By Vanessa Tirok
On April 5th, in the intimate quarters of New York’s most notable jazz club, I bore witness to the most face-scrunching, toe-curling performance that will make my first night at Blue Note hard to forget. When I heard that Yussef Dayes was coming to the city, the drummer who’s been redefining contemporary jazz since his work in the duo Yussef Kamaal in 2016, and whose collaboration with Tom Misch led to the 2020 masterpiece “What Kinda Music”, all plans to save what was left in my suffering bank account went out the window. Needless to say, this broke college student got much more than her money’s worth.
The Yussef Dayes Experience is a music collective composed of London’s finest— Dayes himself, Venna on the saxophone, Rocco Palladino on the bass, additional percussion from Alexander Bourt— and North Carolina native, Elijah Fox, on the keys. It’s not so often that a band is defined by its drummer, but in the case of The Yussef Dayes Experience, Yussef is the life force. He’s created a sound with a dynamism so sophisticated that I don’t think “jazz” fully encapsulates it. It’s mystical, at times earthy, futuristic, a blood rush, pensive, but most of all it’s incomparable.
Due to a number of mishaps, I ended up arriving at the show late and phoneless, so whatever I write here comes purely from memory and whatever few videos survived on my friend’s phone (which desperately needed more storage). I’m one of those concertgoers that like to record 90% of the concert (and yes, I do go back and watch the videos! Don’t come for me), so being forced to be completely present at this show was probably the best thing that could’ve happened.
On this night, time and chronology became blurred in a continuous flow of sound. I can’t recall if “Raisin In The Sun”, the smooth groove off of the group’s Joshua Tree session, came before or after the somber “Tidal Wave”, beautifully vocalized by Venna through the sax—- I just remember it being so good that the crowd had turned into a sea of bobbing heads and stank faces. The group played a number of tunes, some of which were easily identifiable, others not so much, but all of them brought out the best in each musician. In “Strings of Light”, Rocco’s suspenseful bass fit brilliantly with the adrenaline rush of Yussef’s drumming, giving the impression of being caught in a chase scene. In “For My Ladies”, though played more rapidly in the live version, Elijah brought the sensual essence of the song to greater heights on the keys, while Alexander Bourt’s organic conga playing helped bring it down to earth. At one point, the collective paid tribute to the city with some Miles Davis; Venna painted the airwaves with an emotive performance of “Blue in Green”. After drumming, Yussef’s next top skill is definitely finding the best artists to work with. As a whole, the artists synced perfectly with each other, it felt like watching a lively conversation in song form.
Throughout the show, Yussef would stop to shout out his influences ranging from Istanbul to El Salvador. With such a global palate, it’s no wonder his sound transcends boundaries. And not to mention his stage presence. Watching him unleash during his solos was like an optic test of sorts— the eye could barely keep up with how fast his arms were moving. The fluidity of his playing, the closed eyes beneath his bucket hat, showed that drumming is, above all else, a feeling to him. But just as much as he can tear up a drum kit, he can also go delicate when the moment calls for it. Always smooth, always in control.
To watch someone of his caliber play was both inspiring and intimidating; on one hand, I was awe-struck by his level of mastery, and on the other hand, I couldn’t fathom the amount of training and dedication one has to go through to get that good. Since seeing the film Whiplash, I’ve been quick to assume that any masterful musician has a tortured-artist backstory to them. However, Yussef gave me no such vibe. For someone who can get beastly with the drums, his personality showed no such intensity. He was soft-spoken and even a little shy, not looking at the audience too much while speaking but smiling all the while. The golden energy emanating from his music most definitely comes from a genuine, natural connection to his craft.
Some of the musicians stuck around after the show ended. I got to meet Elijah, who I felt compelled to thank for playing the keys so gloriously, and he was super nice (we fist bumped!). Yussef was making his way through tables, stopping to talk to audience members who were giving him praise. He really took the time to engage with everyone vying for his attention, and eventually, I got to meet him and gush over how amazing he was to his face. Of course, he was friendly and gracious, and it felt a bit surreal to be interacting with someone who’s been a playlist essential of mine for years. I didn’t want to hold him for long, so we got a quick pic, and that was the end of that. But if I did get to meet him again, I would tell him that that show invigorated me enough to last a long while.
