Chicago's beat scientist crashes Rotterdam with harp, vibraphone, and pure controlled chaos.
American drummer/producer Makaya McCraven joins forces with special guests Brandee Younger and Joel Ross, plus a quartet of outstanding musicians at the North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam, NL. As a drummer, Makaya McCraven established his name by collaborating with Archie Shepp and Yusef Lateef, among others. But also as a band leader and producer, one of the most requested percussionists from Chicago is constantly pushing his boundaries. Vibraphonist Joel Ross and harpist Brandee Younger, two special musicians who earned their own spurs in the jazz world, play a major role in that awe-inspiring work.
Sound
McCraven's live sampling turns the band into a breathing organism.
Acting
Brandee Younger's harp redefines what the instrument can mourn.
Direction
Intimate camerawork—feels like you're wedged between the drums and vibes.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
McCraven's 'organic beat music' philosophy—cutting live jams into sampleable fragments—has made him the unofficial archivist of Chicago's contemporary jazz renaissance.
This 2019 set happened weeks before McCraven dropped 'Universal Beings,' the album that would redefine his career. Some Rotterdam fragments likely ended up on that record.
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