Black Classical Music

by Yussef Dayes

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	09/08/2023
Label:	Brownswood / Nonesuch
UPC:	5054197622212

Tracks

1. Black Classical Music
2. Afro Cubanism
3. Raisins Under the Sun
4. Rust
5. Turquoise Galaxy
6. The Light
7. Pon Di Plaza
8. Magnolia Symphony
9. Early Days
10. Chasing the Drum
11. Birds of Paradise
12. Gelato
13. Marching Band
14. Crystal Palace Park
15. Presidential
16. Jukebox
17. Woman's Touch
18. Tioga Pass
19. Cowrie Charms

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yussef Dayes   Primary Artist,Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Synthesizer
Chronixx   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist
Nathaniel Cross   Trombone
Rory Pagan   Guitar
Rocco Palladino   Bass,Fretless Bass,Featured Artist
Malik Venna   Vocals,Saxophone,Vocals (Background)
Charlie Stacey   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Piano (Grand),Featured Artist
Leon Thomas   Vocals,Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Shabaka Hutchings   Clarinet,Clarinet (Bass),Featured Artist
Barbara Hicks   Vocals,Featured Artist,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Alex Bonfanti   Bass
Laurie Blundell   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Jamilah Barry   Vocals,Featured Artist
Dave Dayes   Vocals
Jahaan Sweet   Vocals,Keyboards,Featured Artist
VENNA   Vocals,Saxophone,Featured Artist
Elijah Fox   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Featured Artist
Alex Bourt   Congas,Percussion
Bahia Dayes   Vocals,Featured Artist
Paris Fabienne   Vocals
Alex Bofanti   Bass
Tom Misch   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Featured Artist
Miles James   Guitar,Synthesizer
Masego   Vocals,Featured Artist
Theon Cross   Tuba
Tito Oliveira   Drums
Sheila Maurice-Grey   Trumpet
Chineke! Orchestra   Orchestra

Technical Credits

Adam Jaffrey   Engineer
Rory Pagan   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Rocco Palladino   Composer
Malik Venner   Composer
Malik Venna   Composer
Dave Dayes   Engineer,Producer
Charlie Stacey   Composer
Malcolm Catto   Engineer,Producer
Russell Elevado   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Leon Thomas   Composer
Jaycen Joshua   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Micah Davis   Composer
Shabaka Hutchings   Composer
Matt Jagger   Engineer
Barbara Hicks   Composer,Producer
Ahmad Dayes   Recording
Alex Wharton   Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Chronixx   Producer
Jamar McNaughton   Composer
Laurie Blundell   Composer
Maxwell Hunter   Composer
Jamilah Barry   Composer
Jahaan Sweet   Composer,Producer
Elijah Fox   Composer,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Alex Bourt   Composer
Bahia Dayes   Composer,Producer
Nicole Smidtz   Recording
Barka   Producer
Louis Pablo   Engineer
Thomas Misch   Composer
Luzinho Do Jefe   Composer
Alex Bofanti   Composer
Alex Bonfanti   Composer
Tom Misch   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Miles James   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Drum Engineering
Christoph Skirl   Engineer
Masego   Producer
Yussef Dayes   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Tito Oliveira   Composer