New Makaya McCraven single/video out now // In These Times LP, CD, Digital album out September 23rd
"The Fours"
New Makaya McCraven Single/Video
"The Fours" - the latest single from Makaya McCraven's forthcoming album In These Times – is out now on all digital music platforms, along with a new video directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa.
Makaya McCraven
In These Times
Co-release with Nonesuch & XL Recordings
LP/CD/Digital out September 23rd 2022
((( photo by Sulyiman )))
In These Times is the new album by Chicago-based percussionist, composer, producer, and pillar of our label family, Makaya McCraven.
Although this album is “new," the truth it’s something that's been in process for a very long time, since shortly after he released his International Anthem debut In The Moment in 2015. Dedicated followers may note he’s had 6 other releases in the meantime (including 2018’s widely-popular Universal Beings and 2020’s We’re New Again, his rework of Gil Scott-Heron’s final album for XL Recordings); but none of which have been as definitive an expression of his artistic ethos as In These Times. This is the album McCraven’s been trying to make since he started making records. And his patience, ambition, and persistence have yielded an appropriately career-defining body of work.
As epic and expansive as it is impressively potent and concise, the 11 song suite was created over 7+ years, as McCraven strived to design a highly personal but broadly communicable fusion of odd-meter original compositions from his working songbook with orchestral, large ensemble arrangements and the edit-heavy “organic beat music” that he’s honed over a growing body of production-craft.
With contributions from over a dozen musicians and creative partners from his tight-knit circle of collaborators – including Jeff Parker, Junius Paul, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, and Marquis Hill – the music was recorded in 5 different studios and 4 live performance spaces while McCraven engaged in extensive post-production work from home. The pure fact that he was able to so eloquently condense and articulate the immense human scale of the work into 41 fleeting minutes of emotive and engaging sound is a monumental achievement. It’s an evolution and a milestone for McCraven, the producer; but moreover it’s the strongest and clearest statement we’ve yet to hear from McCraven, the composer.
In These Times is an almost unfathomable new peak for an already-soaring innovator who has been called "one of the best arguments for jazz's vitality" by The New York Times, and recently, perhaps more aptly, a "cultural synthesizer." While challenging and pushing himself into uncharted territory, McCraven quintessentially expresses his unique gifts for collapsing space and transcending borders – blending past, present, and future into elegant, poly-textural arrangements of jazz-rooted, post-genre 21st century folk music.
Makaya @ PUBLIC RECORDS
BROOKLYN SEPTEMBER 19th
On Monday September 19th Makaya will perform music from In These Times with a special line-up including Junius Paul, Brandee Younger, De’Sean Jones and the string quartet from the album: Marta Sofia Honer, Macie Stewart, Zara Zaharieva and Lia Kohl, at Public Records (233 Butler St, Brooklyn), co-presented with our friends at QOBUZ.
Very few tickets for the remain, you can get them here.
Makaya On Tour
McCraven has had a prolific summer. After releasing the first offerings from In These Times – singles “Seventh String” and “Dream Another” – he toured the global jazz-festival circuit, with Paste Magazine noting that his “boundary-pushing free improvisations” have categorized him as one of the “new generation of jazz masters.” He headlined performances at NYC’s Central Park Summerstage and the opening of Chicago’s Salt Shed and played to some of the largest crowds at Newport Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazzfest, with WBGO noting of his recent appearance at Montreal: “(McCraven) showcased the many sides of his music, from hip-hop to the avant-garde. Whatever you call it, it’s music you can dance to, and definitely connects with the audience.” Following the special performance at Public Records on September 19th, Makaya hits the road again in October. Full list of dates below. Ticket links found on makayamccraven.com.
September 19 - Public Records - Brooklyn, NY
October 15 - Chan Center for the Arts - Vancouver, BC
October 17 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
October 18 - Lulu’s Downstairs - Manitou Springs, CO
October 19 - Fox Theater - Boulder, CO
October 21 - Revolution Hall - Portland, OR
October 23 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
October 25 - Earshot Jazz Festival at Nectar Lounge - Seattle, WA
October 27 - Kuumbwa Jazz Center - Santa Cruz, CA
October 28 - The Outpost - Albuquerque, NM
October 29 - Musical Instrument Museum - Phoenix, AZ
October 30 - Jazz Is Dead @ The Lodge Room - Los Angeles, CA
November 4 - JazzOnze+ Festival - Lausanne, CH
November 5 - C2C Festival - Torino, IT
November 7 - CBE - Cologne, DE
November 8 - Domicil - Dortmund, DE
November 9 - J.A.W. - Berlin, DE
November 11 - Überjazz festival - Hamburg, DE
November 10 - Enjoy Jazz - Mannheim, DE
November 12 - Moods - Zurich, CH
November 13 - LaFabrika - Prague, CZ
November 14 - Müpa - Budapest, HU
November 16 - Trabendo - Paris, FR
November 17 - PAARD - The Hague, NL
November 18 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK
November 19 - SuperSonic Jazz at Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL
November 20 - Teatro Pavon - Madrid, ES
Visit Makayamccraven.com for tickets to all shows
*Deluxe Vinyl Package*
CYMBAL SHEEN COLOR VINYL
In These Times in vinyl form is a 33rpm 160 gram LP (pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago) in a heavyweight reverse-board jacket, with insert sheet, IARC obi strip and dome patterned inner sleeve.
And, as always, we have a limited edition color vinyl option for the first pressing only, available via our Bandcamp page only, which is 999 copies of Cymbal Sheen color vinyl.
International Anthem x Nonesuch Records North & South American distribution
In These Times is marketed & distributed in North & South America via our partnership with Nonesuch Records.
As Nonesuch is part of the Warner Music Group, In These Times will be distributed in North & South America by WEA. Stores, retailers, folks interested in wholesale purchases: please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about where/how to stock these releases.
XL Recordings for Europe, UK, Japan, Australia, and ROW
In These Times is licensed, marketed and distributed by our friends at XL Recordings in Europe, UK, Japan, Australia, Asia, and everywhere else in the world outside of North & South America.
Retailers looking to purchase wholesale for all the above territories, let us know if we can help get you in touch.
((( photo by Nate Schuls )))
