Makaya McCraven and CJ Brinson & Family at Terminal West, Atlanta, March 3. 2026

Jazz at Terminal West! What a concept, and something I wasn't sure I'd ever see. I've been to TW countless times over the past decade, but it was almost always for indie rock bands. It was heartening to see jazz drummer Makaya McCraven booked there, and as equally heartening to see a good turnout in the venue. As Frank Zappa once said, "Jazz isn't dead, it just smells that way."

For reasons I know I don't understand, Atlanta doesn't have much of a jazz scene, so it was equally heartening to hear local openers, C.J. Brinson & Family, featuring Atlanta sax-man Kebbi Williams, with their feet planted firmly in modern jazz. 

The core band consists of drummer C.J. and cousins Preston and Brandon Stephens on bass and keys. While they're all good, the standout performance last night was Kebbi's tenor workout. The band played high-energy jazz with an emphasis on improv and open vamping, as featured on their excellent debut album, Constellation. Here's a video that was just released last Monday (March 2), the day before last night's show of one track from the album. 

Kebbi Williams is a fixture on Atlanta's improv music scene, such as it is, largely centered around the Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery. Propelled by C.J.'s skittering drums, he led the band through a great 40-minute set that had the audience roaring in approval.

The headliner was also led by a drummer, Makaya McCraven, who presented an all-star trio that also included Marquis Hill on trumpet and percussion and Junius Paul on bass.

 

Makaya is a powerhouse drummer, Hill was masterful with electronic effects on his trumpet playing, and Paul anchored everything together with his steady bass lines. It's easy to imagine how Makaya might overpower a band, especially an ensemble as delicate as a trio, but while there was never any ignoring his playing during the set, the bandleader made sure to let his support players get in their say. 

I've seen Makaya perform a couple of times before at Knoxville's Big Ears Festival, so it was a treat to see him here in the ATL. Here he is in Montreal back in 2022 with vibraphonist Joel Ross in addition to Paul and Hill.

I checked the schedule and, no, Terminal West hasn't become a jazz venue, and Atlanta is still first and foremost a hip-hop city. But last night's show was a real treat, both because of the singularity of this kind of performance and the outstanding quality of both bands.