Makaya McCraven unleashes Universal Beings E&F Sides and 'making of' documentary

Chicagoan drum kingpin Makaya McCraven is set to follow up his widely-praised 2018 album Universal Beings, with its second part, wryly titled Universal Beings E&F Sides, on 25 September on International Anthem. The recording sessions took place in New York, Chicago, London and Los Angeles, and featured many of the best ‘new jazz’ players from each of these cities’ distinct yet connected scenes with musicians including Brandee Younger, Tomeka Reid, Dezron Douglas, Joel Ross, Shabaka Hutchings, Junius Paul, Nubya Garcia, Daniel Casimir, Ashley Henry, Josh Johnson, Jeff Parker, Anna Butters, Carlos Niño and Miguel-Atwood Ferguson.

Ahead of the album will be a 26-minute documentary, released on 31 July, which follows McCraven as he travelled between each of the four cities and the unique collaborations that unfolded. Directed by Mark Pallman, the Universal Beings documentary follows the drummer/producer to Los Angeles, Chicago, London and New York City for a behind the scenes look into the making of the his breakthrough album, taking the viewer through the story of Makaya's life, his process and the community of musicians that helped bring this project to life. See a teaser clip from the doc below.

The first single from Universal Beings E&F Sides ‘Mak Attack’ is out now – listen below – for more info visit intlanthem.bandcamp.com