Chapter 7 Ezra Collective

• 1 Enter the Jungle 06:38
• 2 Chasing the Square 04:44
• 3 Chapter 7 04:47
• 4 I Have A God 05:10
• 5 Colonial Mentality 07:28
• Total Runtime 28:47

Info for Chapter 7

Vibrant, Afrobeat-and-grime-inflected jazz from London's Mercury Prize-winning Ezra Collective, reissued for its 10th anniversary. An early statement of intent from the band that would go on to redefine the modern UK jazz scene, Chapter 7 bristles with energy and groove.

Ezra Collective’s Chapter 7, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, captured the restless energy of a young band finding its voice - spiritually curious, rhythmically fearless, committed to community as compass. Built on grooves made for sweat-slicked basements and late-night communion, its seven movements reveal a blueprint forming: jazz as a living expression of where you come from and who you stand with.

Dylan Jones, trumpet
James Mollison, tenor saxophone
Joe Armon-Jones, piano
TJ Koleoso, bass
Femi Koleoso, drums

Ezra Collective
Synergy in motion, London five-piece Ezra Collective are proving themselves as a harmonious tour de force. Their sound nods respectfully to a classic jazz footprint, celebrating the originators whilst simultaneously carving a path solely their own. Ezra Collective marry the delicate technicalities of jazz musicianship with afrobeat and hip hop, tied together by a sound that’s unmistakably London. Their live show is one of dynamic union; the strength of their partnership shines in performances that are commanding yet sensitive, soulful and pertinently groove-laced.

Following a joyous and stunningly cohesive show in May 2016, Boiler Room rightly labelled the group as “pioneering the new-wave of U.K. jazz”. As the genre enjoys a new lease of life that is gaining momentum across the country, Ezra Collective are adding their own fresh and imaginative face to a style that continues to be “as entertaining as it is educational” (Trench). In a year that saw them sell out legendary London venue Ronnie Scott’s not once but twice, 2017 also bought with it the release of their genre-bending second EP, Juan Pablo: The Philosopher. After Ezra Collective took the EP on a successful tour across the U.K and Europe and completely sold out of the vinyl, Juan Pablo: The Philosopher went on to win the accolade of Best Jazz Album at Gilles Peterson’s esteemed Worldwide Awards in January 2018.

This album contains no booklet.