Track of the Week: Yussef Dayes takes us to jazz-infused paradise with ‘Chi Ave’
Every now and then, you’ll go to a gig and hear a version of a song that changes its meaning for you entirely.
Maybe the simple power of the crowd singalong changes it for you, or perhaps the altered arrangements in the band’s bored touring state inject it with new colour. Either way, the moment you experience changes a song you once loved forever, you can’t hear it the same again.
Every single time I’ve seen Yussuf Dayes live, I have had that feeling. Mesmerised by his drumming ability and his entire band’s penchant for spiralling into instrumental breakdowns, it’s rare that any performance of one song has sounded the same. So often, try as I may, I would go home and listen to the record with that little hint of magic missing.
Recently, it was recaptured with his live set, filmed at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan. A string of songs was played, including ‘Amami’, which we named as one of our 50 best songs of 2025. But ‘Chi Ave/A Love Letter To Salvador’ was left unreleased, existing only in the film and in the memories of those who have maybe seen it live.
Now Dayes has officially released it, capturing the essence of magic that exists in his live performances and confirming his place as one of the most talented and intricate musicians of the modern day.
His drums roll, blending jazz, afrobeat, and Japanese traditional music with the help of virtuoso Minami Kizuki, who plays alongside him on the project.
The first track of the two, ‘Chi Ave’, is a brooding jazz track that’s rhythm section plummets it into murky depths. Sitting firmly in the pocket, it sort of prowls through the arrangements, only letting up for a drum flourish or sax line, delivering a tight and succinct hypnotic song that allows for all the individual elements to be respected.
A swift segue into ‘A Love Letter For Salvador’ changes that, with an increase in tempo from Dayes, giving the rest of the band permission to let rip into their improvisational ideas.
Kizuki trades blows with Elijah Fox on keys as the song spirals into a sweet chaos and has you choosing between an intense groove or a hypnotic melody. Ideas overlap but not with messiness, just transcendence, making it a truly triumphant representation of modern jazz.
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