Avec "Killing us Hardly" Stephen McCraven nous présente un nouvel album engagé artistiquement. Véhiculant les richesses et les expériences de toute une vie, ce nouvel enregistrement de Stephen McCraven perpétue le rituel de la passation de la flamme éternelle transmise par les grands maîtres comme Archie Shepp, Sam Rivers, Miles Davis ou Marion Brown mais aussi Jim Hendrix et James Brown.

Près d'une trentaine de musiciens se sont réunis autour de la vision de Steve qui exprima le besoin de s'entourer de sa famille de sang, de coeur et de musique pour imposer cet esprit de "Clan" qui rugit tout au long des 12 morceaux du disque.

"Killing Us Hardly" est un voyage sonore qui peut prendre la forme d'une fresque psychédélique et historique narrant la lutte et l'acharnement des artistes de toutes époques à montrer un monde meilleur en dépit du cynisme et de la négativité.

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Dessin : Aurélie Gérardin

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).

Stephen McCraven est depuis 20 ans le batteur d’Archie Shepp et a joué aux côtés de Sam Rivers 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).

Stephen McCraven & Family "Killing Us Hardly"

The Family :

Stephen McCraven (U.S.A / France) : Drums, Percussions, vocals

Makaya McCraven (U.S.A ) : Drums

Jamil McCraven (France) : Percussions

Chris Dailey McCraven (U.S.A / France) : Percussions

Oona Guino (France) : Vocals

Jack Gregg (U.S.A / France ) : Accoustic Bass

Tom McClung (U.S.A / France ) : Hammond Organ

Jean-Roch Waro (France) : Guitar, Vocals

Lamine Sow ( Senegal / France) : Djembé, Congas, Percussions

Issa Sow (Senegal / France) : Djembé

Jose Palmer (France) : Guitar

Ruben Santana (Brasil / France) : Electric Bass

Alex Legrand (France) :Guitar

Jean Wende (France) : Hammond Organ

Matyas Szandai (Hongrie / France ):Electric Bass

Sulaiman Hakim (U.S.A / France) : Alto Saxophone

Robert Aaron (U.S.A ) : Keyboards, Flute

Shaka Brown (U.S.A / France ) : Vocals

Jalal Nuriddin (U.S.A) : Vocals

Barry McWashington (U.S.A / France ) :Vocals

Rasul Siddik (U.S.A / Fance ) : Trumpet

Martine Decotte (France) : Shakuhachi Flute

Gregg Spero (U.S.A) : Fender Rhodes, Piano

Aurélie Gérardin (France) :Triangle

Ludo Signolet (France) : Keyboards Alex Roux (France) : Vocals

Armando Assouline (France) : Percussions

Recorded at ALX Studio, FYSMA and AK Studio ,Paris, France

Mixed at AK Studio, Paris , France

Recording Engineer : Alex Roux Mixing : Alex Roux assisted by Stephen McCraven & Jean-Roch Waro

Mastering: Jim Hemingway

Cover Art : Aurélie Gérardin

Producer : Stephen McCraven

Associate Producer : Alex Roux

THE NEW ALBUM

Stephen McCraven & Family: “Killing Us Hardly”

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 ritual, passing on the eternal flame held high by such masters as Archie Shepp, Sam Rivers, Miles Davis or Marion Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and James Brown. As many as thirty musicians gathered around Steve’s vision, the need to connect with his blood family, his heart family and his family of music 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.

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.

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.

Stephen McCraven has been Archie Shepp’s drummer for the last twenty years and played next to Sam Rivers 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)…

New LP Stephen McCraven "Killing Us Hardly"