On Dec. 2, 2018, drummer/composer Makaya McCraven celebrated the recent release of his ambitious Universal Beings album—recorded in four cities with a dazzling array of boundary-pushing musicians—by putting on a special show in New York with 10 of those illustrious guest stars. Joining him onstage at Le Poisson Rouge (in a performance that was part of the Red Bull Music Presents concert series) were saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, and Josh Johnson; violist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson; harpist Brandee Younger; guitarist Jeff Parker; bassists Junius Paul and Dezron Douglas; vibraphonist Joel Ross; and percussionist Carlos Niño. Before a packed house, the ensemble played for almost two hours with hardly a break in the action. The buzz surrounding this show was so sizable, and the line outside the club so long, that many would-be concertgoers were shut out; luckily, Vincent Tullo of the Red Bull Content Pool was there to document the night in photographs, some of which are in the following slideshow.
