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Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings (International Anthem)

Chicago-based drummer, composer, edit guru, and jazz adventurist Makaya McCraven recorded this splice-and-dice 22-song opus live in four different cities with a cast including saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia, harpist Brandee Younger, cellist Tomeka Reid, and vibraphonist Joel Ross. Working in “pop up” studios in New York, London, Chicago, and Los Angeles, McCraven then … Read More “Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings (International Anthem)”

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Live Review: Red Bull Music Presents Round Robin in Chicago

Apparently, it was a total coincidence that Red Bull Music scheduled its Chicago “round robin” improvisation during the Chicago Jazz Festival. Perhaps also by coincidence, none of the 16 musicians participating at Thalia Hall on Aug. 30 were headliners at the festival in Millennium Park—although each of them, capped by the legendary saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, … Read More “Live Review: Red Bull Music Presents Round Robin in Chicago”

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Makaya McCraven: Highly Rare (International Anthem)

Highly Rare has something that really is highly rare: danger. It’s in the cassette-tape fidelity, like an old-school audience bootleg, that second-guesses even the digital gatekeepers (and, ironically, enhances the immediacy). It’s in the starkness of drummer Makaya McCraven’s chordless quartet and aggressive attack. Above all, it’s in McCraven’s continuing, brilliant redefinition of live jazz … Read More “Makaya McCraven: Highly Rare (International Anthem)”

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