Black Classical Music

Yussef Dayes

Released on 9/8/23 by Nonesuch
Main artists: Yussef Dayes
Genre: Jazz
Distinctions: Qobuzissime

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Highly active since the early 2010s, Yussef Dayes has finally decided to release an album under his name only. The English drummer has set the bar pretty high with this first solo album by choosing to name it Black Classical Music, which isn’t intended to sound at all pretentious, but rather to reflect Yussef’s own definition of jazz. "What is jazz? Where did the word derive from? Birthed in New Orleans, born in the belly of the Mississippi River, rooted in the gumbo pot of the Caribbean, South American culture & African rituals. Continuing a lineage of Miles Davis, Rahssan Roland Kirk, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong ~ music that is forever evolving & limitless in its potential. The groove, it’s feeling, the compositions, the spontaneity, with a love for family, the discipline & dedication in maintaining the very high bar set by the pantheon of Black Classical Musicians. Chasing the rhythm of drums that imitated one's heartbeat, the melodies for the mind and spirit, the bass for the core. A Regal sound for this body of music."

Whether with the afrobeat/cosmic jazz adventure of United Vibrations, which he started with his brothers; as one half of the Yussef Kamaal tandem, with keyboardist Kamaal Williams; or as part of the duo formed with his guitarist accomplice Tom Misch, Yussef Dayes has always produced an all-encompassing, 360° brand of jazz, soaking up fusion, soul, funk, rap, Afro and Caribbean sounds. All of these strong influences can be found throughout Black Classical Music, which includes collaborations with Shabaka Hutchings, Chronixx, Masego, Jamilah Barry, Tom Misch, Elijah Fox, Miles James, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Nathaniel and Theon Cross, the Chineke! Orchestra (the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of predominantly black and ethnically diverse musicians), and even his daughter, Baya, whose voice he sampled for the album.

Backed by his faithful quartet (Rocco Palladino on bass, Charlie Stacey on keyboards, saxophonist Venna and percussionist Alex Bourt), Yussef Dayes delivers some truly brilliant pieces built on two core pillars: rhythm and melody. However, at no point throughout the 74-minute album do these two solid foundations at all hinder the improvisational flair of the musicians that surround him. Jazz-fusion (“Rust”), smooth jazz (“Tioga Pass”), nu soul (“Woman's Touch”), reggae (“Pon di Plaza"), the landscapes follow one after another, each with a unique sound that the London drummer ties together, fine-tuning the transitions and ensuring that Black Classical Music isn’t just another ‘nice’ recording from the "new British jazz scene", but a record with true longevity. A beautiful Qobuzissime. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

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Black Classical Music

Yussef Dayes

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Black Classical Music (feat. Venna & Charlie Stacey)