I’m back. Well, I finally feel the clouds clearing and that I can be a little more “me” and a little less “mom,” more the woman who has time again to get lost in thinking and writing about jazz, and less the mother wishing a hole would open up in the ground and swallow her whole, for just five minutes’ reprieve. Or perhaps, this is what happens when your lovely 2-year-old finally sleeps through the night.
All that to say, I now have a bit of time to revisit some of the pre-baby jazz gigs I loved and vowed I’d write about during my maternity leave (lol).
So first up: Yussef Dayes at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023. Dayes’s cool confidence at the centre of the stage gave way to an atmospheric, powerful, and technically brilliant set. With Elijah Fox on keys, Rocco Palladino on bass, and Venna on saxophone, Dayes’s Afro-Caribbean-inspired but very London-jazz-infused sound expanded moodily to fill the dark, smoky Hall. I loved seeing Venna in his element (he’s since become one of my faves and his new album, MALIK, is incredible). And Shabaka Hutchings and Theon Cross’s energetic Raisins Under the Sun was reminiscent of the early days of the pulsing London jazz scene.
A fitting launch party, then, for Dayes’s debut solo album Black Classical Music. The album feels like a quiet, knowing celebration of what makes Dayes’s drumming so unique – gentle, forceful, skilfully weaving his love of African and Latin rhythm into every track. Unsurprisingly, I’ve played Marching Band, which oozes sultry soul thanks to Masego’s cheeky, smooth vocals, a thousand times (I love Masego). Another favourite on the album is Rust with guitarist, Tom Misch. Misch and Dayes together are masterful. Their album, What Kinda Music, was my soundtrack to the COVID lockdown and is one of my all-time favourites.
Sadly, Masego and Misch were absent from Dayes’s show at Royal Albert Hall. But no matter, I finally got to see Dayes step into the spotlight, effortlessly commanding the band, the room, the night.