Ezra Collective share, 'Jubilee Feeling', the euphoric third single from forthcoming album Here Because of Hope and the first instrumental they've unveiled from the record.
Representing the album’s London movement, this vibrant celebration of the city that shaped the band brings together the musical traditions of UK Jazz, and the Funky House of the 2010s.
Built around an infectious, ever-expanding groove, the track showcases Ezra Collective at their most exhilarating, with Joe Armon-Jones delivering a breathtaking piano performance that drives the song’s joyful momentum. As the emotional culmination of an album tracing the movement of people, culture and music from West Africa to the Caribbean and ultimately to London, ‘Jubilee Feeling’ lives up to its name, radiating optimism, unity and the unshakable sense of hope at the album’s heart.
Listen to ‘Jubilee Feeling’ on North London Forever.
On ‘Jubilee Feeling’, Femi Koleoso says, “The word Jubilee is very precious to me. Not just because it’s the name of the church I grew up at, and the name of the youth group I work at, but its actual meaning – ‘the year of Jubilee, a year when everyone’s debts are settled, all prisoners set free’ – is almost like an equalisation day, a celebration to say we can start all over again.
“I often think about what that feeling of Jubilee must be like; being someone who maybe doesn’t even deserve to be set free, to have your debts wiped, but it happens anyway. I think that is such a picture of euphoric joy.
“Something that brought me serious, euphoric joy is the Funky House movement of the early 2010s. Ezra Collective, we as a band, love this music – it makes us dance, it makes us feel great. So, Jubilee Feeling is a song that marries UK Jazz and Funky House to embody this feeling that we’ve called the Jubilee Feeling: a joy that you almost don’t deserve.”
Set for release this September, Here Because of Hope marks a bold new chapter for Ezra Collective following a historic few years that saw the band become the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize before going on to win the BRIT Award for Group of the Year. Expansive, emotional and deeply rhythmic, the album follows the journey of Black music across continents while celebrating the communities, traditions and cultures that continue to shape it today.
Over the past decade, Ezra Collective have become one of the defining British bands of their generation. From sold-out performances at Wembley Arena, the Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club through to triumphant appearances at Glastonbury, Central Park SummerStage and Sydney Opera House, the group have continually redefined the possibilities of British jazz while bringing its spirit to audiences around the globe.
