Festive melting pot at the crossroads of jazz, afrobeat and hip hop
The 2023 Mercury Prize winners are hitting the road again, announcing their return to our country. The British band have just unleashed their new single 'Ajala' on the world, bringing them back stronger and nippier than ever. A sublime song announcing their new album ‘Dance No One is Watching’, which they come to present live in our capital.
Ezra Collective - consisting of bandleader Femi (also a member of Gorillaz) on drums, Joe Armon-Jones on keyboards, James Mollison on saxophone, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet and Femi's younger brother TJ on bass guitar - is one of the most exciting bands in the British jazz revival. Released in 2019, the quintet's debut album, 'You Can't Steal My Joy', seamlessly blends the classic jazz sound with Afrobeat, hip-hop and dancehall rhythms and garnered praise from the press and invitations to play at Europe's best venues.
Their second album, 'Where I'm Meant To Be', was released in 2022 and fulfilled all its promises. The band once again proved their talent, both in terms of the strength of their songs and their typical rhythmic variety. Accompanied by a fine list of special guests, the album shook things up and even won the prestigious Mercury Prize. It is therefore with great impatience that they await the arrival of their third album, driven by ‘Ajala’, a song recorded during a trip to Lagos, Nigeria, in October 2023 and heavily influenced by the band's experiences on this journey to their roots. Each of their live performances is brimming with energy and takes the audience on a unique and vibrant musical journey.