If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sergio Pontier Ezra Collective have done a great thing to help elevate jazz for people who may find it boring: They have released a jazz party banger. "Jubilee Feeling" turns a century old art form into a modern day blast, without adding much else to it. The song is easily recognizable as jazz, and makes modern listeners understand why the crowds are going insane in all of those old photographs from the fifties. This is a fun song, and sometimes you just want a fun song. "Jubilee Feeling" was made to dance to, and will certainly have you scrolling to the bottom of this post to see if Ezra Collective are playing anywhere near you.  Bandleader Femi Koleoso says of the band's latest single: “Something we love deeply in the EZ is the feeling of raving and partying like you’re listening to classic British electronic music, but hearing Bebop and Jazz language. That juxtaposition is so EZ, so UK Jazz, so precious. The video is meant to demonstrate that juxtapo...

Photo by Sergio Pontier Fresh off discovering Lila Ik é  at this year's Green River Festival, Ezra Collective have brought in the Jamaican singer in for their latest single. "Well Organised" is a laid back track that combines Ik é  reggae vocals with Ezra Collective's jazz based sound. This is a perfect match of styles and sounds, with the perfect amount of steel drums and groove. There's also a heavy dose of R&B in "Well Organised," which simply adds to the perfect blend of styles. Ezra Collective and Lila Ik é  are a dream match of styles and "Well Organised" is the perfect song for the summer and beyond. Bandleader Femi Koleoso says of his band's latest single: "I was spending time with the Kinetika Bloco Youth Club; they were playing steel pans and the most beautiful line caught my attention. I recorded it on my phone and lived with it. It had the emotion and beauty that I associate with dancehall, bashment, reggae and so many ...

Photo by Sergio Pontier Ezra Collective are back with a new album due in September, and are teaming with Pa Salieu for a new single. The British jazz collective have always had an Afrobeat sound, and "Only Love" only expands on that sound. This is perfect for music fans that don't "get" jazz. The song has such a strong groove that makes it impossible to not dance. This isn't sit in your chair and enjoy a martini style jazz. This is a party waiting to happen, and you're going to want to get up and start moving to fully enjoy it. That's just the magic and style of Ezra Collective, and you're going to absolutely love this one. Bandleader Femi Koleoso says of his band's new single: “Pa Salieu has been a musician that we have long admired in Ezra Collective. Not just because of his incredible lyricism and storytelling but also his ability to weave in his Gambian heritage and roots into such a distinctly UK sound. "In 2024 we had the beautiful...

Photo by Aliyah Otchere We've been covering more and more jazz lately, especially if it's mixed with hip hop. Mercury-Award winning group Ezra Collective have joined forces with MCs M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly on their latest single. "Streets Is Calling" has a perfectly laid back jazz vibe, and M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly may become two of our favorite rappers. The track is expertly put together, and would be compelling enough as an instrumental. The verses laid down over "Streets Is Watching" just add to how great of a song this is. It's no secret that jazz and hip hop are a perfect match, and Ezra Collective may just be the best to do it. Ezra Collective say of their latest single: "‘Streets Is Calling’ is about the feeling when people call you up and message you and say, yo, there's this party happening tonight and that’s all you need. The Streets have called. We're gonna go straight to this dance floor to make it our own." Y...

Fela Kuti is one of those artists I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with. Ezra Collective might help change a lot of that with their new single, an instrumental cover of Kuti's "Lady." This is a thrilling Afrobeat/jazz track that will be perfect for fans of Ezra Collective and fits right in with their November 2022 album Where I'm Meant to Be. It's the type of high energy that we don't normally associate with jazz, but we really should. Ezra Collective take the bones of the original and inject it with their own energy. It's also the perfect reminder that we need to start getting into Fela Kuti, since we don't have any good excuses not to at this point in our lives. Bandleader Demi Koleoso says of the cover and original: "When I was a child my Dad had a collection of Fela Kuti CDs he would play in the car; at the time I didn’t know who what it was, but I always knew it was my favourite music to listen to.  Fast forward two decades and nothing’s cha...

Photo by Aliyah Octhere "No Confusion," the latest single from Ezra Collective, is not what we typically bring you. According to the press release the song is "... both a celebration of Nigerian style and culture, as well as a tribute to one of the country's musical heroes; the late, great drummer, Tony Allen [musical director of Fela Kuti's band]." (Tony Allen was a mentor to Ezra Collective's bandleader Femi Koleoso and was known as "Uncle Tony.") "No Confusion" is an Afrobeat jazz track with rapper Kojey Radical providing vocals. This is a jazz song that is truly exciting. It's a fun, energetic song that has a laid back vibe while still being thrilling to listen to. This is a hard one to describe since it's so far out of my normal musical comfort zone, but even if jazz has never been your thing, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Femi Koleoso says of the new song: "Drum lessons with Uncle Tony didn’t just ch...