Yussef Dayes (born 12 December 1992) is an English

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

, composer, and record producer. He is known for his work with keyboardist Kamaal Williams, releasing the 2016 album '' Black Focus'' as the duo Yussef Kamaal and with English singer and guitarist

Tom Misch Thomas Abraham Misch (born 25 June 1995) is an English musician and producer. He began releasing music on SoundCloud in 2012 and released his debut studio album ''Geography'' in 2018. In 2020, he released his second studio album '' What Kinda M ...

, releasing the 2020 collaborative album '' What Kinda Music''. Dayes released his debut solo album '' Black Classical Music'' on 8 September 2023.

Personal life

Dayes was born in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

on 12 December 1992. His mother, who was from

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, worked as a primary school teacher and yoga instructor. His father, of Jamaican

Rastafarian Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of the movement and much ...

descent, worked as a merchant and played the bass guitar. Both parents built the family house Dayes grew up in. He is the youngest of four brothers, Ahmad, Jamal and Kareem, all of whom were taught piano. Dayes' father gave him his first drum kit when he was 4 years old, and Dayes began performing with his brothers. At ten years old, he stayed with his grandparents in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

to attend a university course by drummer

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

. Dayes has one daughter. His mother died in 2015.

Career

2009–2016: United Vibrations

Dayes formed the band United Vibrations with brothers Ahmad on trombone, Kareem on bass, and their friend saxophonist Wayne Francis II where they played "

Afro-beat Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex in ...

stylings with forward-looking jazz and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

". They released their first single "Ra!" in 2009. The band worked as a backing band for

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally as Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer and rapper. He is known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up (Avicii song), Wake Me Up", which peaked on ...

while on his UK tour. The same year, they made a live appearance on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. United Vibrations released their debut album ''Galaxies Not Ghettos'' in 2011. This was followed by the 2012 EP ''We Never Die'' and the album ''The Myth of the Golden Ratio'' (2016).

2016–2017: Yussef Kamaal

Dayes met keyboardist Kamaal Williams in 2007. The two kept in touch and played together on occasion, but upon rehearsing William's solo work for a Boiler Room gig, they started playing as a band. In 2016, the band performed a 20-minute live set at

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a broadcaster, DJ, record label and festival owner. He is renowned for his genre-defying approach to music with jazz at its core. From this base he ...

's Worldwide Awards, after which Peterson landed them a deal at his

Brownswood Recordings Brownswood Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Gilles Peterson in 2006. The label has released an eclectic range of music, reflecting Peterson's diverse musical taste. The roster includes Oreglo, Ben Westbeech ...

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

. Under the label, the band released their only studio album '' Black Focus'' on 4 November and reached number 26 in the

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

's Jazz & Blues chart. Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described the album as having "spiritual

jazz funk Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat, electrified sounds, and analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creation of a genre that ranges from pur ...

broken beat Broken beat (sometimes referred to as "bruk") is an electronic dance music genre that emerged in the late 1990s and is characterized by syncopated beats and frenetic, choppy rhythms, often alongside female vocals and elements inspired by 1970s ja ...

, and global sounds". Dayes said that when the album was recorded that it maintained its "importance of core jazz principles of spontaneity and flow". In March 2017, shortly before the band's scheduled performance at the

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

music festival, Yussef Kamaal were refused entry to the United States after Dayes' visa was revoked in accordance with an executive immigration order implemented by the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

. On 4 May 2017, they issued a statement that "for private and unforeseen reasons the original line up of Yussef Kamaal will no longer perform together".

2018–present: ''Black Classical Music'' and other releases

Dayes released his own track "Love Is the Message" under Cashmere Records, and the live albums ''Welcome to the Hills'' and ''Live at Joshua Tree''. On his solo work, he often plays with bassist Rocco Palladino and keyboard player Charlie Stacey. Dayes, along with guitarist

, released a collaborative record titled '' What Kinda Music,'' under

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

on 24 April 2020. Charlotte Krol of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' considered the album "a smooth, intuitive coagulation of sounds spanning acid jazz, hip-hop and electronica." Dayes saw his first appearance in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, as the album reached number 4. On 8 September 2023, Dayes released his debut solo album '' Black Classical Music'' on Brownswood, and

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

in the United States. '' Uncut'' called it "an expansive, soulful set that embraces modern West Coast fusion, Hancock-style funk,

psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a form of soul music which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s. The style saw African-American soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, ...

-jazz and more", while Robin Murray of '' Clash'' considered the album as a "musical autobiography of a musician central to the ongoing development of UK jazz". '' Black Classical Music'' won an the Best Album

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

on Thursday 23rd May 2024.

Artistry

Dayes initially took influence from his father's

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

records, his mother's love for

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, and from Ahmad producing

jungle music Jungle is a genre of electronic music that developed in the 1990s out of the UK rave scene and Jamaican sound system culture. Emerging from breakbeat hardcore, the style is characterised by rapid breakbeats, heavily syncopated percussive loops, ...

. He additionally found inspiration growing up listening to

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

: "That same energy and those different flows, I put into my drums."

Discography

Solo work

*'' Black Classical Music'' (2023)

With Yussef Dayes Trio

*''Welcome to the Hills'' (2020)

With The Yussef Dayes Experience

*''The Yussef Dayes Experience Live at Joshua Tree'' (2022) *''The Yussef Dayes Experience (Live From Malibu)'' (2024)

With United Vibrations

*''Galaxies Not Ghettos'' (2011) *''The Myth of the Golden Ratio'' (2016)

With Yussef Kamaal

*'' Black Focus'' (2016)

With Tom Misch

*'' What Kinda Music'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* – official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dayes, Yussef 1992 births English drummers English people of Jamaican descent Black British musicians Living people Musicians from London Blue Note Records artists Nonesuch Records artists Brownswood Recordings artists