Who are Ezra Collective? - Mercury-Prize winning jazz collective from South London

Ezra Collective became the first jazz act to walk away with the prestigious Mercury Prize award on Thursday night (September 7) and the tenth act to do so from London. The group - who won for their album ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ - beat off tough competition from a star-studded list of nominees including Loyle Carner, Jessie Ware, Arctic Monkeys, Fred Again and Raye.

Accepting the award, drummer Femi Koleoso used his speech to showcase the importance of supporting‘youth clubs’ across the UK.

“This moment that we’re celebrating right here is testament to good, special people putting time and effort into young people to play music,” he continued.

“This is not just a result for Ezra Collective, or for UK jazz, but this is a special moment for every single organisation across the country, ploughing efforts and time into young people playing music.”

But who are Ezra Collective? and how did the outsider act win the hearts of the judges at this year’s Mercury Prize?

Who is Ezra Collective?

Ezra Collective - consisting of Femi Koleoso, TJ Koleoso, Joe Armon-Jones, Ife Ogunjobi, and James Mollison - are a jazz collective formed in London. The group of friends met at youth group run by the grassroots collective, Tomorrow’s Warriors and headed-up by the British jazz legend, Gary Crosby.

According to Loud and Quiet, the band came together to play their first show at Ronnie Scott’s - a jazz and blues club in Soho. While over the years, members of the collective have balanced life in the band with 9-5 jobs and touring gigs for other notable acts such as Jorja Smith and Pharaoh Monch.

In 2016, the group released their first EP, Chapter 7, followed two years later by Juan Pablo: The Philosopher. Around this time the five-piece were credited with breathing new life into London’s flourishing jazz scene - rejecting the ‘snobby image’ of the traditional jazz realm and embracing newer, genre-bending approaches from artists such as Robert Glasper.

In 2019, Ezra Collective released their debut LP You Can’t Steal My Joy, which featured fellow Mercury Prize nominees Jorja Smith and Loyle Carner. In the lead up to its release, the single “Quest for Coin” was premiered as the “Hottest Record in The World” by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1.

Off the back of the album, the group became a mainstay at festival’s across the UK, being billed to play the West Holts stage at Glastonbury - an experience they relived again at Worthy Farm this summer. In 2022, the group won ‘Best Jazz Act’ at the 2022 MOBO Awards.

Toward the end of that year, Ezra Collective released its second full-length project, Where I’m Meant to Be, to high-acclaim from outlets such as The Observer, Clash Magazine, and more. The project continued the group’s penchant for collaboration with a feature list boasting names like Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sande, and Nao.

At the 2023 Mercury Prize ceremony, the band walked away with the £25,000 prize and now join the group of previous award winners, including James Blake and Arctic Monkeys.