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France 24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Ezra Collective's infectious energy defies jazz 'elitism' to win new fans
Over the last two years alone, "EZ" has become the first British jazz group to win the prestigious Mercury Prize and have a Top 10 UK album with 2024's "Dance, No One's Watching." Its crowning glory came in March when it was named group of the year at the 2025 Brit Awards, an annual celebration of UK music. "Jazz, when I was growing up, was an expensive thing to tap into. I couldn't afford to get into most jazz clubs, I definitely couldn't afford a drink," drummer Femi Koleoso told AFP at his small music studio in North London, close to where he grew up. "Jazz felt like an upper class, elitist high art form... so we're just making people feel like this is for everyone," he added. The story of Ezra Collective, named after the biblical prophet, began around a decade ago when Koleoso and his younger brother TJ, a bassist, began playing in teenage jazz clubs, where they met keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones and saxophonist James Mollison. They were later joined by trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi. 'Temple of joy' "We learned jazz... but we fell in love with Afrobeat first. That was our first love, and infusing the two was the first sound," explained Koleoso. A decade later, the band, which will play at the Glastonbury Festival later this month, has incorporated other influences such as hip-hop, dub, reggae, Ghanaian highlife music and "most recently salsa music", he said. But jazz still "underpins" everything the band creates, added the drummer. Its danceable and inventive concoction has won fans far beyond jazz's traditional base, helped by the wild energy of its concerts where the charismatic Koleoso, like a preacher, exhorts the crowd to create a "temple of joy". One of the leading groups in an insurgent jazz scene, driven by a new generation of musicians, the quintet surprised everyone by winning the prestigious Mercury Prize for their second album, "Where I'm Meant To Be", released in 2023. The victory "finally acknowledges a golden age for UK jazz", said Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis. "A lot of us have a similar origin story in that a lot of us met in these youth clubs," which, according to bassist TJ Koleoso, have helped make London "the best place to be born in the world" for aspiring young musicians. 'Free-for-all' The thriving community owes much to the "Tomorrow's Warriors" programme established by Gary Crosby and Janine Irons. Attempting to address the lack of diversity in jazz, they founded the programme in 1991 to provide young people with free spaces to practise, learn to play together and meet artists. It has fostered numerous talents such as Nubya Garcia, Kokoroko, and Ezra Collective, and the band's members now give lessons or donate instruments to the city's clubs, which have seen their numbers dwindle amid spending cuts. "This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs, and the great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music," Femi Koleoso said at the Brits in March, as his band triumphed against music giants such as Coldplay and The Cure. Devout Christians and fans of Fela Kuti and Arsenal Football Club, the brothers grew up in the north London neighbourhood of Enfield. "I grew up next to a Bangladeshi family, my best friend in school was Turkish, I'm Nigerian, my best mate is Ghanaian and (there's) Jamaicans everywhere you go," said Femi Koleoso. "That kind of melting-pot" has inspired "everything I wrote and created", added Femi Koleoso, who also toured with top group Gorillaz in recent years. When Ezra Collective takes to the stage, "the first part of the song will be played accurately" but "the moment the last note of the first part of the song is done, it's just a free-for-all, just see what happens, and long may that continue," said a smiling Femi Koleoso. "I don't know if AI could be doing that gig," added TJ Koleoso, addressing the debate about technology. He insisted that "real, authentic things survive" such upheavals.
The Guardian
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Brit awards 2025 – full list of winners
Charli xcx – Brat WINNER The Cure – Songs of a Lost World Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism Ezra Collective – Dance, No One's Watching The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy Charli xcx ft Billie Eilish – Guess WINNER Artemas – I Like the Way You Kiss Me The Beatles – Now and Then Bl3ss with Camrin Watsin ft Bbyclose – Kisses Central Cee ft Lil Baby – Band4Band Chase & Status ft Stormzy – Backbone Coldplay – Feelslikeimfallinginlove Dua Lipa – Training Season Ella Henderson f Rudimental – Alibi Jade – Angel of My Dreams Jordan Adetunji – Kehlani KSI ft Trippie Redd – Thick of It Myles Smith – Stargazing Sam Ryder – You're Christmas to Me Sonny Fodera with Jazzy and DOD – Somedays Charli xcx – WINNER Beabadoobee Central Cee Dua Lipa Fred again.. Jamie xx Michael Kiwanuka Nia Archives Rachel Chinouriri Sam Fender Sam Fender – WINNER Beabadoobee The Cure Ezra Collective The Last Dinner Party Ezra Collective – WINNER Bring Me the Horizon Coldplay The Cure The Last Dinner Party Jade – WINNER Charli xcx Dua Lipa Lola Young Myles Smith Raye – WINNER Cleo Sol Flo Jorja Smith Michael Kiwanuka Charli xcx – WINNER Becky Hill Chase & Status Fred again.. Nia Archives Stormzy – WINNER Central Cee Dave Ghetts Little Simz Chappell Roan – WINNER Adrianne Lenker Asake Benson Boone Beyoncé Billie Eilish Kendrick Lamar Sabrina Carpenter Taylor Swift Tyler, the Creator Fontaines DC – WINNERS Amyl and the Sniffers Confidence Man Future and Metro Boomin Linkin Park The Last Dinner Party – WINNER English Teacher Ezra Collective Myles Smith Rachel Chinouriri Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe! – WINNER Benson Boone – Beautiful Things Beyoncé – Texas Hold 'Em Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather Djo – End of Beginning Eminem – Houdini Hozier – Too Sweet Jack Harlow – Lovin on Me Noah Kahan – Stick Season Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen – I Had Some Help Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy) Taylor Swift ft Post Malone – Fortnight Teddy Swims – Lose Control Tommy Richman – Million Dollar Baby Myles Smith – WINNER Elmiene Good Neighbours Charli xcx – WINNER AG Cook – WINNER Sabrina Carpenter – WINNER
