Congratulations to multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Yussef Dayes, whose debut solo studio album, Black Classical Music, has won the UK's Ivor Novello Award for Best Album. The Ivor Academy, which celebrates songwriters and screen composers with the awards, recognized Dayes and his fellow creators Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey in the citation. The Ivors were presented in a ceremony at Grosvenor House in London this evening.

Black Classical Music was released last September via Brownswood Recordings, Warner Music, and Cashmere Thoughts Recordings and in the US on Nonesuch Records. On the album, Dayes’ drum licks and Rocco Palladino’s bass are the anchors, aided by Charlie Stacey (keys/synths), Venna (saxophone), Alexander Bourt (percussion), and a host of features including: Chronixx, Masego, Jamilah Barry, Tom Misch, Elijah Fox, Shabaka Hutchings, Miles James, Sheila Maurice Grey, Nathaniel Cross, Theon Cross, and the Chineke! Orchestra—the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority Black and ethnically diverse musicians. You can get it and hear it here.

The follow-up eight-song release, The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live From Malibu, from this past January, features music from Black Classical Music and more. Dayes is joined by his longtime collaborators Palladino, Venna, Elijah Fox, and Alexander Bourt on Live From Malibu, which was originally released as a live-performance video filmed in the Malibu mountains. You can get that and hear it here and watch it below.