Ezra Collective win the Mercury Award

[Rabshakeh]

Ezra Collective, the London based jazz group made up of drummer / leader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, has just won the Mercury award for Where I'm Meant To Be.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/07/mercury-prize-2023-london-group-ezra-collective-secure-first-ever-jazz-win

The prize has become quite a big deal recently (after having been the kiss of death of utter un-hipness for a decade or so), and I've noticed young people getting excited about it, so it is a nice deal for Ezra Collective. It is a category-free award and they are the first jazz act to win. 

Like a lot of these London scene records, the record is a mix of jazz with danceable diasporic and jazz-adjacent musics, and afrobeat in particular in this case. I think it's a better record than their previous by quite a long way. It is definitely not a rehash, but it should appeal to Fela fans on here.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Rabshakeh

[mjazzg]

Thoroughly deserved. Completely agree with your description. The influence of diasporic elements in the current scene is its great strength I think. I like to think of them as today's Jazz Messengers filtered through 75+ years of immigration to London. They can play too.

They also just seem genuinely good blokes and made a telling acceptance speech about the closing of facilities for youngsters to meet up as they did initially, at a youth club 

Their Glastonbury performance this year was amazing, even from my sofa.

Typo in your thread title 

[mjazzg]

And now covered on main BBC news. Interview with the great Gary Crosby. Mentions of Steamdown and Tomorrow's Warriors, highlighting it's about dancing not sitting. Marvelous 

[mjzee]

A friend and I exchange mix tapes (er, discs), and he's included many Ezra Collective tracks.  Very enjoyable, in many diverse styles.