ezra collective: you can't steal my joy
Francisco Espregueira
The long-awaited debut LP from Ezra Collective, You Can’t Steal My Joy, is an exuberant, defiant album that’s destined to cement the band’s status as one of the UK’s most exciting groups. Following the success of Chapter 7 (2016) and Juan Pablo: The Philosopher (2017) EP’s, following vibrant live performances, following the genre’s explosion, the quintet continues their jazz-fusion narrative.
The band’s incredible musicianship and spirited, inclusive approach to music - drawing on afro beat, latin, hip hop, grime and more - blends their contemporary tastes with strong features from the KOKOROKO collective, Jorja Smith and Loyle Carner. You Can’t Steal My Joy is a 13-track project that holds up strongly from a technical standpoint, utilizing skills from the genre’s deep-rooted history, with a twist of modern cross-cultural infusions. A coming of age piece for the Ezra Collective band, You Can’t Steal My Joy is available on vinyl and is one of the crucial releases of 2019.
“Femi Koleoso - drums
TJ Koleoso - bass
James Mollison - tenor saxophone
Joe Armon-Jones - keys
Dylan Jones - trumpet”