Universal Beings

Universal Beings
Studio album by Makaya McCraven
Released	October 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)
Recorded	August 29, 2017 September 2, 2017 October 19, 2017 January 30, 2018 [1] [2]
Studio	H0l0 (Ridgewood, Queens, New York) Co-Prosperity Sphere (Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois) Total Refreshment (Stoke Newington, London) Jeff Parker's house (Altadena, California) [1] [2]
Genre	Jazz [3] [4]
Length	89:47
Label	International Anthem
Producer	Makaya McCraven
Makaya McCraven chronology
Where We Come From (Chicago x London Mixtape) (2018) Universal Beings (2018) Moving Cities (2019)

Universal Beings is a studio album by American drummer, composer, and record producer Makaya McCraven. It was released on October 26, 2018, through International Anthem Recording Company. It received universal acclaim from critics. ^[5]

Background

Makaya McCraven is an American drummer, composer, and record producer based in Chicago. ^[6] Universal Beings is a double album, containing 22 tracks. ^[7] It was recorded in New York, Chicago, London, and Los Angeles. ^[8] It was released on October 26, 2018, through International Anthem Recording Company. ^[9]

McCraven later released a companion album to Universal Beings, titled Universal Beings E&F Sides, in 2020. ^{[10] [11]} It contains 14 tracks recorded during the original album sessions. ^[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	86/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Exclaim!	8/10 [14]
Pitchfork	8.1/10 [15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Universal Beings received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from 5 critic scores. ^[5]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic commented that "Universal Beings is unique from any other jazz recording in 2018: It marries virtuoso musicianship, technological savvy, a keen editor's ear for creative inspiration, and a plethora of almighty grooves." ^[13] Nate Chinen of Pitchfork wrote, "Informed by ambient and hip-hop protocols as well as state-of-the-art jazz hyperfluency, it suggests both the spark of discovery and the sheen of an obsessively sculptured art object." ^[15] Scott A. Gray of Exclaim! stated, "While the music is clearly rooted in jazz, the influences on this ensemble's sound are vast and worldly, if not measurably universal." ^[14]

At the 2019 JJA Jazz Awards, Universal Beings was nominated for the Record of the Year. ^[16]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Universal Beings

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
AllMusic	AllMusic Best of 2018	—	[17]
Noisey	The 100 Best Albums of 2018	62	[18]
NPR	The 50 Best Albums Of 2018	30	[19]
Spin	The 51 Best Albums of 2018	38	[20]

Track listing

New York Side

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Queen's Intro"	0:32
2.	"Holy Lands"	5:14
3.	"Young Genius"	5:32
4.	"Black Lion"	2:56
5.	"Tall Tales"	4:16
6.	"Mantra"	3:48

Chicago Side

No.	Title	Length
7.	"Pharaoh's Intro"	1:58
8.	"Atlantic Black"	9:10
9.	"Inner Flight"	3:02
10.	"Wise Man, Wiser Woman"	3:13
11.	"Prosperity's Fear"	6:11

London Side

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Flipped Out"	2:40
13.	"Voila"	5:00
14.	"Suite Haus"	5:09
15.	"The Newbies Lift Off"	6:19
16.	"The Royal Outro"	1:44

Los Angeles Side

No.	Title	Length
17.	"The Count Off"	1:09
18.	"Butterss's"	2:59
19.	"Turtle Tricks"	4:15
20.	"The Fifth Monk"	8:01
21.	"Brighter Days Beginning"	2:32
22.	"Universal Beings"	4:08

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. ^{[1] [2]}

• Makaya McCraven – drums, production
• Brandee Younger – harp (1–6)
• Joel Ross – vibraphone (1–6)
• Dezron Douglas – double bass (1–6)
• Tomeka Reid – cello (1–11)
• Shabaka Hutchings – tenor saxophone (7–11)
• Junius Paul – double bass (7–11), percussion (7–11)
• Nubya Garcia – tenor saxophone (12–16)
• Ashley Henry – Rhodes piano (12–16)
• Daniel Casimir – double bass (12–16)
• Josh Johnson – alto saxophone (17–22)
• Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – violin (17–22)
• Jeff Parker – guitar (17–22)
• Anna Butterss – double bass (17–22)
• Carlos Niño – percussion (17–22)
• David Allen – recording, mixing
• Dave Vettraino – recording, mixing
• Scott McNiece – executive production
• Damon Locks – cover art
• Aaron Lowell Denton – design
• Craig Hansen – insert design
• Fabrice Bourgelle – insert cover photography

Charts

Chart performance for Universal Beings

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Jazz Albums ( Billboard ) [21]	3

References

1. "Universal Beings | Makaya McCraven". Bandcamp . Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
2. "Universal Beings (IA11 Edition) | Makaya McCraven". Bandcamp . Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
3. Shteamer, Hank (December 12, 2018). "20 Best Jazz Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
4. Freeman, Phil (December 11, 2018). "The 10 Best Jazz Albums Of 2018". Stereogum . Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
5. "Universal Beings by Makaya McCraven". Metacritic . Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
6. Jurek, Thom. "Makaya McCraven". AllMusic . Retrieved January 2, 2026.
7. Joyce, Colin (October 30, 2018). "Makaya McCraven's Utopian Vision of Jazz Could Change the World". Vice.com . Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
8. Galil, Leor (November 21, 2018). "Makaya McCraven showcases jazz's bright contemporary scenes throughout Universal Beings". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
9. Weiner, Natalie (October 25, 2018). "Makaya McCraven Isn't Interested in Saving Jazz". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
10. Yoo, Noah (July 14, 2020). "Makaya McCraven Announces New Universal Beings Companion Album and Documentary". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
11. "Universal Beings E&F Sides | Makaya McCraven". Bandcamp . Archived from the original on August 18, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
12. Slingerland, Calum (July 14, 2020). "Makaya McCraven Details 'Universal Beings' Addendum Album, Documentary". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
13. Jurek, Thom. "Universal Beings - Makaya McCraven". AllMusic . Retrieved January 2, 2026.
14. Gray, Scott A. (October 25, 2018). "Makaya McCraven". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
15. Chinen, Nate (October 29, 2018). "Makaya McCraven: Universal Beings". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
16. "2019 Nominees for Performance & Recordings". JJA Jazz Awards. April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
17. "AllMusic Best of 2018 | AllMusic 2018 in Review". AllMusic . Retrieved January 2, 2026.
18. "The 100 Best Albums of 2018". Vice.com . December 5, 2018. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
19. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2018 (30-21)". NPR . December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
20. "The 51 Best Albums of 2018". Spin . December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
21. "Jazz Albums". Billboard . November 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2026.

Further reading

• Cohen, Aaron (January 22, 2019). "Makaya McCraven's 'Distillation of Ideas' (page 1 of 2)". DownBeat . Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
• Cohen, Aaron (January 22, 2019). "Makaya McCraven's 'Distillation of Ideas' (page 2 of 2)". DownBeat . Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.

External links

• Universal Beings at Discogs (list of releases)