On Universal Beings (International Anthem), Makaya McCraven continues a rough-and-tumble recording practice with his deepest batch of beat-driven jazz to date. The double album was recorded in four cities, with four different sets of musicians, and was subsequently edited and “re-composed” by the Chicago drummer. Harpist Brandee Younger steers the Queens, N.Y., set into a spiritually inclined Alice Coltrane direction, while saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings brings rhythmic insistence to a rowdier Chicago session. The London confab with saxophonist Nubya Garcia blisters with raw spontaneity, and an intimate session in Los Angeles guitarist Jeff Parker’s garage illuminates post-bop grooves with off-the-cuff philosophizing.