Between August 2017 and January 2018, Chicago drummer /composer/producer Makaya McCraven recorded four sessions with a rotating international cast of musicians to play four cities: London, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. After applying his signature editing and mixing process, he issued the internationally acclaimed double-album Universal Beings. Each side of the vinyl edition was subtitled for the city where it was recorded. The tour was filmed by director Mark Pallman for an accompanying documentary. It takes viewers through McCraven's nomadic life and his creative process, and also goes behind the scenes with the musicians who brought the project to life: Saxophonists Nubya Garcia, Soweto Kinch, and Shabaka Hutchings, keyboardists Ashley Henry and Kamaal Williams, bassists Daniel Casimir, Dezron Douglas, Anna Butterss, and Junius Paul, violist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, harpist Brandee Younger, cellist Tomeka Reid, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Jeff Parker, and percussionist Carlos Nino. On the most basic level, Universal Beings EF Sides is the soundtrack for Pallman's film. But nothing in McCraven's world is basic. This music, performed and recorded during the tour, was left off the original album. Upon revisiting it for the film, McCraven registered surprise at the leftover material's quality. He dug in and constructed a fresh score from the remnants. But this is not merely a set of extras; it's an ear-opening, first-rate companion offering. Following the same M.O., these jams are built from impeccably wrought miniatures; they range from one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half minutes. All are based on the drummer's signature compositional/improvisational concept using polyrhythmic cells and melodic motifs. McCraven calls it "organic beat music." As is now de rigueur on his outings, the music -- though diverse in harmonic, dynamic, and tonal articulation -- still grooves. The tracks "Everybody Cool," "Her Name," and "Beat Science" are centered around harp, vibes, and upright bass, and incorporate a folk-like backdrop atop a weave of circular and syncopated beats. "Isms" is a duet between McCraven and Paul with a noir-ish, Middle Eastern modal motif, while "Traveling Space" finds Reid's gorgeous, dissonant cello opening a dialogue that seamlessly becomes "Kings and Queens," as McCraven, Hutchings, and Paul establish an evolving series of beats and vamps, that envelop and propel Reid forward. "Butterss Fly," a showcase for the bassist, simultaneously draws on Afrobeat and Juju embedded in mysteriously dark, melodic funk. Kinch, Williams, and McCraven wed South African township music to modal jazz in a sprightly, dancing melody, complete with breaks, and (slightly) out blowing. While this set adds to and is derived from the context of the original album, it is a fundamentally standalone project due to the intensity of its focus on rhythmic force to propel somewhat fragmental notions of harmony and melody. Universal Beings EF Sides is, therefore, not only a fine follow-up, but a visionary outing of its own that also stands as required listening for post-millennial jazz fans. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

1		Everybody Cool
2		Half Steppin'
3		Mak Attack
4		The Hunt
5		Beat Science
6		Dadada
7		Isms
8		Traveling Space
9		Kings and Queens
10		The Loneliness
11		Her Name
12		Universal Beings, Pt. 2
13		Butterss Fly
14		The Way Home