Makaya McCraven
Year after year since his 2015 debut In the Moment, released on International Anthem, drummer and “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven has proven himself to be one of the leading forces of new American jazz.About
Makaya McCraven is part of a generation of jazz musicians who grew up with hip-hop, drum’n’bass and more, later incorporating all these styles very naturally in their practice and breathing new life into the genre. Year after year since his 2015 debut In the Moment, released on International Anthem, drummer and “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven has proven himself to be one of the leading forces of new American jazz. His multifaceted work as a producer, improviser, collagist, leader and composer on releases like Universal Beings or his 2020 reinterpretation of Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here on XL Records continues to receive praise and admiration from in- and outside the traditional jazz realm. Another consecration came in 2021 as he produced the remix album Deciphering The Message for Blue Note, followed in 2022 by the highly praised In These Times, and now in 2025 by the ambitious four-EP set (Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, PopUp Shop) compiled as Off The Record across International Anthem / Nonesuch / XL Recordings.