Highly Rare (International Anthem)
Makaya McCraven
Released November 17, 2017
New York Times Best Jazz Albums of 2017
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n6hTSQMCt9_ZN98wo6HQstOEMdFI5NqiE
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/49FeRV3HBhaVb6dIYnOIxw?si=8SexBb5zTl6oQT7GTgLpEQ
About:
Highly Rare is a new mixtape produced &
arranged by Makaya McCraven.
It’s titled Highly Rare not only for the format of its initial release (a
limited-edition run of cassettes packaged in screen-printed, string-sealed,
firecracker red envelopes), but foremost for the context of the source
material’s capture.
The sounds were recorded to four track cassette tape at a DIY show packed into
the confines of Chicago dive Danny’s Tavern, a place definitely not known for
having live bands, let alone live recordings. It’s a place known to vinyl heads
both locally and globally as a legendary hub in the crate digger diaspora. It’s
the place where Jeff Parker learned how to DJ. It’s the place where Dante
Carfagna held down a rare soul party for over a decade, where he first dropped
public needles on 45s that would eventually make compilations he curated for
Numero Group and Chocolate Industries. It’s the place where DJ Shadow still
does sets on the low when he rolls through town.
And on one highly rare night in November 2016 Danny’s was the place where we
invited an “International Anthem All Stars” type of improvising
ensemble (Makaya McCraven, Junius Paul, Nick Mazzarella and Ben Lamar Gay) to
play in support of DJ sets by LeFtO, who was in transit from Belgium,
hitting local spots under the direction of Chicago scene sage King Hippo.
Damn-near 0 degrees and just days after the death sentence of the American
presidential election, the sounds the musicians conjured were thick with the
bitter cold darkness that hung heavy in the air, punctuated with moments of
joyful determination – the kind that can only be accessed when such impending
doom triggers passionate adrenalized bursts by creators in survival mode.
Cogent as the cultural context of that November night at Danny’s is the
compositional prowess that Makaya exercised in post to make Highly Rare the
impressive final piece it is. Demonstrating a deeply attuned development of the
production approach he forayed in the creation of his 2015 breakout In The
Moment, Makaya again took stereo mixes of the full band improvisations into his
lab to edit, loop, layer and arrange the tracks, tediously constructing a vivid
new slate of sounds that tell an infinitely more colorful tale than the
straight takes ever could. The rough and raw edges of low fidelity cassette
recording combine with the elegance and wit of Makaya McCraven’s production
touch to make Highly Rare a highly relevant artifact in the ever-unfolding
history of Chicago style creative music.
Track Listing:
1. Danny’s Intro 01:59
2. The Locator 04:10
3. Above & Beyond 03:50
4. Venus Rising 07:04
5. Icy Lightning 01:52
6. Left Fields 11:28
7. R.F.J. III 07:00
8. Early Bird Once Again 03:46
Personnel:
Makaya McCraven: drums, producer & arranger
Junius Paul: bass guitar
Nick Mazzarella: alto saxophone
Ben Lamar Gay: cornet, diddley bow, voice
with cameos by
Gira Dahnee: background voice
LeFtO: turntables
Recorded November 20th, 2016, at Danny’s Tavern, Chicago, Illinois, by Scott McNiece
Mixed by Dave Vettraino and Scott McNiece
Edited by Makaya McCraven
Restored and Mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk
Cassette Package Design by Dante Augustus Scarlatti
Cover Photo by Jesse Ponkamo
Design & Layout by Craig Hansen
Executive Production by Scott McNiece, with Associate Production by Alejandro Ayala and David Allen
Review:
Days after the 2016 presidential election, Mr. McCraven, a drummer, convened a one-off quartet at a Chicago dive to play what must have been a body-shaker of a show. What you hear here — the inky throb of the bass, the rattling kick drum, the sibilant tape — is not what that audience heard. Mr. McCraven recorded the gig to a four-track, then set about mincing and splicing and augmenting the sounds, until he had this.
Giovanni Russonello (New York Times)