Makaya McCraven, Blood Moon

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Michael McDermott

Makaya McCraven

Drummer and producer Makaya McCraven has mastered the science of the loop, as documented by past mixtapes and remix projects; he even uses hip-hop cutting/mixing techniques on his own live jazz recordings to create something new, as on the acclaimed double album Universal Beings. McCraven's most recent project takes a tour through the catalog of Blue Note Records (which also released the result, Deciphering the Message). The album melds elements of vintage recordings with new musical additions, which thanks to McCraven's vision sounds reverential rather than wreaking havoc. It's familiar and fresh all at once. Also just announced: McCraven will participate this summer in a revived Rotary Connection, celebrating the music of Charles Stepney. With an opening set by Blood Moon, a quartet led by saxophonist Tony Barba.

$15.

media release: On November 19, 2021, Makaya McCraven released his latest full-length Deciphering the Message —  on the album Makaya puts a modern bounce on Blue Note classics by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Hank Mobley, among others. The album was praised by Pitchfork, New York Times, NPR, and many more. 

Across numerous albums and mixtapes, McCraven has proven his mastery of the loop akin to hip-hop’s most celebrated beatmakers like J Dilla and Madlib, both of whom also found inspiration in the Blue Note catalog. With acclaimed releases like In The Moment (2015) and Universal Beings (2018), McCraven created his own lane in jazz by sampling his band playing improvised sessions throughout the world, then molding the audio several times to pull contrasting moods from it. For his previous project McCraven remixed Gil Scott-Heron’s final album I’m New Here into the equally emotive LP We’re New Again (2020).