The meeting of great minds usually happens behind closed doors, but for two of the world’s foremost bassists—Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer—the collaboration proved so fruitful that a duo album, But Who’s Gonna Play the Melody?, exploring their collective backgrounds, was born.

Now the duo is hitting the road, and we can’t wait to present them at the Lensic. The legendary bassists will meld McBride’s jazz and R&B fusion with Meyer’s bluegrass and classical sensibilities for what is sure to be an unforgettable performance of new compositions and timeless American standards.

The bass is traditionally seen as the bedrock of an ensemble, and no living bassists have done as much to bring the instrument from the background to the spotlight as Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer. Both belong to an elite cadre of musicians whose jaw-dropping virtuosity on their chosen instruments is matched only by the profound soul and emotion of their playing and the spectrum-wide range of their tastes.

Christian McBride has blazed an extraordinary trail as one of the most preeminent musicians of his time. Over the last three decades, the nine-time Grammy winner and Newport Jazz Festival Artistic Director has made momentous advances as a dynamic musician and recording artist, a prolific composer-arranger-producer, a distinguished curator of culture, and a dedicated educator and mentor.

Hailed by The New Yorker as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument,” Edgar Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the fore, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience. His uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.