During the last show Makaya McCraven played with his band at North Sea Jazz 2017, the groove in the second track he played surprised us so much that we just had to ask him about it during the interview the next day. "So you want to talk the nerdy stuff," Makaya replied laughing when asking him about it. And it is nerdy when listening and watching the flow of the song and how Makaya plays around with the time and the groove.
This track, The New Untitled, is a great example of Makaya McCraven's skills as a Beat Scientist taking rhythm to another level. Here he is changing the groove-experience every other moment in the groove, while still keeping it all together. Listen to the band creating a flawless and uncompromising composition that flows and grows as they go along. And it's simply beautiful, complex but sounding natural at the same time.
The New Untitled - with Makaya McCraven commentary
The New Untitled - without commentary
In the Moment When writing about this supra-rhythm groove-footage of Makaya McCraven above, Gavin Harrison's live stream on Drumeo on Rhythmic Design was on. And in the first few minutes, Gavin Harrison mentioned that being 'In the Moment,' as a musician, is one of the most important things to learn.
The Match When hearing Gavin say this, we decided to rewrite because of the 100% match with Makaya McCraven's latest album that has exactly the same title, and covers it all at the point where music really happens.
The tenure among artists at this high level is all about that: it is about having your conditions right, musically and personally. Gavin emphasized this on Drumeo, and Makaya explains it in one of the interview videos as: "If you can't play the music with authenticity, you're still a student in that context."
Makaya McCraven's Different Drummer-Hats About playing 'In the Moment,' Makaya explains in this video how he is able to play with three different bands on the same day, at one of the most renowned Jazz Festivals in the world.
This is our second article on Makaya McCraven, playing three shows on one day at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2017. The first two were with saxophone player Greg Ward & 10 Tongues and trumpetist Marquis Hill's Blacktet. The last show with his own band.
All gigs were different in music, style and approach. In the article below are four videos with Makaya talking about his different Musical Drummer-Hats that day, and his view on drumming in all the different roles he plays. Just as interesting is his story on the making of 'In the Moment,' his latest solo release and the video where he talks about the Chicago music scene.
