Yusef Dayes
“Yes Norwich! How we doin’?” shouts a beaming Yussef Dayes from behind his drum kit, relishing in the cheers and whooping from the live audience. On Monday evening (1/11/21), Yussef Dayes and his band Rocco Palladino (bass), Charlie Stacey (keyboard) and percussionist embarked on their nationwide tour “The Yussef Dayes Experience” starting at the Norwich Arts Centre.
The Soul Stew DJ’s opened the evening with a set influenced by soul and jazz which provided a perfect entree for the main set. Unlike most support sets, the DJ’s performed by the bar which created a certain atmosphere that you might find in the interval of a cosy jazz club in London, complete with the buzz and chatter.
Yussef Dayes’ band slickly opened with one of Dayes’ latest releases “Odyssey/Jamaican Licks” which smoothly transitioned into “For my Ladies” - a laid back, soul-influenced track which allowed Charlie Stacey to fill the space with swirling arpeggios, tremolos and trills that warbled above the surface of Dayes’ smooth, rushing drum licks and Palladino’s funk-influenced bass lines. The moment of stillness was the calm before the storm before the band delved back into a blitz of up-tempo improvisation.
The audience were taken on a journey through the Americas from the “Bronx” to “Salvador”, which explored North American and Southern American rhythmic influences and combined the two cultures. Dayes and his percussionist relished in batches of punchy call and response between the drum kit and conga drums, as well as complimenting the saxophonist's sporadic, staccato melodies. The Latin influences combined with a Western take on jazz, allowed the band to explore motifs, rhythms and different percussive elements to differentiate the two.
Dayes’ playful musicianship and communication with his band on stage allowed the drummer to create an interactive atmosphere with the audience. The mainly improvised set allowed each performer to showcase their individual talent, as well as their chemistry as a band. Charlie Stacey and Dayes playfully engaged in periods of call-and-response and immersed themselves in jazz licks, transitioning tempos and alternative styles throughout their performance. The band kept the audience hanging on every beat, elasticising their tempos by holding back beats and leaving the silence from a stunned audience to hang in the air for a moment.
After a stagnant year in the music industry, it was wonderful to be in a room bustling with dancing fans, listening to live music again - and probably even nicer to be playing. Hopefully Dayes and his band will grace the walls of a Norwich music venue again and light up its walls with more refreshing, immersive and wonderful contemporary jazz.
