Drummer, composer, and producer
Yussef Dayes is a veteran of London's diverse jazz scene. His M.O. weds polystylistic variations with electronica, funk, soul, Afrobeat, and reggae. His ranging resume playing with other artists --
Yussef Kamaal,
Ruby Rushton,
Emanative,
Alfa Mist, etc. -- provides the aesthetic background for the sprawling, 19-track,
Black Classical Music,
Dayes' studio debut. It is a culmination of his aesthetic travels, and points squarely at his goal: a seamless musical whole. Right after he and
Tom Misch issued the
What Kinda Music in 2020,
Dayes' trio released the live
Welcome to the Hills. He followed with 2022's
Experience: Live at Joshua Tree. His resume frames creative ground for
Black Classical Music --
Dayes' debut sums up his aesthetic travels and points toward an integrative, equanimous whole. His band includes bassist
Rocco Palladino, keyboardist
Charlie Stacey, saxophonist
Malik Venna, percussionist
Alex Bourt, and a large guest list that includes
Shabaka Hutchings,
Masego,
Misch,
Chineke! Orchestra, and others.
The record streams across atmospheres, stylistically and sonically. The title-track single is introduced by
Venna's saxophone,
Stacey's piano, and
Dayes' frenetic drumming,
Palladino enters and zeroes in, bridging mercurial post-bop with modal jazz, Afro-Latin percussion and ambient sonics. It segues into "Afro Cubanism," which adds an elastic spiritual dimension to modal Latin jazz.
Hutchings guests on "Raisins Under the Sun." Its balance of reeds and brass (tubist
Theon Cross, trumpeter
Sheila Maurice-Grey, trombonist
Nathaniel Cross) in the frontline are prodded by a rumbling, hypnotic bassline, bubbling congas, and a lilting melody joining Latin, Caribbean, and African harmonies and rhythms, as Rhodes piano pulses in the foreground. "Rust," with
Misch, is led by
Palladino amid breaking snares, with wordless chorus vocals and drifting keys magically melding contemporary jazz and progressive soul. It segues into the spacy, nocturnal fusion of "Turquoise Galaxy" then dissolves into blissful ambient jazz-funk on "The Light." The set title is underscored magnificently by "Magnolia Symphony," performed by
Chineke! Orchestra. "Gelato" joins steamy dub bass, shimmering keys, and percussion to silvery contemporary jazz, subtle polyrhythms, and
Venna's soprano sax fills. "Marching Band" delivers a resonant, sensual, R&B vocal from
Masego. "Jukebox," a sublime exercise in bass-driven jazz-funk is, unfortunately, all too brief. Jamaican reggae singer
Chronixx lends his iconic lover's rock vocal to the tender "Pon di Plaza." "Woman's Touch," featuring
Jamilah Barry, is a mercurial meld of jazz phrasing, contemporary soul, and slinky polyrhythms. "Tioga Pass" is a gorgeous feature for
Palladino. His bass playing here recalls
Jaco Pastorius' in its ability to signify and institute changes in tempo, mode, and rhythm without stylistic disruption. Sweeping strings,
Stacey's piano, and percussive interplay between
Dayes and
Bourt fall around
Palladino, who traverses groove jazz, progressive, polished R&B, and elegant funk.
For all its ambitious creativity,
Black Classical Music offers a focused, multivalent story at once autobiographical, cultural, and social. The music is lush, advanced, and welcoming, and comes off without a trace of bloat or conceit. This is easily a top pick for best albums of 2023. ~ Thom Jurek