New LP Stephen McCraven "Killing Us Hardly"

<p>  </p> <p> Avec <em>"Killing us Hardly"</em> <strong>Stephen McCraven</strong> nous présente un nouvel album <strong>engagé artistiquement</strong>. Véhiculant les richesses et les expériences de toute une vie, ce nouvel enregistrement de Stephen McCraven perpétue le <strong>rituel de la passation de la flamme éternelle </strong>transmise par les grands maîtres comme <strong>Archie Shepp,</strong> <strong>Sam Rivers</strong>, <strong>Miles Davis</strong> ou <strong>Marion Brown</strong> mais aussi <strong>Jim Hendrix</strong> et<strong> James Brown</strong>.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> Près d'une <u>trentaine de musiciens</u> se sont réunis autour de la vision de Steve qui exprima le besoin de s'entourer de sa <strong>famille de sang, de coeur et de musique</strong> pour imposer cet <strong>esprit de "Clan"</strong> qui rugit tout au long des <strong>12 morceaux </strong>du disque.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>"Killing Us Hardly"</em> est un <strong>voyage sonore</strong> qui peut prendre la forme d'une <strong>fresque psychédélique et historique </strong>narrant la lutte et l'acharnement des artistes de toutes époques à montrer un monde meilleur en dépit du cynisme et de la négativité.  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Dp_cover_recadre_web-1450105161" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/260410/dp_cover_recadre_web-1450105161.jpg"></p> <p> <em>Dessin : Aurélie Gérardin</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> Stephen McCraven joue de la batterie depuis l’âge de 8 ans et commence ses études de musique à l’âge de 10 ans sous la direction de Mr Stavris. À 14 ans, il joue dans un ensemble de jazz et à 17 est selectionné et décoré du Award « who is who? » of all American High School Students (Smithsonian Institute Museum in Washington DC) pour son implication dans l’orchestre de l’école, mais aussi dans le “marching band”. Il étudie ensuite à Berklee College of Music avec Archie Shepp, Alan Dawson, Joe Hunt et à l’université du Massachusetts avec Max Roach et par ailleurs avec Steve McCall, Philly Jo Jones, George Brown (Wes Montgomery et Sonny Rollins).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Stephen McCraven</strong> est depuis 20 ans le batteur d’<strong>Archie Shepp </strong>et a joué aux côtés de <strong>Sam Rivers</strong> pendant 10 ans. Il a également joué avec : Marion Brown, Yusef Lateef, Mal Waldron, Harold Ashby, Freddie Hubbard, David Murray, Charles Tolliver, David « Feathead » Newman, Sugar Blue, Horace Parlan, Calvin Newborn, Michael Gregory, James Moody, Pee Wee Ellis, Benny Golson, Arthur Blythe, Eric Lelann, Michel Graillier, Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (Last Poets), Chuck D (Public Ennemy).</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Stephen McCraven &amp; Family "Killing Us Hardly"</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>The Family :</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Stephen McCraven</strong> (U.S.A / France) : Drums, Percussions, vocals </p> <p> <strong>Makaya McCraven</strong> (U.S.A ) : Drums</p> <p> <strong>Jamil McCraven</strong> (France) : Percussions</p> <p> <strong>Chris Dailey McCraven</strong> (U.S.A / France) : Percussions</p> <p> <strong>Oona Guino</strong> (France) : Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Jack Gregg</strong> (U.S.A / France ) : Accoustic Bass</p> <p> <strong>Tom McClung</strong> (U.S.A / France ) : Hammond Organ</p> <p> <strong>Jean-Roch Waro</strong> (France) : Guitar, Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Lamine Sow</strong> ( Senegal / France) : Djembé, Congas, Percussions</p> <p> <strong>Issa Sow</strong> (Senegal / France) : Djembé</p> <p> <strong>Jose Palmer </strong>(France) : Guitar</p> <p> <strong>Ruben Santana</strong> (Brasil / France) : Electric Bass</p> <p> <strong>Alex Legrand </strong>(France) :Guitar</p> <p> <strong>Jean Wende </strong>(France) : Hammond Organ</p> <p> <strong>Matyas Szandai </strong>(Hongrie / France ):Electric Bass</p> <p> <strong>Sulaiman Hakim </strong>(U.S.A / France) : Alto Saxophone</p> <p> <strong>Robert Aaron (</strong>U.S.A ) : Keyboards, Flute</p> <p> <strong>Shaka Brown</strong> (U.S.A / France ) : Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Jalal Nuriddin</strong> (U.S.A) : Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Barry McWashington</strong> (U.S.A / France ) :Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Rasul Siddik </strong>(U.S.A / Fance ) : Trumpet</p> <p> <strong>Martine Decotte</strong> (France) : Shakuhachi Flute</p> <p> <strong>Gregg Spero </strong>(U.S.A) : Fender Rhodes, Piano</p> <p> <strong>Aurélie Gérardin</strong> (France) :Triangle</p> <p> <strong>Ludo Signolet</strong> (France) : Keyboards Alex Roux (France) : Vocals</p> <p> <strong>Armando Assouline</strong> (France) : Percussions</p> <p>  </p> <p> Recorded at ALX Studio, FYSMA and AK Studio ,Paris, France</p> <p> Mixed at AK Studio, Paris , France</p> <p> Recording Engineer : Alex Roux Mixing : Alex Roux assisted by Stephen McCraven &amp; Jean-Roch Waro</p> <p> Mastering: Jim Hemingway</p> <p> Cover Art : Aurélie Gérardin</p> <p> Producer : Stephen McCraven</p> <p> Associate Producer : Alex Roux</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>THE NEW ALBUM</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>Stephen McCraven &amp; Family: “Killing Us Hardly”</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>With the album “Killing Us Hardly”, Stephen McCraven offers up his new artistic commitment. A treasure chest rich with his own life experience, this new recording perpetuates the <strong>ritual, passing on the eternal flame</strong> held high by such masters as <strong>Archie Shepp</strong>, <strong>Sam Rivers</strong>,<strong> Miles Davis</strong> or <strong>Marion Brown</strong>, <strong>Jimi Hendrix</strong>, and <strong>James Brown</strong>. As many as thirty musicians gathered around Steve’s vision, the need to connect with <strong>his blood family, his heart family and his family of music </strong>to engender the notion of “Clan” roaring through the twelve pieces on this recording. Killing Us Hardly is an adventure in sound that could be compared to a psychedelic fresco of the history of the relentless struggle by artists of every century to show us a better world, despite prevalent cynicism and negativity. </em></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>Stephen McCraven has been playing the drums since the age of eight and began his music studies at ten years of age under the direction of Mr. Stavris. At fourteen, he was playing in a jazz ensemble, and was selected to compete, at the age of seventeen, and won the “Who is Who?” of American high school students (Smithsonian Institute Museum, Washington, D.C.) for the role he played in the school marching band.</em></p> <p> <em>Later, he studied at the Berklee School of Music with Archie Shepp, Alan Dawson, Joe Hunt, and at the University of Massachusetts with Max Roach, as well as Steve McCall, Philly Jo Jones, George Brown, Wes Montgomery and Sonny Rollins.</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>Stephen McCraven has been <strong>Archie Shepp</strong>’s drummer for the last twenty years and played next to <strong>Sam Rivers </strong>for ten years. He has played as well with: David Murray, Marion Brown, Yusef Lateef, Mal Waldron, Harold Ashby, Freddy Hubbard, Hank Crawford, Charles Tolliver, David “Featherhead” Newman, Sugar Blue, Horace Palan, Calvin Newborn, Michael Gregory, James Moody, Pee Wee Ellis, Benny Golson, Arthur Blythe, Eric Lelann, Michel Graillier, Jalal (Last Poets), Chuck D. (Public Enemy)… </em></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fw.soundcloud.com%2Fplayer%2F%3Fvisual%3Dtrue%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fapi.soundcloud.com%252Ftracks%252F238125725%26show_artwork%3Dtrue&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fuser-475424496%2Fritual&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.sndcdn.com%2Fartworks-000140019609-8gxkw2-t500x500.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=soundcloud" width="500"></iframe></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fw.soundcloud.com%2Fplayer%2F%3Fvisual%3Dtrue%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fapi.soundcloud.com%252Ftracks%252F238124053%26show_artwork%3Dtrue&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fuser-475424496%2Ffreedom-spirit&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.sndcdn.com%2Fartworks-000140019642-d8c46r-t500x500.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=soundcloud" width="500"></iframe>         <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fw.soundcloud.com%2Fplayer%2F%3Fvisual%3Dtrue%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fapi.soundcloud.com%252Ftracks%252F238124019%26show_artwork%3Dtrue&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fuser-475424496%2Feasy-breezy&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.sndcdn.com%2Fartworks-000140019684-0i9w58-t500x500.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=soundcloud" width="500"></iframe>         <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fw.soundcloud.com%2Fplayer%2F%3Fvisual%3Dtrue%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fapi.soundcloud.com%252Ftracks%252F238123992%26show_artwork%3Dtrue&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fuser-475424496%2Fsoyus-dance&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.sndcdn.com%2Fartworks-000140019717-kcf6w0-t500x500.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=soundcloud" width="500"></iframe></p> <p>  </p>