Drummer Makaya McCraven, The ‘Beat Scientist,’ Talks About His New Album

Makaya McCraven calls himself a beat scientist, so it’s no surprise when you ask about his childhood, you hear he was pretty much surrounded by rhythm. “Rehearsals at our house, banging on drums since I was able to hold a drumstick, sleeping in my dad’s bass drum,” he recalls. “There was no front head, and a little pillow in there. And you could just kinda go in and lay down if you’re small enough.” Birds were singing on his mom’s porch in the woods of Western Massachusetts when he connected for the interview. McCraven grew up there and also all over, living an international life. He was born in Paris to two artists: his dad, an American drummer, and his mom, a Hungarian singer. Giants of jazz were household names. “Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, being around guys like Yusef Lateef,” he remembers. “So those are my memories: being at gigs, being at concerts, backstage at a venue, smoky places, stowed away. My kids get similar [experiences] these days.” In 2018, Makaya McCraven released