Ezra Collective in La Villette

All you need to do is watch a few minutes of Ezra Collective’s concert (to highlight the release of their second album Where I'm Meant to Be), to be bewitched by the raw talent of this flagship group taking over the new London scene. Led by Femi Koleoso, Gorillaz's new drummer and heir to Tony Allen, the London collective has recorded one of the benchmark albums of the year. The English musicians' harmonic and instrumental virtuosity come together in a highly-polished and genuine band sound, enough to inspire envy from jazz musicians across the ocean. Pianist Joe Armon Jones steals the show with his breathtaking fluidity and groove, as the main architect of the collective's success, whose strongest references are to 1960s afro-jazz and the afrobeat of Fela Kuti, but also to hip-hop and Cuban music. Listen to "Victory Dance" to get a little taste of what Ezra Collective is capable of!