Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Ikenna Offor discovers an album of expansive influences and nostalgic reverie
Brownswood Recordings
Released: 08.09.23
Given its ostensibly univocal title, you’d be forgiven for expecting Yussef Dayes‘ solo debut to be a somewhat staid affair. What’s on offer instead is an expansive yet precise weft of influences – from sinuous African polyrhythms to bombastic Caribbean grooves and intoxicating Latin inflections – dexterously woven into a captivating fusion of nostalgic reverie and neoteric revelry.
Sturdily anchored by Dayes’ distinctive drum licks, and thrillingly vivified by a meticulously curated coterie of collaborators (including Shabaka Hutchings, Jamilah Barry and Masego), Black Classical Music charts a journey of healing through reclamation – one that sees memory, love and sound all bleed into something both eternal and fleeting. Rooted in reverence yet resolutely focused on evolution, this record richly abounds in lived-in charm.
