Project 365 (131/365): Jeff McBride

.:131/365: Jeff McBride:.

Jeff McBride is a three-time award winner of the International Grand Prix of Magic in Monte Carlo, and a household name in the industry for so long. His performances exude precision, elegance, flair, and unparalleled skill, playing off of his amazing talent and dexterity.

The video you will see opens with his mask manipulation bit, which many younger kids insist to be taken right from the Jabawockeez. Newsflash, people: this bit was performed in the 90’s. He made masks cool long before the Jabawockeez did.

I remember a colleague and friend of mine, Mr. JB dela Cruz, once joked that magicians are mistaken to be gay because some of them have extremely flamboyant moves, such as those we see McBride performing in this video.

As a performer, McBride is poetry in motion. He’s very famous for being so good at throwing cards that he can actually bounce them off the floors. The man’s panache as one of the most influential performers of our day, however, goes well beyond his onstage performances, as he founded the McBride School of Magic and Mystery in Las Vegas, which has become home to a new generation of magicians who owe everything to McBride.

As one of the foremost minds of the industry, Jeff McBride’s influence on the current generation of magicians cannot be denied. His contributions to the art is simply overwhelming, and one can do far worse than having Jeff McBride as a mentor. There are many good performers out there, but so few of them are every bit as good at performing as they are at teaching it. McBride is one of those amazing and rare exceptions.

If you ever go to Vegas, make it a point to catch this man, if you ever wanted to see sleight of hand and a touch of class all at the same time.