Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Darryl Yokley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Darryl thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
To date, the most meaningful project has been the music from my band’s second album which is entitled, Pictures at an African Exhibition. It is a collaborative project involving my band, Sound Reformation, featuring special guest Nasheet Waits, a twelve piece wind ensemble, and artwork by London based artist, David Emmanuel Noel. The central idea of the album is to highlight aspects of humanity that we can all relate through, and this message is delivered through the exploration of African music, history, art, and culture since it is from Africa where we all originate. From conception to reality it took about 5-6 years of development which involved a lot of composing, rewriting, and arranging, recording the material, editing the tracks, developing the cover art, the liner notes, how we would display the artwork…. there was so much that went into this project. It felt like I was making a movie. Since the release we have showcased the project twice at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center, and have performed it all over the country, which I am very proud of.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Darryl Yokley II, and I was born in Los Angeles California where I began my music studies at age 10, first on clarinet and then switching to saxophone a year later. I started studying privately at age 13 and excelled in music throughout school and started teaching and playing professionally since high school. I attended Duquesne University for undergraduate studies and Michigan State for graduate studies in music performance. Out of school I started touring with the Four Tops and the Temptations, as well as various other bands. I collaborate with many different artists, but my main focus is performing and developing projects with my band, Sound Reformation which consists of Zaccai Curtis on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, and Wayne Smith Jr. on drums. We pride ourselves on being a culturally diverse band that explores a myriad of subjects. With us being together over ten years we have developed a deep bond filled with honesty that audiences resonate with and appreciate.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I believe the most important key to a society having a strong artistic presence is arts education and funding, especially in urban and underdeveloped sectors. Communities with a strong artist presence thrive as it keeps the youth engaged and it keeps them off the streets and encourages being part of the community. Along these same lines, parents should encourage their kids to participate in the arts whether it be music, art, dance, etc instead of allowing them to be in front of screens all day. As a parent myself in this fast paced world I understand the struggles of trying to get everything done and entertain a child, but I think as a society as a whole, we spend WAY too much time in front of the screen, and I have to really have to do a self check as well. If you like an artist(s) or arts organization– support it! Buy their music, artwork, tickets to go see their performances, or create a space/platform for their artwork to be showcased. You can’t afford it? No problem. Spread the word to friends and family who might be able to afford it. If you are going to be on social media, do something positive with it and spread the word about the people you want to support. There are so many ways to support the arts ecosystem not only locally or nationally, but you can do it internationally. That is one of the upsides of modern technology I will say!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
It’s hard to pinpoint one, but I am happy that I am doing what I love to do which is make music. I guess the reward would be knowing that I am leaving behind a legacy with the work that I am doing that can hopefully be appreciated when I am no longer here and I’d like to think the messages in my music and my art might help change the world for the better, even if it’s just one person.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.darrylyokley.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/darrylyokleymusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darrylyokleymusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darryl-yokley-235136b/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/darrylyokley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Yolance2