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.
McCraven is currently on tour and most recently released Deciphering The Message: where he digs deep into the Blue Note vault with this new remix project that puts a modern bounce on jazz classics by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Dorham & more. McCraven’s mastery of the loop is akin to hip-hop’s most celebrated beatmakers like J Dilla & Madlib, both of whom have also remixed Blue Note classics, but McCraven’s unique approach also incorporates newly recorded elements including his own drums, Joel Ross’ vibraphone, Jeff Parker’s guitar, Marquis Hill’s trumpet & more.
