Makaya McCraven

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Makaya McCraven
Bobby Broom Trio - INNtone Jazzfestival 2013 Makaye McCraven.jpg
McCraven in 2013
Background information
Born (1983-10-19) October 19, 1983 (age 42)
Paris , France
GenresJazz [1]
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active2007–present
Labels
Formerly of Cold Duck Complex
Website www.makayamccraven.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Makaya McCraven (born October 19, 1983) is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. [2] [3]

Contents

Life and career

McCraven was born in Paris, France, to jazz drummer Stephen McCraven  [ fr ] [4] and Hungarian singer Ágnes Zsigmondi (of the band Kolinda Kolinda), [5] and from the age of three was raised in and around Amherst and Northampton, Massachusetts. [2] [3] At the age of five, he played in his father's drum ensemble, the CMSS Bashers, along with some of his father's students. In middle school, he and friends formed a band to accompany his mother's folk singing. In high school, McCraven formed the jazz-hip hop Cold Duck Complex. He studied music at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, becoming part of the university's jazz orchestra and receiving various DownBeat student awards, but did not graduate. [6]

In 2007, McCraven moved to Chicago, where he performed in the bands of Bobby Broom, Corey Wilkes  [ de ], Willie Pickens, and with the Occidental Brothers, Marquis Hill, and Jeff Parker. [6] He also worked as a studio musician for Apollo Sunshine and Kris Delmhorst. In 2012, he released his debut album, Split Decision, through Chicago Sessions, leading a trio. [7] In the following years, he appeared weekly with other musicians, from which he developed concepts for his 2015 album, In the Moment.[ citation needed ] He also performed with Kamasi Washington. In 2016, he toured mostly in Europe.

After several mix tapes, in 2018 he released the double album Universal Beings , on which he was joined by musicians from New York City, London, and Los Angeles; the album was nominated for the Jazz Journalists Association Awards in 2019.[ citation needed ] In DownBeat's 2020 Critics Poll, he was the winner in the "Rising Star" categories of best producer and best drummer of the year. [8] In 2022, McCraven released In These Times, an album that had been in development since 2015, through International Anthem. [9]

McCraven is married to Nitasha Tamar Sharma, a professor of African-American and Asian-American Studies at Northwestern University as of 2018. [2] [3]

Discography

Albums

References

  1. ↑ Douris, Raina; Perez, Miguel (January 31, 2023). "Chicago's jazz scene was the perfect place for Makaya McCraven to break the rules". NPR . Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Russonello, Giovanni (November 30, 2018). "Makaya McCraven Sees the Future of Jazz Through Layers of History". The New York Times . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Weiner, Natalie (October 25, 2018). "Makaya McCraven Isn't Interested in Saving Jazz". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Stephen McCraven African-American Heritage Ensemble | Makaya McCraven". Jazznadodra.pl. February 28, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Agnes Zsigmondi McCraven - About me". Agnesmccraven.com. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Makaya McCraven". Makaya McCraven. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ Bilawski, Dan (October 31, 2012). "Makaya McCraven: Split Decision". All About Jazz . Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Terri Lyne Carrington Tops 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll". downbeat.com. July 6, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Makaya McCraven: In These Times". Humpday.news. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "GMG (Greg Spero, Makaya McCraven, Graham Czach), 2008, by Greg Spero". Greg Spero. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Split Decision, by Makaya McCraven". Makaya McCraven. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  12. ↑ "In the Moment Deluxe Edition, by Makaya McCraven". International Anthem. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Makaya McCraven - Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape), by Makaya McCraven". Total Refreshment Records. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Moving Cities, by Antoine Berjeaut, Makaya McCraven". I See Colors. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Sawatzki, Frank (July 2, 2020). "Gil Scott-Heron: We're New Again - A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven". Musikexpress . Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Universal Beings, by Makaya McCraven". intlanthem.bandcamp.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Makaya McCraven Announces New Album, Shares New Song "Seventh String"". Pitchfork. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.

Further reading


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