Ezra Collective: “Give us Paul McCartney money and we’ll build a youth club”
Ezra Collective have shared new single ‘Streets Is Calling’ and spoken to NME about the importance of social activism and Damon Albarn’s influence on the group following drummer Femi Koleoso’s stint in Gorillaz.
Last year, the London quintet became the first jazz act to walk away with the prestigious Mercury Prize. What has followed has been a whirlwind of acclaim and further accolades. The band’s profile and streaming figures have risen exponentially, while 2024 single ‘Ajala’ was recently nominated for ‘Best Independent Track’ at this year’s AIM Awards.
Now, they’re back with another taster of upcoming third album ‘Dance, No One Is Watching’ – with ‘Streets Is Calling’ featuring M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly, bringing together the sounds of Highlife, Amapiano and Afrobeats.
“‘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’,” said Koleoso. “The Streets have called. We’re gonna go straight to this dancefloor to make it our own.”
Talking backstage at London’s All Points East prior to a triumphant festival set, Koleoso told us about the album and looked back on that historical Mercury win last September.
“I just remember sitting in the ceremony thinking, ‘Make sure you fix your face’, because you never want to be that person in an award ceremony looking vexed,” he joked to NME. “When they said our name, I couldn’t believe it. It was a very, very special moment.”
In November, the group will headline London’s OVO Arena Wembley – again, a first for a jazz group – and Koleoso said he hopes the new album will not only build on their success but allow other likeminded artists to follow in their slipstream.
Check out the full interview below, where Koleoso also explained the cultural difference between jazz and rock, the debt he owes influential ’70s British funk group Cymande, and Ian Wright’s surprise spot on their new album.
NME: Hello Femi. Did you feel an immense amount of pressure making ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’ following the Mercury Prize win?
Femi Koleoso: “It was made before we won the Mercury Prize. We recorded it the day after [Notting Hill] Carnival last year. So, the pressure couldn’t exist because we were too quick for it! But we’re so, so proud of the album. It’s a positive record, and I think we all need a little splash of that right now.”
People talked about jazz acts potentially winning the Mercury Prize for years, but it never quite happened before Ezra Collective…
“I know. We were the first jazz act to win, but we weren’t the first jazz act who deserved to win. I feel that every great jazz moment that came before us was a steppingstone, and we had the blessing of being able to climb up those stones. Even though Ezra Collective won, I really hope that UK jazz felt some pride, because I really saw it as something ‘we’ won, not ‘I’ won.”
It’s generous of you to view it that way.
“I’m just being honest. Music is a lineage. At some point in life, you may get the baton – which is what it feels like now, but, more importantly, how do you pass that baton passed on? That’s what it’s all about.
“We’re about to go onstage at All Points East and this beautiful moment that’s about to happen was built many years before we started. For example, we just heard Cymande play onstage. Cymande will never know what ‘Brothers On The Slide’ did to me when I heard it in a youth club when I was 15. They don’t know, but I know no Cymande, no Ezra Collective.”
You said in your Mercury acceptance speech that the youth club was where Ezra Collective met. People are concerned about the level of knife crime and violence in much of the UK. Do you think there needs to be more community outlets like that for young people?
“Well, we generally spend a lot of our time pushing energy into the wrong direction. There’s a lot of finger-pointing and not much grabbing and picking up. All the sensationalised media articles that you see are just there to garner attention, not to fix anything.
“And contrary to popular belief, I don’t see it as Keir Starmer’s job. He might have the title, but it’s not his job. He doesn’t live in Enfield. I do. I don’t want to say he doesn’t care – I can’t speak for him – but I know how much I care. So, it’s more about, what can I do?”
And what can you do?
“With Ezra Collective, we decided to stop finger-pointing. Our weeks look like this: ‘Fems, we’re going into this school on Wednesday, we’re doing a concert on Thursday, and we’re going to this school on Friday’. In the last two weeks, three band members have been to a youth club. Next week, we’ll be in another youth club. Give us Paul McCartney money and we’ll build one. We have all got the capacity to do something. All you have to do is care.
In addition to Ezra Collective, you drum for Gorillaz, while Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner drums in The Smile. Jazz culture has always seemed less precious than other genres when it comes to playing in other bands. Why is that so?
“Jazz finds its home in the jam session – it’s rooted in a collaborative, mix and match outlook. You don’t quite get the same thing in, say, rock music. It’s unlikely you’d find [Arctic Monkeys‘] Alex Turner jamming week and week out in some club, which is a shame, but it’s always been common practice in jazz circles.
“My favourite jazz drummer is Max Roach. He played with everyone, and his name is on every record. That’s what we’re trying to be like, because having exposure to all types of music is how great music is made.”
Speaking of which, how has it been working with Damon Albarn?
“He’s my hero. He’s the best. I’ve had the blessing of being in the studio with him, and the way he can birth an idea out of nothing into something special is remarkable. Not to mention the seriousness and dedication he has. He’s the most genius songwriter. I always talk about my music education in phases, and in this current phase, he is definitely my biggest inspiration. Without a doubt.”
Did that surprise you?
“Yes and no. Before I got to know him, I just knew him as my favourite songwriter. He’s the person who wrote ‘Song 2’ [Blur] and ‘Feel Good Inc.’ [Gorillaz]. I’m a Gorillaz superfan, so I had a deep love for him in that way, but when I got to know him and his attitude towards music not being a precious commodity, it elevated it further. His philosophy is: write, record and keep things moving all the time.
“A lot of people are surprised at how quickly Dance, No One’s Watching is coming out in comparison to our last record, but I had just watched Damon put out ‘Cracker Island’ [Gorillaz’ 2023 album] and then write the Blur record [‘The Ballad Of Darren‘] immediately. I was there. I saw that happen. I was on the tour when he wrote it.”
Did you get to hear any of the works-in-progress?
“Not the Blur stuff, but I heard bits and pieces of the Gorillaz material by just being in the general vicinity. We would be in a stadium, and Damon would set up a studio in the corner. He’s a deep inspiration and he’s shaped so much of how I want our band to be. I said to the boys the other day, what Gorillaz did for me, I want Ezra to do for other people.”
Well, you have Olivia Dean guesting on ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’…
“Yeah, exactly. That’s very special. There’s also Manifest, Moonchild Sanelly, Yazmin Lacey…and Ian Wright.”
Ian Wright?
“Yeah, he’s doing a little skit, so listen out for it!”
Ezra Collective release ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’ on 27 September, before a UK and European headline tour. Check out a full list of dates below and visit here to purchase tickets.
Ezra Collective’s 2024 UK and European tour dates are:
OCTOBER
15 – Berlin, Astra
16 – Hamburg, Docks
18 – Copenhagen, Amager Bio
19 – Stockholm, Vasateatern
20 – Oslo, Rockefeller
22 – Cologne, Gloria
24 – Amsterdam, Paradiso
26 – Lyon, Transbordeur
27 – Milan, Magazzini Generali
28 – Zurich, Kaufleuten
30 – Paris, Olympia
31 – Lille, Aéronef
NOVEMBER
1 – Brussels, AB
6 – Birmingham, Institute
7 – Leeds, Project House
8 – Glasgow, Barrowlands
10 – Manchester, Apollo
11 – Dublin, 3Olympia
13 – Bristol, Beacon
15 – London, OVO Arena Wembley
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Greg Wetherall
NME
