Makaya McCraven Ready For These Times
WDCB’s Gary Zidek sits down with drummer and producer Makaya McCraven to talk about his music roots, Chicago’s music scene and his new project IN THESE TIMES.
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“One of the main things of my career, has been being a versatile musician, making myself available to a lot of musical situations. If you can’t learn to play (different styles) with authenticity, humble yourself, you’re always the student. I really took that as a way to approach music, put myself in professional situations, meet musicians and take lots of gigs that will challenge me to be able to play with anybody at any time, while trying to maintain my own sense of self and sound.” - Makaya McCraven talking about his passion for exposing himself to new styles of music.
Makaya McCraven
Drummer and producer Makaya McCraven isn’t interested in labels. The 36-year-old creates genre-defying music that’s resonating with audiences across the world. The Chicago-based musician is drawing on jazz, hip-hop, r&b and electronic influences can to create new sounds. McCraven’s last album, UNIVERSAL BEINGS, garnered praise from critics and fans all over the globe.
Next up for McCraven is a project close to his heart called IN THESE TIMES. McCraven and a collection of guest artists will present a program of the material in a concert at Symphony Center on Friday January 31. He hopes to release the album version this summer.
“I start with a concept and I extrapolate, and different ideas come in. I try to carve away at it, carve away at it, carve away at it, until hopefully there’s something there that’s poignant and beautiful and can touch people in some way.” - Makaya McCraven talking about his process when creating something new.
Makaya McCraven and WDCB’s Gary Zidek
