Day 12: Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant to Be
Album art courtesy of Partisan Records
Ezra Collective’s Dance, No One’s Watching was probably my personal album of the year in 2024, and I listened to it a lot over the past summer, too. Despite that, I hadn’t listened to any of their other works. I’d like to say that it’s because I’ve had such a busy year, but that’s a lie. I’ve just been very lazy about discovering new music, so here we are.
Ezra Collective is a London-based jazz collective that was formed after the members met at a jazz youth organisation called Tomorrow’s Warriors, who offer training to young musicians who can’t afford to pay for private tuition. They’ve since made history by becoming the first jazz band to win a Brit Award as Group of the Year, as well as being the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize.
In their speech for the Mercury Prize, they said that their win is a “testimony to good, special people putting time and effort into [helping] young people to play music” and gave shout-outs to organisations in the UK that support young musicians. They’ve talked about wanting to represent something other than the reputation that jazz has as an inaccessible hoity-toity upper-class white pursuit, saying “It looks like London when you watch us.”
Where I’m Meant to Be is Ezra Collective’s second LP, and it’s pure joy. It’s jazz mixed with Afrobeat, dub, funk, Bossa Nova and soul, and it’s practically brimming with life and positivity. It’s very hard, if not impossible, to listen to them while sitting perfectly still. It’s music that is clearly best enjoyed live, preferably on a dance floor. It’s more laid-back than Dance, No One’s Watching, but it’s equally accessible and has that same quality of music that just makes you want to go out and have a good time.
I love a bit of Ezra Collective. Where I’m Meant to Be is so enjoyable to listen to, although not as high in my personal estimation as Dance, No One’s Watching. To me, it’s still a very strong 8.5/10. Would recommend it to pretty much anyone, it’s like sunshine in a record. I very much hope I’ll get to see them live some time soon.