Makaya McCraven is a beat scientist. The bleeding edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago's savviest cultural players and a multi-talented force whose inventive process & intuitive, cinematic style defy categorization. French-born but raised in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts by expatriate musician parents, McCraven studied Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the mentorship of jazz luminaries Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, and Yusef Lateef, and eventually went on to develop his chops in Chicago's burgeoning scene. His breakthrough album In the Moment was released with International Anthem Recording Co. (IARC) in 2015 and received widespread acclaim, proving to be a dramatic statement by McCraven that quickly launched him into the vanguard of not only Internationally-known jazz artists, but also a niche genre of next-wave composer-producers blurring the boundaries of jazz & electronic music. His recent releases, the DJ-style mixtape Highly Rare (IARC, 2017) as well as an internationally recorded Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) (IARC, 2018) have been well received globally, leading to increased bookings in some of the world's best clubs, theaters, and festivals alongside the likes of Corey Wilkes, Bobby (Baabe) Irving (Miles Davis), Ari Brown, and Bernie Worrell. McCraven is currently on tour and preparing for the release of his forthcoming Fall 2018 release Universal Beings, a 2xLP album featuring an A-list of "new" jazz players from New York, Chicago, London & Los Angeles....
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Makaya McCraven is a beat scientist. The bleeding edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is one of Chicago's savviest cultural players and a multi-talented force whose inventive process & intuitive, cinematic style defy categorization. French-born but raised in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts by expatriate musician parents, McCraven studied Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the mentorship of jazz luminaries Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, and Yusef Lateef, and eventually went on to develop his chops in Chicago's burgeoning scene. His breakthrough album In the Moment was released with International Anthem Recording Co. (IARC) in 2015 and received widespread acclaim, proving to be a dramatic statement by McCraven that quickly launched him into the vanguard of not only Internationally-known jazz artists, but also a niche genre of next-wave composer-producers blurring the boundaries of jazz & electronic music. His recent releases, the DJ-style mixtape Highly Rare (IARC, 2017) as well as an internationally recorded Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) (IARC, 2018) have been well received globally, leading to increased bookings in some of the world's best clubs, theaters, and festivals alongside the likes of Corey Wilkes, Bobby (Baabe) Irving (Miles Davis), Ari Brown, and Bernie Worrell. McCraven is currently on tour and preparing for the release of his forthcoming Fall 2018 release Universal Beings, a 2xLP album featuring an A-list of "new" jazz players from New York, Chicago, London & Los Angeles.
Den amerikanske trommeslager, komponist og producer Makaya McCraven har på få år formået at skabe sit helt eget groovende udtryk et sted mellem hiphop, improvisation og jazz. Oplev den anmelderroste, Chicago-baserede ener, når han i samarbejde med Copenhagen Jazz Festival lægger vejen forbi København til sin første danske på Loppen den 18. november
Han er blandt den travle Chicago-scenes mest lysende talenter og et genrebrydende unikum, der ser sig selv som "beat scientist" – en kreativ videnskabsmand i musikkens tjeneste. Den 34-årige franskfødte Makaya McCraven er en uomgængelig del af moderne amerikansk jazz og har både studeret under legender som Archie Shepp, Marion Brown og Yusef Lateef samt dyrket sin improviserede tilgang på et væld af klubber verden over.
Makaya McCraven brød for alvor igennem lydmuren med debutudgivelsen "In The Moment" (2015), som straks blev udnævnt til "Album of the Week" af den indflydelsesrige franskbritiske BBC-radiovært Gilles Peterson. Pladen består af 19 numre, der alle er resultatet af McCravens trommespil og dygtige redigeringsarbejde af 28 koncerter – mere end 48 timers improviseret musik – med otte håndplukkede musikere. "In The Moment" er siden blevet udnævnt til at være blandt det års bedste udgivelser af blandt andre Pop Matters, LA Times, NPR og Turntable Lab.
Her tre år efter debuten står McCraven som et fyrtårn for den fremadstormende nye generation af amerikanske og britiske musikere, der, i lighed med pionerer som Miles Davis, afsøger grænserne for tidligere tiders genredefinitioner. Selv finder han en stor del af sin inspiration i mødet mellem jazz og hiphop med særlig vægt på sidstnævntes kærlighed til grooves og elektroniske klange. Netop hiphoppen var i højsædet, da Makaya McCraven i 2017 udgav opfølgeren "Highly Rare" – en mixtape-lignende udgivelse, hvis udgivelsesform og æstetik var plantet solidt i moderne hiphops til tider nedbarberede udtryk.
Makaya McCraven er stadig i fuld gang med en personlig afsøgning af sin selvbeskrevne "organic beat music". Det kommer blandt andet til udtryk senere i år, hvor han udgiver dobbelt-LP'en med den sigende titel "Universal Beings". Udgivelsen er igen baseret på improviserede sessions i fire store musikbyer – New York, Chicago, London og Los Angeles – med deltagelse af nogle af byernes bedste, nye jazznavne. Copenhagen Jazz Festival og Loppen er stolte af at kunne præsentere den første koncert i Danmark med Makaya McCraven – en kunstner, der endnu er utrættelig i sin jagt på nye, fælles musikalske og menneskelige horisonter.
"As a person of mixed race, nationality, and ethnicity I want my identity and contributions to paint a world not bound by genre, race or national boundaries but unified through a love of music culture and community. Tethered by legacies of the past but looking towards a new, more universal future." – Makaya McCraven
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