Review Summary: I'm playing jazz my way
It's not just post-punk that the English are handing out in these young 2020s: there's also jazz. The London scene can particularly boast a large concentration of jazz bands and musicians. What most of these musicians have in common - apart from the obvious fact that they are London jazz musicians - is that they have all graduated from Tomorrow's Warriors, a programme created by Gary Crosby to provide music education and development for jazz musicians. Among the alumni are the inevitable Shabaka Hutchings, Binker & Moses, Nubya Garcia, but also all the members of Ezra Collective. These lads have thus transformed a school project into a sustainable profession - intense jealousy here.
After a first album demonstrating how the live environment remains the band's laboratory, the band doesn't let it go to waste as they send out the danceable polyrhythms on the opening track. Carried by motifs from trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi and saxophonist James Morrison, "Life Goes On" seems to come straight out of a sweaty jam session on which Zambian rapper Sampa The Great completes the track with her simple lyrics but perfectly fitting the festive atmosphere. The mix of jazz, afrobeat, and more contemporary music (grime in particular) that was already the lifeblood of their first album can be found here too. The difference is that the band has expanded its musical vocabulary: "Welcome to My World" embraces jazz, reggae, dub, and afrobeat, while "Ego Killah" sees pianist Joe Armon-Jones move towards dancehall melodies.
Where this new formula works best is during its most triumphant moments. The cleverly named "Victory Dance" is a genuinely addictive anthem (thanks to Joe Armon-Jones' piano playing, among other things) from an Afro-Cuban fusion that calls for both Fela Kuti and the Buena Vista Social Club. "Never The Same Again" also itches this Afro-Cuban vein, where the brotherly duo Femi and TJ Koleoso dictate the groove with their respective drum and bass. Each musician is given space to distil their solo or improvisation while keeping the group's balance intact.
This balance is achieved through, among other things, shared references that are touched upon throughout the record. For example, the track "Smile" is a jazz cover of a Charlie Chaplin song, "No Confusion" features a vocal by the legendary Tony Allen (RIP), and the album cover is a direct reference to Thelonious Monk's
Underground. Beyond the sympathy this gives us for these lads, these various tributes are above all properly reappropriated by a band that offers them in a resolutely modern vision of jazz.
However, there remains to be a slight problem when listening to
Where I'm Meant to Be: Ezra Collective is undeniably a band built around live shows. We know that the more upbeat tracks will be even more festive in concert, and softer tracks will benefit from a solo or a punchy improvisation. These more peaceful tracks thus slightly break the album's rhythm, which starts with a bang and then gets a little drowsy after two-thirds of the way through. Fortunately, "Never the Same Again" makes sure to launch the album's conclusion on a more rhythmic basis.
Despite these nitpicking criticisms,
Where I'm Meant to Be remains a kaleidoscopic odyssey of positive messages and a celebration of the band's trademark multiculturalism. Created with respect for traditions but with an exuberant desire to break down barriers, this new album is already the most convincing from a band increasingly establishing itself as one of the most exciting formations in an already fascinating London jazz movement.
