London’s Ezra Collective releases debut full-length ‘You Can’t Steal My Joy’
One of the leading groups on the London jazz scene follows up two highly-acclaimed EP releases, Juan Pablo: The Philosopher and Chapter 7, with their debut full-length album, titled You Can’t Steal My Joy.
Featuring drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, electric bassist TJ Koleoso, tenor saxophonist James Mollison, trumpeter Dylan Jones, and keyboard wizard Joe Armon-Jones, this new thirteen-track recording continues to expand on the group’s signature sound, fusing together jazz melodies, Afrobeat and Latin rhythms, hip-hop influenced beats, and funky dub grooves.
The album also features a number of special guests including soulful British singer Jorja Smith on “Reasons in Disguise,” and UK hip-hop musician Loyle Carner on “What Am I to Do?,” as well as a massive collaborative effort with the London-based Afrobeat-influenced jazz band KOKOROKO on a cover of Fela Kuti’s 1972 classic “Shakara.”
With You Can’t Steal My Joy, Ezra Collective delivers again on another brilliant recording, while highlighting the group’s overall diverse sound. As the album suggests, their is plenty of “joy” in this music, and when you combine that with their high-level of musicianship and energy, it’s easy to see why this group has risen to the top of the London jazz scene.
Ezra Collective — ‘You Can’t Steal My Joy’
(Enter The Jungle)
1. Space is the Place (Reprise)
2. Why You Mad?
3. Red Whine
4. Quest For Coin
5. Reason in Disguise feat. Jorja Smith
6. What Am I to Do? feat. Loyle Carner
7. Chris and Jane
8. People Saved
9. Philosopher II
10. São Paulo
11. King of the Jungle
12. You Can’t Steal My Joy
13. Shakara feat. KOKOROKO
