LPR proudly welcomes drummer, composer, and “beat scientist” Makaya McCraven—an artist reshaping the landscape of modern jazz through a bold fusion of sound, culture, and technique. Widely celebrated for blending traditional jazz with hip-hop, global folk rhythms, and experimental soundscapes, McCraven arrives in NYC with his signature genre-defying sound. Tickets on sale now.
Raised between Paris and Massachusetts, McCraven grew up immersed in artistry—from his father’s jazz collaborations to his mother’s Eastern European folk roots. This global perspective now fuels a musical vision that Vice calls “borderless” and describes as “21st-century folk music.” A master of live improvisation, looping, and sampling, McCraven transforms spontaneous performance into cinematic sonic tapestries. His breakout 2015 release, In the Moment, established him as a vital new force, with Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, JazzTimes, and The Guardian all hailing his ability to connect jazz to a new generation.
McCraven’s prolific, boundary-pushing catalog spans Universal Beings—recorded across four cities with global collaborators—to his reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here, and 2021’s Deciphering the Message for Blue Note Records. His 2022 opus, In These Times, seven years in the making, weaves polyrhythms with cultural and personal depth. The New York Times calls him “one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality.”
A key figure in Chicago’s jazz scene and the International Anthem label, McCraven continues to teach, tour, and innovate, blending street cyphers with conservatory skill. He sees music as communal storytelling: learned by ear, felt in the body, and passed down through generations. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience one of the most visionary artists redefining the sound of our time live at LPR on October 8.
For More Information:
