In truth, there is nothing disappointing about this new album by American composer, conductor and drummer Makaya McCraven, except the extreme caution with which he revisits the classics of the classic. label Blue Note. On the contrary, these rereadings of Art Blakey & The Messengers (When You’ve Left Your Lover, with the playful vibes of Joel Ross, famous everywhere you hear him player), Bobby Hutcherson (Tranquility, one of the most inventive of the album in terms of orchestrations) or Wayne Shorter (effective Mr. Gin, renamed Mr. Jin, where the brass instruments of Marquis Hill, Greg Ward and De’Sean Jones have a lively conversation) are all approached with the desire to reveal them in a contemporary light, the drummer having spent his career bringing together jazz and hip-hop without give in to ease. However, contrary to his “re-imagination” of the last album We’re New Here (2011) by Gil Scott-Heron released last year, McCraven innovates quite little, this new album recalling the best jazz-hop fusions released since the 1990s.
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