Jon McBride is a rousing saxophone player and dynamic performer. He cut his teeth in cruise ship bands before moving to California to play and record with the popular West Coast Swing band, the Sugar Daddy Swing Kings. His lifelong love of New Orleans music and culture led to ten years of touring and recording as a founding member of The Gumbo Brothers and the Mudbug Brass Band - bringing booty-movin' bayou grooves to swamp-funk fans throughout California and beyond. Jon has performed with Leo Nocentelli, Plas Johnson, Frank Stallone, Norwood Fisher, and Sugaray Rayford.

 

Jon has played clubs and festivals up and down the West Coast, including the Boom Boom Room, Cafe Du Noord, the Brown Derby, The Lighthouse, Crystal Bay Casino, Belly Up Tavern, Live Oak Music Festival, Santa Monica Pier Concerts, and the Hollywood & Highland Summer Concert Series. Now living in Burlington, Vermont, he plays throughout New England and New York, highlighted by performances at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, The Vermont Burlesque Festival, the Stowe Jazz Festival, the Pratt Hall Summer Music Series, and a popular weekly residency at The 126-Big Easy Tuesday.

 

Whether he’s playing hard-driving soul jazz fueled by the blues, funk, and second-line street beats or bringing a seasoned and fiery edge to a repertoire of American roots music (including traditional jazz, ragtime, acoustic blues, and gospel), Jon’s big sound, high-energy spontaneity, and relentless search for the perfect groove keep audiences large and small on the edge of their seats or in the middle of the dance floor.

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Selected CD Credits include:

 

Saxophone player (tenor and alto) on “How Big Can You Get,” a 10-song CD from the Sugar Daddy Swing Kings released in 1999

 

Producer, saxophone, and keyboard player on “The Gumbo Family Holiday Album,” a 14-song CD featuring 25 musicians/singers in 2008. Proceeds benefit Students Run LA.

 

“From the very first song on, it's readily apparent this is genre-busting stuff. The "Sugar Plum Fairy" kicks off the album, which itself is a bit more than bold, as how many rockers really cover Tchaikovsky? But when they add that New Orleans Second Line, that's when it becomes the kind of carol I'd go shopping on Black Friday to hear.” – The Argonaut.

 

Producer, saxophone, and keyboard player “Funky Freedom,” a 13-song CD from The Gumbo Brothers in 2007.

 

"This collection of swampy funk is deep in the pocket, right where it should be. The grooves are thick, the vocals are sparse and always add texture to the interplay between the musicians, and the vibes never get bogged down...The Gumbo Brothers say they're 'going to hit you with some ass-shakin' funk!' They got that right. Prepare yourself." – Cdbaby.

 

“The jazz is smooth, the vocals are gritty, the funk is thick and syrupy. If you can’t dance to this album, you just can’t dance.” – buddyhollywood.com

 

Producer, saxophone, and keyboard player “On Fire,” a 9-song Mardi Gras CD from The Gumbo Brothers in 2007.

 

"Hailing from Venice Beach, the New Orleans-style quartet makes the kind of saxy, wah-wah, keyboard-driven funk that was popular before most of today’s music buyers were born, but it doesn’t sound outdated. It’s dance music, sho’ ‘nuff, and the band’s new album never slows down"  - Berkeley Place.