The influential tremors of south London’s bustling jazz scene have been felt across the UK in recent years, and for the past decade Ezra Collective have been operating at its epicentre. Featuring five distinguished musicians (Joe Armon-Jones, James Mollison, Ife Ogunjobi, and Femi and TJ Koleoso), Ezra Collective’s third album, Where I’m Meant To Be, climbed to number 24 on the UK album charts in November. But the band’s sphere of influence spans far wider than you might think. Bandleader Femi Koleoso is the drummer for Gorillaz and has recorded work with Wizkid, Neneh Cherry and Greentea Peng, among others; Armon-Jones and Ogunjobi enjoy successful solo careers and, along with Mollison, play in numerous solo artists’ bands.

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Initially paired together to enter a competition through youth music centre Tomorrow’s Warriors, Ezra Collective decided to formally group a year later. ‘To this day, most of the jazz scene that came out of London probably came through Tomorrow's Warriors, and are friends with each other because of the genuine cultural community that was built,’ explains bassist (and brother to Femi) TJ Koleoso. Offering young Londoners free music tuition, creative development and performance opportunities, the initiative nurtured artists like Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd and Sons Of Kemet’s Shabaka Hutchings. ‘I think music is always better when it’s built in a community. It’s like hip hop in the 80s and 90s, where it was genuinely all love and a “let's all learn from each other” kind of culture. That’s where we came from.’

Ezra Collective are the creators of vibrant, dance-inducing jazz music grounded in Afrobeat rhythms. This sound runs deeply within the band. Before his passing in 2020, legendary drummer Tony Allen mentored Femi Koleoso; and just last month, the band released two remixes of fellow Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti’s work, as part of a series of 50th anniversary reissues by Partisan Records.

‘We’ve got three Nigerians in the band so we are heavily influenced by Fela Kuti and all the music from Nigeria,’ TJ says. ‘Fela was the king of tension and release. Typically, Western music will build tension by harmonically changing or lifting something. But he used to let things settle for a really long time, which is why he’s got 25-minute songs. Very often it’s the bass and the drums keeping the same rhythm as that pulse grows; it just crescendos very slightly. When the horns come in, that tension gets released massively, and it becomes a big old party and a big old dance. A lot of our music tends to do that.’

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Ezra Collective are known for their relentless positivity and joyous live shows. During the pandemic, when performing wasn’t an option, they decided to divert this energy into crafting their most ambitious album to date. ‘It was like, OK, this isn’t an ideal predicament. But let’s find the joy in this place. We’d meet up in a studio in Brixton every week. Sometimes we’d make music, sometimes we’d just chat, vibe, argue. Whatever. It was just about being together.’

A Zoom call with director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Small Axe) about imposter syndrome birthed the album’s theme and title Where I’m Meant To Be; a reminder that we can all belong and revel in the present. ‘If Steve McQueen’s chat was a spark, I think those sessions down in Brixton were the catalyst for solidifying the ethos behind this album,’ TJ recalls. ‘That’s where a lot of the songs were written and where we brought together this real concept.’ 

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Where I’m Meant To Be is the band’s most polished album to date, venturing more confidently into pop and grime, and featuring artists such as Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé and Sampa The Great, while still capturing signature deep-set grooves and punchy topline melodies. ‘Comparison can really kill your joy,’ says TJ. ‘This is an anti-comparison album and it’s a celebration of the journey.’ 

Ezra Collective are certainly on a wild ride, having already produced an impressive body of work that has helped pave the way for jazz’s crossover into popular, contemporary UK music through early collaborations with Jorja Smith and Loyle Carner. ‘We played through every single one of our songs the other day,’ TJ recalls, when delving into what audiences can expect from the upcoming tour. ‘We’re in a position to play any song that we’ve ever played. I can’t tell you where the gig’s gonna go. Everything is on the table for this tour.’ With their attitude and skill, it seems Ezra Collective really are ready for anything. 

Ezra Collective play SWG3, Glasgow, Sunday 19 February.