Ezra Collective

A quintet formed in London in 2012, Ezra Collective then included Joe Armon-Jones (keyboards), Dylan Jones (trumpet, then Ife Ogunjobi in 2019), James Mollison (saxophone) and brothers TJ Koleoso (bass) and Femi Koleoso (drums). Located in the London movement of the 2010s, combining cosmic jazz, funk, rap and Afrobeat, the band released the EPs Chapter 7 (2016) and Juan Pablo: The Philosopher (2018), and played to sold-out crowds, earning them attention from DJ Gilles Peterson and honors from Jazz FM radio, which named them Best British Band and Stage Experience of the Year, ahead of the 2019 release of debut album You Can't Steal My Joy, which welcomes singer Jorja Smith, rapper Loyle Carner and musicians from Kokoroko. Teaming up on certain tracks with other artists such as JME, Swindle and Novelist, the collective recorded their second album Where I'm Meant to Be in 2022, featuring contributions from Emeli Sandé, Sampa the Great, Kojey Radical and Nao. Ranked No. 1 in the jazz charts, the album reached No. 24 in the UK. After an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival and a Mercury Prize win for the first time by a jazz band, Ezra Collective concentrate on their next album Dance, No One's Watching (2024). Featuring contributions from Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly, the album leaps up the charts to #7 in the UK.