Yussef Dayes is in the midst of an extensive tour across the US in support of his recently-released album Black Classical Music, but the London-based drummer and his band took a break from their hectic schedule to film a live sunset performance in the mountains of Malibu. A spiritual successor to Dayes and his band’s Soulection-presented 2022 performance in Joshua Tree, the just-over-30-minute set showcases tracks from Black Classical Music, accompanied by select numbers from What Kinda Music, Dayes’ 2020 collaboration with guitarist Tom Misch and even a tribute to legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius.
Accompanying Dayes are saxophonist Venna, bassist Rocco Palladino (son of esteemed bassist Pino Palladino, who played with D’Angelo, The Who, the John Mayer Trio and others), pianist Elijah Fox and percussionist Alexander Bourt. Highlights include an undulating bass line from Palladino on “Tioga Pass,” particularly soulful saxophone work from Venna on “Tidal Wave,” a hypnotic percussion duet from Dayes and Bourt towards the tail end of “Black Classical Music” and spacy synth work from Fox on “Istanbul.”
Check the performance out in full above, see Dayes’ upcoming tour dates at his website, and listen to Black Classical Music below.
Elsewhere in the world of music, the UK government is supporting grassroots music with a brand-new £5 million GBP fund.
