Jazz Articles about Makaya McCraven

About Makaya McCraven

Album Review

Gil Scott-Heron / Makaya McCraven: We're New Again

Read "We're New Again" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
February 21, 2020

"All the dreams you show up in are not your own." With those words to an interviewer at The New Yorker, Gil Scott-Heron tried to explain a degree of detachment from I'm New Here (XL Recordings, 2011), his “comeback" and the final studio album before his death that year. The project was initiated by the head of XL and was the first album Scott-Heron released in the sixteen years he struggled with addiction and two drug-related terms in prison. The ...

Radio & Podcasts

2020 Winter JazzFest: New Projects and Out-of-Towners - Part I

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 11, 2020

The 2020 edition of the Winter JazzFest has just begun. This week we feature music by some of the most interesting bands from out of town who will be at the JazzFest, and new or unreleased material that will be on display on the stages of the JazzFest. Of special interest yet-unreleased material by Ted Poor, Kevin Eubanks & Orrin Evans and a unique reimagining of the work of Gil Scott Heron by Makaya McCraven. Happy listening! ...

Radio & Podcasts

Antoine Berjeaut, Jeff Parker, Rita Marcotulli and More New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
February 4, 2020

Mondo Jazz's final stash of new releases of 2019 is the perfect way to end a year that has been generous and full of surprises. During this first hour we'll sample the music of many 'bands without borders' as well as tributes to Mose Allison, Dewey Redman and Bernard Herrmann. Happy listening! Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Daniel Erdmann's Velvet Revolution “La Tigresse" Won't Put No Flag Out ...

Album Review

Ashley Daneman: People Are Fragile

Read "People Are Fragile" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 1, 2019

While solidity and vulnerability are at opposite ends of the strength spectrum, they also exist as two sides of the same coin. All that is broken can be put back together, much of what's whole isn't without interstitial breaks, and the human experience is built around the fluid bonds between the two representative emotional extremes connected to these states. It's this very notion that serves as the foundation for vocalist Ashley Daneman's work. With Beauty Indestructible (Self ...

Album Review

Makaya McCraven: Where We Come From (Chicago X London)

Read "Where We Come From (Chicago X London)" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
December 22, 2018

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, ...

Radio & Podcasts

Makaya McCraven's Universe

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 19, 2018

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 ...

Album Review

Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings

Read "Universal Beings" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
October 29, 2018

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 ...