"'Black Classical Music' is Dayes' debut album as a solo artist and band leader, an attempt to forge the vast array of influences that run through his sound into a unified experience. It's a hopelessly complex task - pan-diasporic inspiration that moves from post-bop and fusion through to reggae, highlife, and beyond, the breadth of vision here is jaw-dropping. That Yussef Dayes comes tantalisingly close to puling off something coherent from this endlessly broad parade of sonic colours and textures is apt testament to his crucial artistry ... Stunningly ambitious in scope, not everything on 'Black Classical Music' necessarily intertwines ... Taken as a whole, however, 'Black Classical Music' is a unique experience, a true journey, the musical autobiography of a musician central to the ongoing development of UK jazz"