Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings (2025 International Anthem IA11 Edition 2LP)

Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings | 2LP - International Anthem IA11 Edition (IARC0022, Pallas Pressing)

McCraven's process is closer to hip-hop production than conventional jazz recording. He sets up a session, records free improvisations with no pre-written material, then takes the raw audio home and works it. He cuts loops from the rhythm section, isolates solos, splices sections from different points in the session, layers percussion, and reassembles the results into composed pieces that sound both spontaneous and structured. International Anthem described the approach internally as "like Dr. Dre's The Chronic, but for jazz." McCraven developed the method on In The Moment (2015), which was produced from 48 hours of live recordings at a single Chicago venue across 28 shows. Universal Beings applies the same approach to more focused source material: four sessions, four cities, each recorded in a single day.

The New York session at H0L0 in Queens (August 29, 2017) uses harp (Brandee Younger), vibraphone (Joel Ross, who later told International Anthem this was his first fully improvised recording), cello (Tomeka Reid) and bass (Dezron Douglas), with no horns. It's the most texturally unusual side. The Chicago session at Co-Prosperity Sphere (September 2, 2017) brings in Shabaka Hutchings on tenor and Junius Paul on bass with Reid's cello continuing from the New York date. The London session at Total Refreshment Studios in Stoke Newington (October 19, 2017) adds Nubya Garcia on tenor, Ashley Henry on Rhodes and Daniel Casimir on bass, the rhythm and phrasing shifting to reflect the London jazz scene's own vocabulary. The Los Angeles session (January 30, 2018), recorded at Jeff Parker's house in Altadena, is the largest ensemble: Josh Johnson on alto, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on violin, Parker on guitar, Anna Butterss on bass, Carlos Niño on percussion. Damon Locks designed the cover. Dave Vettraino and David Allen recorded and mixed.

This is the December 2025 IA11 Edition on IARC0022, pressed at Pallas in Germany. Comes in a heavyweight reverse-board jacket with obi strip and 16-page insert booklet.