Yusuf Dayes suffered from some unfortunate programming as Kraftwerk were on the Green Stage was Kraftwerk, and Girl in Red was on the White Stage, making the foremost recording artist in South London’s contemporary jazz scene suffering from some stiff competition.

At the outset, few turned out for his set, but the crowds trickled in and later filled the Field of Heaven. Whatever, the case the drum set towering in the center of the stage made people excited for a live performance and about 10 minutes after the scheduled performance time, the sound of a saxophone burst the silence, signaling the start of The Yusef Days Experience.

Yusef’s drums are an amazing mixture of different sounds and instruments, maybe about three times the size of a normal set. And when he plays, there is an overwhelming number of notes and fine nuances.

“Yo yo, how are you at Fuji Rock?” said Yusef at the start of the set. The following song, “Tidal Wave,” showcased Yousef’s delicate drumming technique and Elijah Fox’s (Key) keys, which used a variety of tones, bring a relaxed feel to the perform. This made the groove multi-layered. The second song was “Turquoise Galaxy” which really shined, the Field of Heaven audience danced with ecstatic expressions to Elijah’s fast piano.

The spectacular jazz session continues with “For My Ladies”, “Strings Of Light”, and “Mystics”. The lighting that illuminates the main players at each moment is visually stimulating, and the piano solos are interwoven with each other which is another highlight.It feels like this is exactly what the “Yusef Days Experience” is.

In the second half of the concert and singer-songwriter from Japan appeared, as the connection was made at a Blue Note concert in February. Other songs like “Instanbul,” and “The Colour Purple,” wowed the audience who participated with some very complex handclaps. For everyone at the show, they thoroughly enjoyed the 90 minute performance with was just what they needed on Saturday night.