Review
Review
Yussef Dayes’ Summer Dayes at Crystal Palace Bowl, 04/08/24
The award-winning musician's first festival was a celebration of community, his neighbourhood, and Black Classical Music
Not many festivals curated by an artist begin with a yoga session hosted by the artist’s dad, but for Yussef Dayes, it was the natural thing to do. Dave Dayes kicked off the festivities with a yoga session with 350 attendees, blessing the festival with a calm and convivial energy that permeated throughout the day. Rows of picnic blankets and smiling faces filled Crystal Palace Bowl on a sunny Sunday in August, with Yussef Dayes’ inaugural open-air day festival feeling as intimate as a family cookout.
Part of this year’s South Facing Concert Series, Summer Dayes was home to a host of music across the Black diaspora; including Brazilian bossa nova, Angolan semba and kuduro, Detroit techno, funk and jungle. This celebration of Black culture was also reflected in the food stalls, where festival attendees could buy suya, jelly coconuts, a range of Caribbean street food and much more. “This is dedicated to Forest Hill. This is for the ends,” Yussef stated during his headline set with The Yussef Dayes Experience. And the day certainly felt like a musical experience for the community and by the community.
Standout performances included Brazilian soul vocalist Luedji Luna’s warm opening set, which she reprised in a guest spot during The Yussef Dayes Experience’s headline slot; St. Louis’ R&B singer-songwriter Jordan Ward getting fans jumping to his hit single ‘White Crocs’; Sango’s multi-genre DJ set where he included songs he produced for fellow artists Teezo Touchdown, Drake and Frank Ocean; and special guest saxophonist-rapper-singer-producer (the list goes on) Masego, who gave roses to audience members, passed around bank notes with his face on them, created a song from scratch live on stage with lyrics celebrating Vybz Kartel’s release from prison, got the crowd to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to his drummer and serenaded an audience member on stage – all in a 45-minute set.
Each performance was bookended by host Munya Chawawa, the internet’s favourite comedian. While at first it felt like an odd choice to have Chawawa host the day, his little quips and endearingly corny puns about each act’s name while introducing them felt like hearing your favourite uncle crack cheesy jokes at a barbecue, which added to the community spirit of the day. Plus, Soulection co-founder and DJ Andre Power kept the tunes playing between each set.
Everything culminated in an electrifying performance by The Yussef Dayes Experience, made up of Dayes on drums, bassist Rocco Palladino, North Carolina keyboardist Elijah Fox, percussionist Alexander Bourt, and saxophonist Venna – who had his own accomplished solo set earlier in the day. The band was immersed in aquatic blue stage lights, which added a layer of pensive magic to the live performances of songs from Black Classical Music, as well as experimental tributes to jazz composers such as Jaco Pastorius. Dayes made full use of the cameras and screens, with aerial angles of the drums during his solos, and an occasional 70s flare camera lens to add to the timeless feel conveyed by the music. Each musician on stage had solos and moments to shine, with Dayes introducing every member of his band with heartfelt sincerity – “the young genius, Venna”; “all the way from North Carolina, it’s Elijah Fox”; “would you like some bass in your belly?” and more. The pièce de résistance was the invitation to more musicians to share the stage with the band, including Luedji Luna, and ethereal harpist Nala Sinephro. This, coupled with sweet dedications to Dayes’ daughter and parents, made for an edifying conclusion to a very communal festival.
Get tickets to more South Facing Concert Series events here.
