Home » Jazz Articles » Makaya McCraven
Jazz Articles about Makaya McCraven
Makaya McCraven: Where We Come From (Chicago X London)
by Chris May
A summit meeting starring luminaries from two of the planet's bleeding-edge jazz scenes--London and Chicago--Where We Come From was recorded at London's Total Refreshment Centre in late 2017 and was first released as a mixtape and a download. It pitches Chicago drummer Makaya McCraven alongside four leading faces on the young London scene--tuba player Theon Cross, tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia and keyboardists Joe Armon-Jones and Kamaal Williams--and the (slightly) longer-established alto saxophonist Soweto Kinch. Remixes are by Ben Lamar Gay, ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven's Universe
by Ludovico Granvassu
Drummer Makaya McCraven's new double album Universal Beings mixes the artistry and experimentation of jazz with the irresistible dance beats of hip-hop. It also brings together a dream team of collaborators from London, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Brandee Younger and Jeff Parker. This episode of Mondo Jazz celebrates Makaya McCraven's musical universe and its brilliant stars from around the world. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven: Universal Beings
by Vincenzo Roggero
Figlio d'arte--il padre Stephen è stato batterista di Sam Rivers e Archie Shepp, la madre Agnes Zsigmondi è una cantante folk ungherese--Makaya McCraven, nato a Parigi ma cresciuto a Chicago, della Wind City è diventato in breve tempo uno dei musicisti più richiesti. Con la pubblicazione nel 2015 del suo secondo album In the Moment e con i successivi Highly Rare e Where We Come From, tutti per International Anthem, McCraven è andato proponendosi come figura di riferimento delle nuove ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven: In the Moment
by Luca Muchetti
Esplorazione e improvvisazione, ecco le due coordinate lungo cui si muove questo bel disco firmato dal batterista e produttore Makaya McCraven, un album che somiglia a un progetto che somiglia alla fotografia, in parte a fuoco e in parte no, di lunghe serate passate a improvvisare sul palco del Bedford di Chicago, un locale ispirato agli spazi d'acciaio di un caveau e nel quale McCraven è stato assoldato come ospite fisso nel 2013. Una sorta di resident ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven: In The Moment
by Mark Corroto
Somewhere in heaven Miles smiles, Miles Davis that is. Beside him, listening to In The Moment by drummer, mixmaster, and organizer Makaya McCraven is Teo Macero. Both men would have given the nod to this project that culled 73 minutes of music from 48 hours of live performance, recorded over a year of performance with an array of guests. Miles and Teo (circa 1969) loved long-form improvised jazz. However, like McCraven, they might not call this music (and ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven: In the Moment
by Jakob Baekgaard
One venue, 28 shows and 48 hours of live, improvised music. These are the ingredients for Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven's album In the Moment. However, McCraven, as the producer he also is, has not just thrown some random sounds together. Instead, he has carefully culled, cut and remixed the music into a coherent whole and 19 complex and catchy compositions emerge from his hands. The meeting between completely fresh improvisations from some of Chicago's finest musicians and ...
Continue ReadingMakaya McCraven: Split Decision
by Dan Bilawsky
Drummer Makaya McCraven supposedly “thinks about rhythm last" when composing, yet his music is all about rhythmic perspicacity. McCraven, who was born in Paris, spent his formative years in Massachusetts and eventually uprooted himself to move to Chicago, uses rhythm as a thickening agent, call to arms, catalyst and continual game changer, throughout this engaging debut. McCraven put together a piano trio for his first leader date, but he doesn't make the same old piano trio music. ...
Continue Reading
