Posted by A Decade of Musical Evolution
Ezra Collective celebrated 10 years of their debut EP ‘Chapter 7’ with a special show in East London last night (April 18th). The group have helped break the mould for UK jazz—scooping the Mercury prize, stunning the BRIT Awards, Ezra Collective have risen from small clubs and community programmes to become one of the biggest names in British music.
The past 18 months have seen Ezra Collective deliver a staggering Glastonbury set, co-headline Cross The Tracks, and sell out London’s OVO Wembley Arena, taking their sound to a new level.
An Intimate Homecoming
It’s now 10 years since the band’s ‘Chapter 7’ debut EP dropped, and to honour that milestone Ezra Collective invited fans to an intimate East London show. Taking control of the Colour Factory in Hackney Wick, the show was promoted by Jazz RE:Freshed—an organisation who were pivotal in Ezra’s initial rise.
The band played a sweat-drenched, completely euphoric 90-minute set, including ‘Chapter 7’ performed front to back for the first time in a number of years. Joined by Zara MacFarlane for ‘I Have A God’, drummer Femi Koleoso also honoured the late rapper Ty during their performance of the title song.
A Full Circle Moment
A stunning performance, Ezra Collective plucked some jewels from their catalogue, before Femi started to introduce some close friends. The band met during youth sessions with Tomorrow’s Warriors, a London-based community-focussed jazz organisation.
Inviting some peers from Tomorrow’s Warriors to the stage, Ezra Collective were joined by Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Theon Cross, Moses Boyd, and Tobi Adenaike-Johnson for an all-star jam. The medley crossed from Moses Boyd’s ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’ to some Fela Kuti afrobeat energy, marking an astonishing full circle moment for the generational UK jazz crew.
An emotional performance, the re-issued ‘Chapter 7’ can be ordered online.