Ezra Collective

Ezra Collective turns jazz into something you can dance to, clap with, and feel in real time. The London quintet — Femi Koleoso, TJ Koleoso, Joe Armon-Jones, Ife Ogunjobi, and James Mollison — plays with party energy, deep skill, and a rhythm-first sound.¹

Their music pulls London jazz, Caribbean rhythm, West African groove, club culture, and soul music together.^1,2 The band has helped bring UK jazz into bigger rooms while keeping the music loose, warm, and bringing people joy.^1,2

Score Ezra Collective tickets on AXS and catch a band that makes jazz feel alive.

Ezra Collective grew out of London’s youth jazz scene, where programs like Tomorrow’s Warriors gave young musicians a place to learn, connect, and start playing together.^1,2 Their influences were wide from the start: Fela Kuti, D’Angelo, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest, and Robert Glasper.

Their debut album, You Can’t Steal My Joy, arrived in 2019 after the single Quest for Coin earned Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World recognition on BBC Radio 1.² Before they started filling big venues, Ezra Collective made its name by playing often and bringing jazz to people who may not have seen themselves in it before.^1,2

Ezra Collective didn’t win people over by making jazz feel precious. They did it by making the music feel like a shared night out: loud, skilled, and easy to love. The awards followed, from UK jazz circles to major national recognition.

• Mercury Prize (2023): Where I’m Meant to Be won the 2023 Mercury Prize, making Ezra Collective the first jazz group to receive the prize.¹
• Jazz FM Awards – Outstanding Contribution to UK Jazz (2026): Ezra Collective received Outstanding Contribution to UK Jazz at the 2026 Jazz FM Awards.³
• Rolling Stone UK Awards – The Group Award (2024): Ezra Collective won The Group Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards after a run that included an OVO Arena Wembley headline show and their album Dance, No One’s Watching.⁴

Ezra Collective’s most-played songs carry the same warmth that runs through their live shows.

• No One’s Watching Me (2024): From Dance, No One’s Watching, No One’s Watching Me is one of Ezra Collective’s most-played hits, pairing the band’s group energy with a hook made for repeat listens.⁵
• God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (2024): Also from Dance, No One’s Watching, God Gave Me Feet For Dancing brings the album’s love of dancing into one of their most inviting and well-known songs.⁵
• What Am I to Do? (2019): From You Can’t Steal My Joy, What Am I to Do? is one of the group’s best-known earlier tracks and captures the joyful, rhythm-first sound that helped bring more listeners in.⁵

Ezra Collective treats the stage like a shared celebration. Their shows have included balcony entrances, dancing, crowd participation, and band members stepping into the audience with instruments in hand.⁶

Get Ezra Collective tickets on AXS and come ready for jazz that gets everyone moving.