words by Patty Riek
photos by Jon Bauer
Dominique Fils-Aimé stunned Oakland’s Yoshi’s on September 10, 2026 with her uplifting messages and powerful performance.
The evening began with a small ritual: as an audio recording of her mother played, Fils-Aimé inhaled and exhaled deeply and struck a Tibetan singing bowl. Her spellbinding opening song, “Sea of Clouds,” showcased layers of looping vocals, live overlap, percussion, keys and strings that would carry through the show.
Her philosophy that everything is frequencies – colors, thoughts, emotions, music – was evident in the evening’s songs. Looping her own voice displayed her vocal variance – soaring cresendos, delicate murmurs – with her mesmerizing, graceful hands conducting the frequencies. Fils-Aimé explained that jazz is freedom to her because of the lack of rules. With that freedom, she draws on global musical traditions ancient and modern, blending them all into her unique sound. Her albums are incredible, but seeing her live is phenomenal as each song becomes epic.
Her lyrics rely on repetition in the vein of ritualized chants used throughout the world (Gregorian, Buddhist, Shamanistic) to move us to a higher plane. Her word play (such as on “Going Home”: “I’m going now/I’m going Home/I’m going now/Going Home/Going nowhere/Going broke/Going nowhere/I’m going rogue”) seems simple, but reveals the contradictions and complexities of life. Her poetic sense imbues each word with layers of significance.
Fils-Aimé compared the show to a day. The morning of the show was the first part of My World Is the Sun, the afternoon a medley of her earlier works, and the evening the conclusion of My World Is the Sun.
Fils-Aimé My World Is the Sun is the second album in her second trilogy dedicated to her mother. Echoing the themes from her 2023 album, Our Roots Run Deep, Fils-Aimé honors her mother, our mothers, our ancestors, and continues their legacy with her themes of unconditional love, empathy, bridging divides, and looking “for anything that brings you joy.”
Throughout the evening, we were treated to messages from Fils-Aimé’s mother. One that particularly resonated with me (because I also heard from my mother)is “this, too, shall pass.” Both a comfort that hard times do not last forever, and an admonition that good times can also be fleeting. Do as Fils-Aimé advised and “splurge on love… create for the pleasure of creating”!
The final part of the show began with Fils-Aimé asking us to take anything weighing us down and release those thoughts into a metaphorical ball we wad up and leave behind in the trash at Yoshi’s – the perfect segue to a medley of “Moon Child,” “Birds,” and “Rhythm of Nature.”
Her pieces in French were touching in their gentle vulnerability, including the breathtaking conclusion with “Moi je t’aime.” As the song progressed, one by one the band members gracefully exited leaving Fils-Aimé alone on stage finishing the song acapella. She slowly backed up, ringed by the lights casting a warm glow as the echoes of the voice resonated. She sighed deeply and received a much deserved standing ovation.
Early in the show, with deep gratitude, she introduced the musicians. As the evening progressed each one had a moment to shine: Harvey Bien-Aimée – percussion, Etienne Miousse – guitar, David Osei-Afrifa – keyboards, Danny Trudeau – bass, Simon Lévesque – sound sculpting.
The Sunshine World Tour continues. See her!
