Penny Royal caught up with Chicago-based jazz drummer, producer, and composer Makaya McCraven prior to his SFJazz show with the legendary Pete Rock and long-time collaborator Brandee Younger.
Tune in on Thursday, March 21st @ 8:30pm for tales of his musical upbringing, including time spent with musicians such as Yusef Lateef, and how Makaya looks to the future and continues to pass on the aural tradition that is jazz.
McCraven believes that the word “jazz” is “insufficient, at best, to describe the phenomenon we’re dealing with.” The artist, who has been aptly called a “cultural synthesizer”, has a unique gift for collapsing space, destroying borders and blending past, present, and future into poly-textural arrangements of post-genre, jazz-rooted 21st century folk music.
His Latest album, In These Times, is the triumphant finale of a project 7+ years in the making. It’s a preeminent addition to his already-acclaimed and extensive discography, and it’s the album he’s been trying to make since he started making records.
