Ezra Collective

The groove-laden, genre-bending sound of British jazz-funk outfit Ezra Collective emerged as one of the more ubiquitous groups on the dynamic London jazz scene. While their wildly energetic live gigs brought out punters in droves, it was the wide release of their debut album, 2019's You Can't Steal My Joy, that helped them break the jazz mold. In early 2022, the group issued the bumping "May the Funk Be with You," followed by "Victory Dance." In November, they released their sophomore full-length, Where I'm Meant to Be, with a handful of rappers as collaborators. The album took home the 2023 Mercury Prize for best U.K. album. It was the first time the award had been presented for a jazz recording. They followed it with 2024's Dance, No One's Watching; the album was directly inspired by the dancers in clubs they played from London and Lagos to Chicago to Sydney.