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In close up, the acoustic bass is vastly impressive, and quite daunting to the vertically challenged. But it's no problem to Christian McBride, a voluminous man as deep-voiced and good-humoured as his instrument. While crowded on to a stair landing with the Super Channel film crew, he casually withdraws his 1920 Czech double bass from its travelling case and swings into a lithe version of 'You Are My Sunshine'. He then jokingly passes the bass over to a technician who, after staggering under its improbable dimensions, manages to coax a half-way decent riff out of it. Everybody smiles.

Christian has strummed around on the electric bass guitar from the age of eight (his father and great-uncle play bass), finally taking up the acoustic bass at 11 years-old in order to play in his high school symphony orchestra. He went on to study classical music at the Philadelphia School of the Performing Arts along with such contemporaries as Boyz II Men, Ahmir Thompson of The Roots and Hammond player Joey DeFrancesco.

Christian's a man of musical contradictions. Despite being well-versed in European symphonic music, he describes himself as a "mainstream, neo-classical jazz player", yet has also stated that he "..would like to put jazz to one side and do an all-out funk project one day". Bootsy Collins (bass-man to James Brown) is a major influence, along with the Godfather Of Soul himself.

"My album title is inspired from a tune by James Brown called 'Get it Together'. I was around 8 years old when I heard my first James Brown track - 'Soul Power' - and it has stuck with me forever. Most musicians who know me well are aware of how much I love other types of music. On Gettin' To It, although there is a common denominator running through the songs, stylistically there are a lot of different things to hear. However, right now, music is very segregated in the States. You become part of the so-called 'jazz crowd', and it's hard to step out of that."

Gettin' To It highlights a few of the up-and-coming 'jazz pack' musicians, including tenor-man Joshua Redman and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. There's also a tribute to Freddie Hubbard, Christian's mentor for over three years. 'Splanky', an unusual bass trio track, features the legendary Ray Brown and Milt Hinton. Lewis Nash, a member of jazz singer Betty Carter's entourage, plays drums. Christian is quick to dispel the myth that he'd ever toured with Betty himself.

"I recorded her album, but never played in her touring band. However I feel as though I have, because we've been so close ever since I came to New York. Betty is a true ambassador for jazz. Along with Art Blakey, she's probably the greatest talent scout that jazz will ever see."

Although constraints of time prevented Betty Carter from head hunting Christian, others were more successful. Bobby Watson snapped him up, while he was still at the Juilliard, to play in his band with pianist Benny Green and drummer Victor Lewis and so did Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny. Christian has played with some of the most phenomenal drummers around including Roy Haynes, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams.

The Nuyorican jazz scene is a tough one for musicians - sink or swim. One problem that bass players have to face in particular is the need to interlock closely with the drummer. Since drummers vary in their use of 'beat placement' - a term used to describe the three ways of playing rhythm, which are 'on top', 'in the middle', or 'behind' the beat - this not a simple as it sounds, as Christian explains.

"I found that most musicians in New York tend to play on top, which fires the music with a moving and intense feel. Playing right in the middle makes it feel real easy, nice and swinging, and playing behind feels kinda like a drunk man walking. When I first arrived, a few drummers told me I had a tendency to play behind the beat, real heavy, as if everyone else was trying to move forward while I was dragging at the back. So I changed and started playing more on top. But it never felt comfortable to me.

"One night, I met the drummer Kenny Washington, world-renowned for being a stickler, a man who would never bite his tongue if he wanted to say something. Kenny changed my life. He kept making these 'What the heck are you doing?' faces at me during the set and afterwards asked me, 'Why do you play way on top? Why do you rush so much? Drummers and bass players should work together, not on top of one another. Put it right in the middle, you and me in the middle!'

"When it came to the second set, I played the way I used to play, and Kenny looked over at me and smiled, 'Yeh, that's it. Right there in the pocket'. That's how I've played ever since. What's more, no one's even noticed I'm not rushing any more!"