MAKAYA MCCRAVEN レコード& CD

Review: It was when Makaya McCraven linked up with International Anthem around 2015 he became an artist transcending the jazz scene's tangle of singers and players. Since then he's evolved his craft from album to album, project to project, reaching this undeniable achievement of a record that places him at the forefront of modern jazz. Nearly seven years in the making, In These Times is the product of McCraven's striving to create a personal stamp, leaning in on his own rhythmic language of time-signature trickery and unusual arrangements, steering large-scale orchestral ensembles and elevating his craft in every way he can. For all the considered science behind the sound, it lands as an incredible natural experience full of cascading drums, ascendant flutes, lilting strings and a whole cornucopia of talented musicians playing to a striking creative vision. This limited edition of the album comes pressed on white vinyl to compliment the stark design of the sleeve - one for the collectors.

Review: It was when Makaya McCraven linked up with International Anthem around 2015 he became an artist transcending the jazz scene's tangle of singers and players. Since then he's evolved his craft from album to album, project to project, reaching this undeniable achievement of a record that places him at the forefront of modern jazz. Nearly seven years in the making, In These Times is the product of McCraven's striving to create a personal stamp, leaning in on his own rhythmic language of time-signature trickery and unusual arrangements, steering large-scale orchestral ensembles and elevating his craft in every way he can. For all the considered science behind the sound, it lands as an incredible natural experience full of cascading drums, ascendant flutes, lilting strings and a whole cornucopia of talented musicians playing to a striking creative vision.

Review: February 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of Gil Scott-Heron's final studio album "I'm New Here", a set that was later brilliantly reworked by Jamie XX in 2011 ("We're New Here"). To celebrate the album's tenth birthday, XL Recordings has decided to offer up "We're New Again", a fresh "reinterpretation" of the Richard Russell produced set by contemporary jazz hero and beat-maker Maya McCraven. His vision is loose, languid, deep and jazzy, with languid jazz drumming, tight hip-hop beats, soft-touch instrumentation, liquid jazz solos and funk-fuelled basslines combining beneath Scott-Heron's gravelly spoken word vocals. It's an inspired re-invention all told and one fully in keeping with the essence of Scott-Heron's own work. In other words, it's a must-have.

Review: February 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of Gil Scott-Heron's final studio album "I'm New Here", a set that was later brilliantly reworked by Jamie XX in 2011 ("We're New Here"). To celebrate the album's tenth birthday, XL Recordings has decided to offer up "We're New Again", a fresh "reinterpretation" of the Richard Russell produced set by contemporary jazz hero and beat-maker Maya McCraven. His vision is loose, languid, deep and jazzy, with languid jazz drumming, tight hip-hop beats, soft-touch instrumentation, liquid jazz solos and funk-fuelled basslines combining beneath Scott-Heron's gravelly spoken word vocals. It's an inspired re-invention all told and one fully in keeping with the essence of Scott-Heron's own work. In other words, it's a must-have.

Review: International Anthem's latest release offers up a double dose of 21st century dancefloor jazz goodness. Both tracks were first featured on Makaya McCraven's 2018 collection "Where We Come From (Chicago X London Mixtape)", a set put together in association with London's Total Refreshment Centre. You'll find a brilliantly percussive, weighty and off-kilter Gilles Peterson edit of McCraven's Afro-tinged "Run Dem" on the flip. It's a wonderfully loose-limbed and bass-heavy fusion of UK and US styles that hits home hard from start to finish. Arguably even better is Emma-Jean Thackray's A-side cut "Too Shy", a warm, rolling and life-affirming mixture of West London broken beat and contemporary jazz rich in tasty vocals, Kaidi Tatham style keys and bustling drums.