Rocco Palladino Joins Yussef Dayes for a Roots-Driven Cape Town Session

Yussef Dayes has been on a journey with his live performance videos, taking his music to striking places around the globe. He has brought The Yussef Dayes Experience to Joshua Tree, Malibu, Japan with Mount Fuji as the backdrop, and more. His latest stop is Cape Town, South Africa, and this one has a heavy African roots vibe.

“The Yussef Dayes Experience Live From Cape Town” is a 31 minute performance that finds Dayes and his band digging deep into the feel. The music breathes with percussion, call and response energy, and grooves that feel both ancient and completely in the moment. Dayes also brings out African choirs for a couple of songs, adding a powerful vocal element that lifts the whole performance.

For bass players, the big draw is Rocco Palladino. Yes, he is the son of the great Pino Palladino, but Rocco has been making his own way for years now. His voice on the instrument is clear, confident, and unmistakably his own. He sits in the center of the music, letting the groove do the talking.  Rocco is playing a Yamaha BBP34 into an EBS bass combo, and the sound is excellent. It is round, warm, and present, with enough definition to cut through the percussion and choir without ever overshadwing music. The set includes “Hey Joe,” presented as a Jimi Hendrix tribute, along with “Kukud’ekhaya,” “Uthando,” and “Ubunzima Bo Thando.”

Check out “The Yussef Dayes Experience Live From Cape Town.”