Makaya McCraven has “quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality” (The New York Times). The Paris-born, Massachusetts-raised, Chicago-based drummer, composer, and producer is a multi-talented “cultural synthesizer” whose inventive process and intuitive, cinematic sound defies categorization. Composed and produced over the past 7 years, Makaya presents his latest project, In These Times, his most ambitious and personal album to date that topped Billboard Charts and made “Best Of” lists for NPR, LA Times, and The New York Times.

Raised in Detroit and one of jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists, Grammy Award-winning bassist Endea Owens has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross, Solange, and Jon Batiste. Owens makes her Paradise Jazz Series debut with her band, The Cookout.