality. With the help of the children in attendance, Oran gently awakens Clara, launching a larger musical adventure that soon introduces another unforgettable character: Big Mama Tuba, whose booming voice rumbles dramatically from the back of the hall.

From there, the performance expands into a global journey through rhythm, movement, percussion, melody, and storytelling.

Children are encouraged to sing, dance, clap, drum, move, respond, and fully immerse themselves inside the unfolding musical world. Rather than separating performer from audience, Etkin dissolves those boundaries entirely, creating an atmosphere where participation becomes central to the experience itself.

That communal structure reflects something deeply important about music education.

Young children do not naturally experience music as an academic subject. They experience it physically and emotionally first — through rhythm, repetition, voice, movement, and interaction. “Timbalooloo” embraces that natural instinct, allowing children to connect with music intuitively before intellectualizing it technically.

In doing so, the production often succeeds in introducing children to jazz, improvisation, and global musical traditions long before they might encounter those forms in traditional educational environments.

That global perspective remains one of Timbalooloo’s defining strengths.

Throughout the performance, children are exposed to rhythms, melodies, and musical influences drawn from cultures around the world. Etkin carefully frames music as a universal language connecting communities across geography, ethnicity, and tradition. For families attending the performance, the show becomes not only entertaining but deeply enriching — subtly introducing ideas of cultural openness, empathy, collaboration, and curiosity through artistic play.

For New Jersey families, events like this are becoming increasingly valuable as arts institutions continue prioritizing intergenerational programming.

Across the state, theaters, orchestras, museums, and performing arts centers have expanded efforts to create meaningful family experiences that go beyond conventional children’s entertainment. Parents are increasingly seeking opportunities that combine creativity, education, live performance, and emotional engagement in ways that feel both memorable and substantive.

“Timbalooloo” fits that demand perfectly.

The production avoids overstimulation and commercial gimmickry in favor of authentic connection. The pacing encourages engagement without chaos. The humor feels warm and intelligent rather than frantic. And the musicianship remains consistently exceptional throughout the performance, giving children exposure to genuinely world-class artistry within an environment designed specifically for them.

Importantly, the experience also gives families something increasingly rare in modern entertainment culture: shared participation.

Rather than placing adults on the sidelines while children consume content independently, “Timbalooloo” invites entire families into the creative process together. Parents sing alongside children. Adults laugh at the same moments. Caregivers and young audiences experience discovery simultaneously. That collective atmosphere transforms the event into a genuine communal experience rather than a segmented one.

The setting itself further reinforces the production’s theatrical sophistication.

Hosting the performance inside the Berlind Theatre elevates the event beyond standard children’s programming and places it within the broader ecosystem of New Jersey’s thriving live arts scene. Families attending the performance are not merely visiting a casual activity; they are participating in the state’s larger cultural life and introducing children to the magic of live theater from an early age.

That exposure can have profound long-term impact.

Research consistently demonstrates that early engagement with music, storytelling, rhythm, and live performance strengthens cognitive development, emotional intelligence, creativity, language acquisition, social confidence, and collaborative skills. Productions like “Timbalooloo” therefore serve not only artistic goals, but developmental ones as well.

Yet the show never feels instructional.

Its greatest achievement may be how naturally it balances education with genuine wonder.

Children are not being lectured about music. They are discovering it through play.

And in many ways, that spirit mirrors the very foundations of jazz itself.

Jazz has always thrived on improvisation, communication, emotional responsiveness, individuality, rhythm, and collective interaction. “Timbalooloo” channels those same values into a format accessible even to the youngest audiences, creating an experience where children begin understanding music not as something distant or intimidating, but as something alive, joyful, and deeply personal.

For Oran Etkin, that mission has become central to his artistic identity.

Over two decades, he has steadily built Timbalooloo into one of the most respected family-oriented music programs in the world precisely because it refuses to underestimate children’s emotional and creative capacities. Instead of simplifying art, he invites children upward into it.

And on June 7, families across New Jersey will have the opportunity to step directly into that world together — a world where clarinets wake up in bed, tubas speak from the back of the theater, rhythms travel across continents, and music becomes an adventure powerful enough to spark imagination long after the final note fades.

WBGO’s “All That Jazz” Concert Series Brings the Dizzy Gillespie Legacy Roaring Back to New Jersey with Paquito D’Rivera, Live Music, Art, and a Celebration of Bebop History – Two Shows at 5PM and 8PM

New Jersey’s jazz legacy has never existed quietly.

It lives in the late-night club circuits of Newark. It echoes through the radio airwaves of WBGO. It survives in university rehearsal rooms, performing arts centers, intimate lounges, historic theaters, and in the generations of musicians who continue carrying forward one of America’s most important artistic languages. In a state where musical identity stretches from legendary boardwalk venues to internationally respected arts institutions, jazz has always remained part of the cultural heartbeat of New Jersey itself.

Now, one of the most significant celebrations of that legacy is returning to the stage with extraordinary force.

WBGO’s acclaimed “All That Jazz” concert series is once again bringing world-class performers to New Jersey audiences, this time spotlighting one of the most historically important catalogs in jazz history as the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars arrive alongside legendary special guest Paquito D’Rivera for a major live performance event that blends bebop history, modern virtuosity, visual art, and cultural preservation into one immersive evening.

The performance stands as far more than a standard concert date.

It is a living continuation of the musical revolution Dizzy Gillespie helped ignite during the 1940s and 1950s, a period that permanently transformed jazz from dance-hall entertainment into one of the most intellectually ambitious and artistically fearless forms of music in the world. Through rapid-fire improvisation, complex harmonics, Afro-Cuban experimentation, and explosive rhythmic invention, Gillespie became one of the defining architects of bebop, influencing virtually every generation of jazz musicians that followed.

That influence remains fully alive inside the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars.

Performing as a dynamic six-to-eight-piece ensemble, the group recreates the energy, sophistication, unpredictability, and joy that defined Gillespie’s historic live performances while simultaneously keeping the music fresh for modern audiences. Rather than functioning as a nostalgia act, the ensemble approaches the material as a living musical tradition — vibrant, aggressive, technically masterful, and emotionally alive.

For jazz audiences throughout New Jersey, this upcoming performance represents a rare opportunity to hear many of the most important compositions in jazz history performed in a setting specifically designed to honor their enduring cultural impact.

The evening’s setlist reads almost like a masterclass in bebop evolution itself.

Audience members can expect powerful interpretations of classics including “A Night In Tunisia,” “Anthropology,” “BeBop,” “Birks Works,” “Blue ‘N’ Boogie,” “Con Alma,” “Dizzy Atmosphere,” “Groovin’ High,” “Hot House,” “Oop-Pop-Sh’-Bam,” “Ow,” and the immortal “Salt Peanuts,” among numerous others that helped redefine modern jazz vocabulary.

These are not merely standards.

They are foundational works that reshaped twentieth-century music.

Many of these compositions became launching pads for generations of improvisers while also influencing rhythm and blues, rock music, Latin jazz, fusion, film composition, and contemporary orchestration. Their harmonic daring and rhythmic complexity permanently altered the direction of American music culture.

And joining the ensemble for this major New Jersey event is one of the most decorated and globally respected figures in Latin jazz history: Paquito D’Rivera.

For serious jazz audiences, D’Rivera’s presence immediately elevates the evening into something exceptional.

The Cuban-born saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and author remains one of the most celebrated crossover musicians in the world, equally revered in both classical and jazz circles. Across a career spanning decades, D’Rivera has won an extraordinary collection of GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY Awards while establishing himself as one of the defining architects of modern Latin jazz fusion.

His career has consistently bridged stylistic boundaries without sacrificing technical excellence or cultural authenticity.

D’Rivera’s ability to combine bebop precision, Afro-Cuban rhythmic sophistication, chamber music discipline, and explosive improvisational freedom makes him uniquely suited for a concert rooted in Dizzy Gillespie’s musical universe. Gillespie himself famously embraced Afro-Cuban influences throughout his career, helping pioneer cross-cultural collaborations that reshaped jazz permanently.

That spirit of fearless musical exploration remains central to this performance.

For New Jersey’s jazz scene, the concert also represents another major moment in WBGO’s ongoing role as one of the country’s most influential jazz institutions.

For decades, WBGO has functioned as far more than a radio station. It has served as a cultural preservation force, educational resource, artist incubator, historical archive, and international ambassador for jazz music. Headquartered in Newark, WBGO remains deeply connected to New Jersey’s musical identity while simultaneously reaching audiences across the globe through broadcast, streaming, live programming, and educational outreach.

Its “All That Jazz” concert series continues expanding that mission by creating experiences that combine live performance with broader artistic engagement.

This particular evening reflects that philosophy perfectly.

Guests are encouraged to arrive early not only for the concert itself, but for a complete cultural experience surrounding the event. Before the performance begins, audiences can enjoy cocktails and live piano music from Leonieke Scheuble inside the WBGO Piano Lounge, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of classic jazz-era sophistication while allowing patrons to fully immerse themselves in the evening’s artistic environment.

Simultaneously, Essex County College will present a featured exhibition by artist Dino Gravado Commodore inside the Hamilton Lobby, adding a visual arts dimension that further broadens the event’s cultural reach.

That multidisciplinary structure matters.

One of the defining characteristics of historic jazz culture has always been its interconnected relationship with visual art, literature, nightlife, fashion, theater, poetry, and urban creative communities. WBGO’s event programming consciously preserves that atmosphere, transforming concerts into larger artistic gatherings rather than isolated performances.

The concert also highlights New Jersey’s increasingly important role within the national live jazz landscape.

While cities like New York, New Orleans, and Chicago traditionally dominate jazz tourism conversations, New Jersey continues building an increasingly sophisticated arts and performance ecosystem of its own. Institutions across Newark, Montclair, Princeton, Red Bank, Morristown, Asbury Park, and Jersey City continue attracting internationally respected performers while cultivating local audiences deeply invested in live cultural experiences.

Partnerships like the collaboration between WBGO, UCPAC, and Smooth Jazz NJ further strengthen that ecosystem by connecting broadcast media, performance venues, community arts organizations, and audiences under a shared commitment to preserving and advancing jazz culture.

Importantly, the event also arrives during a broader cultural resurgence for live music itself.

Across New Jersey, audiences have increasingly gravitated toward immersive, high-quality live entertainment experiences that offer authenticity, artistry, and communal energy impossible to replicate digitally. Jazz, in particular, has benefited from renewed appreciation among younger audiences discovering both classic catalogs and modern improvisational scenes through streaming platforms, educational programs, vinyl culture, and live performance circuits.

Events like this therefore function simultaneously as celebration, preservation, and reintroduction.

For longtime jazz devotees, the evening offers the thrill of hearing legendary material interpreted by elite musicians carrying forward one of the genre’s greatest traditions. For younger audiences, it provides a direct encounter with the musical innovations that continue shaping contemporary sound across countless genres.

And for New Jersey itself, the performance reinforces the state’s ongoing emergence as one of the East Coast’s most vibrant cultural destinations.

The limited-time promotional ticket offer using code “DIZZY” for $50 admission through May 25 only adds further momentum surrounding the event, making one of the season’s premier jazz showcases more accessible to audiences eager to experience world-class musicianship inside an elevated live setting.

Ultimately, WBGO’s latest “All That Jazz” installment is not simply about revisiting history.

It is about demonstrating that this music still breathes.

The compositions remain daring. The improvisation remains explosive. The rhythmic interplay remains unpredictable. And the cultural spirit that Dizzy Gillespie helped ignite generations ago still continues evolving in real time on stages like this one across New Jersey.

For one evening, bebop history, Latin jazz brilliance, live artistry, visual culture, and New Jersey’s enduring love affair with jazz will converge into a singular performance experience that feels simultaneously timeless and entirely alive.