Ezra Collective are a British jazz quintet composed of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison. The group's origin story is rooted in London's vibrant jazz community — the five musicians first connected through Tomorrow's Warriors, a renowned jazz youth programme, before forming Ezra Collective and quickly establishing themselves as one of the UK's most innovative contemporary jazz acts. Their sound is a bold fusion of Afrobeat, calypso, reggae, hip-hop, soul, and jazz, reflecting both their diverse musical influences and their commitment to pushing jazz beyond traditional boundaries. Through frequent collaborations with fellow London-based jazz luminaries like Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd, the collective has become a defining voice in modern jazz.
Ezra Collective's accolades have underscored their significance within the global music landscape. The group received the prestigious 2023 Mercury Music Prize, one of the UK's most esteemed annual music awards, cementing their status as groundbreaking artists. Their cultural reach expanded further when their 2024 single "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing" was hand-picked by former President Barack Obama for his annual list of 25 favourite songs of the year. Most recently, at the 2025 Brit Awards, Ezra Collective made history by becoming the first jazz band ever to win the "Group of the Year" accolade — a landmark achievement that speaks to both their artistic excellence and their ability to resonate with mainstream audiences while maintaining their artistic integrity.
