Jazz Articles about Makaya McCraven

About Makaya McCraven

Album Review

There is an ancient proverb that says, “A man is judged by the company he keeps." By that measure, pianist Andrew Toombs should be judged very highly indeed. For more than two decades, he has helped shape the path of American popular music, collaborating with artists as diverse as Dave Brubeck, Benny Golson, Bootsy Collins, Carole King, Kenny Rogers, Yolanda Adams and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Having absorbed the influences of jazz, soul, blues, country and hip-hop, Toombs now ...

Live Review

Makaya McCraven at the Cleveland Museum of Art

by C. Andrew Hovan
February 28, 2026

Makaya McCraven Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, OH February 18, 2026 As the Cleveland Museum of Art continues to expand its artistic reach under the leadership of Gabe Pollack, director of performing arts since 2022, the dividends are increasingly apparent. With the resources to present artists beyond the scope of a typical club or restaurant venue, the museum has transformed the recently refurbished Gartner Auditorium into one of Northeast Ohio's most compelling listening rooms. Recent ...

Album Review

Brandee Younger: Gadabout Season

Read "Gadabout Season" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
December 12, 2025

Dopo venticinque anni d'attività professionale, l'arpista Brandee Younger è balzata recentemente all'attenzione generale con accattivanti album e una nomination al Grammy Awards. L'improvviso successo non le ha dato alla testa e Brandee non sembra voler annacquare la sua musica con quelle leggerezze pop che coesistevano in qualche brano. In quest'ultimo album--prodotto dal bassista Rashaan Carter--collabora con jazzmen di primo piano ed interpreta proprie composizioni, sempre caratterizzate da freschezza melodica, ricercatezza e vivacità ritmica. Se in Brand New Life testimoniava la ...

Radio & Podcasts

Makaya McCraven, Sam Ospovat, Johnathan Blake

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 5, 2025

Here is a playlist that gives the drummers some, actually more than some as it focuses exclusively on records released by remarkable modern drummers and composers/bandleaders like Makaya McCraven, Sam Ospovat, and Johnathan Blake.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Johnathan Blake “Last Breath" My Life Matters (Blue Note) 0:16 Host talks 7:12 Makaya McCraven “Venice" Off the Record: PopUp Shop (Nonesuch/International Anthem) 9:25 Makaya McCraven “News Feed" Off ...

Radio & Podcasts

Conversations Across Time: Makaya McCraven, Beat Scientist

by Leo Sidran
January 30, 2025

Makaya McCraven is a drummer, producer, and composer who has carved out a unique space in contemporary music as a self-proclaimed “beat scientist." His work blurs the lines between live performance and production, drawing on a broad range of influences from jazz, hip hop, and global traditions. Known for his improvisational prowess and innovative approach to rhythm, McCraven's projects challenge conventional boundaries and redefine how music is created and experienced.Born into a musical family, McCraven's father, Stephen McCraven, ...

Live Review

Makaya McCraven At Barbican Centre

by Chris May
November 15, 2023

Makaya McCraven with London Contemporary Orchestra Barbican Centre, Main Hall In These Times London November 11, 2023 Jazz, said Whitney Balliett in 1958, is the sound of surprise. The New Yorker critic, who passed in 2007 but remains one of jazz literature's most felicitous writers, was describing jazz in a broad generic sense. Yet the aphorism applies equally well to the London concert premiere of Makaya McCraven's In These Times (International Anthem, ...

Catching Up With

Makaya McCraven: In The Moment to In These Times

by Rob Garratt
June 13, 2023

Makaya McCraven needs a coffee--fast. It's 4pm and he's crashing. It will be his third of the day. His first caffeine hit, consumed on stage six hours earlier, was a chemical necessity; McCraven was drinking at a nearby Irish pub until the early hours and nearly missed his early morning panel talk appearance alongside fellow percussion luminaries Antonio Sanchez and Nate Smith. Something tells me it won't be his last cup before bedtime--at 10:30 tonight the multi-hyphenate musician will present ...