Name: Deciphering the Message
Brand: Makaya McCraven

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

3814472

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2021-11-19

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Universal

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0602438144723

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

3814473

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Black

0602438144730

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1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Makaya McCraven

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Blue Note

Blue Note is a record label that has made a significant impact in the jazz genre. Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, Blue Note focused on traditional jazz and swing recordings, producing timeless classics. In the 1950s, it became one of the first labels to feature bop musicians. After being acquired by *Universal Music Group* in 1965, Blue Note expanded its repertoire to include more commercially-oriented music like jazz-fusion. Throughout the years, Blue Note underwent various changes in ownership and reissue programs but continued to release new recordings and previously unreleased material.

In 1982, Blue Note catalog reissues began appearing on *United Artists Records*, which was owned by Michael Cuscuna who oversaw the UA-era reissue program. The label was later relaunched as part of *Capitol-EMI's* subsidiary *Manhattan Records* in 1985. It was during this time that Blue Note released key albums from its history and introduced previously unissued material.

In 1989, Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized. However, two years later, *Manhattan Records* was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases while Blue Note continued to thrive as a prominent label within Capitol-EMI's roster.

Makaya McCraven is an American jazz drummer and producer. Born in 1983, he comes from a musical family, with his father being the renowned drummer Stephen McCraven and his mother Ágnes Zsigmondi, a Hungarian folk singer.
With his unique blend of jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music, Makaya has made a name for himself in the music industry. His innovative approach to drumming and production has earned him critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base.
Known for his improvisational skills and ability to create captivating live performances, Makaya has collaborated with numerous artists across different genres. His dynamic style and passion for pushing boundaries have cemented him as one of the most exciting musicians of his generation.

Back In Stock

Across numerous albums and mixtapes, Makaya McCraven has proven his mastery of the loop akin to hip-hop’s most celebrated beatmakers like J Dilla and Madlib. With his new remix album, Deciphering The Message, the Chicago-based drummer and producer digs through the Blue Note Records vaults to put a modern bounce on classics by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Burrell, and Eddie Gale, among others.

While Deciphering The Message collects songs from several years of Blue Note history, it plays like a continuous set taking place in one show at one venue. “Pee Wee” Marquette, Birdland Jazz Club’s master of ceremonies from 1949 to 1965, narrates this album, and his inclusion places the LP somewhere on the timeline between jazz music’s transition from bebop to hard bop. “When piecing everything together, I wanted to create a narrative that made the listener feel like they were falling into this space or a movement,” McCraven says. “I was really trying to make a record out of it, not just a series of tracks.”

McCraven has always been a collaborative artist who prefers the energy of in-person sessions over the isolation of creating alone. That’s no different here: Deciphering The Message features new recorded elements from vibraphonist Joel Ross, trumpeter Marquis Hill, alto saxophonist Greg Ward, guitarists Matt Gold and Jeff Parker, bassist Junius Paul, and De’Sean Jones on tenor saxophone and flute. In that way, Deciphering The Message connects the past and present, proving that musicians become legends by trekking the same roads with like-minded creators all moving toward the same goal.

To that end, McCraven hopes the album is both educational and an outright good listen. “I always want to make music that will connect with people in one way, where it makes them nod or feel something or transport them somewhere,” he says. “I also hope this makes them check out the source of this music if they have it. The music that we’re making now is part of the same route and is connected, so I want to honor tradition and release something that people can vibe to.”

Deciphering the Message

Music GB

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