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Ezra Collective has become the first jazz band to scoop this year’s Mercury Music Prize, claimed at star-studded ceremony in London this week.
The quintet were recognised for their second album Where I’m Meant to Be, and were declared the winners by DJ Jamz Supernova during the ceremony in Hammersmith, west London, on Thursday evening.
The coveted industry honour awards £25,000 to the winners and recognises the best British and Irish albums from the last year, open to all music categories.
So who are Ezra Collective and why did they win? Here’s everything you need to know
Who are Ezra Collective?
The band includes drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison. They met at the youth jazz programme Tomorrow’s Warriors, run by Gary Crosby.
Their music fuses elements of afrobeat, calypso, reggae, hip-hop, soul and jazz, and they have collaborated with fellow London-based jazz musicians including Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd.
Accepting the award, Femi Koleoso thanked God and everyone who has supported them through the years. He said: “Most importantly Ezra Collective represents something really special because we met in a youth club.”
The drummer added that the award represents the importance of putting “time and effort into young people playing music”.
Who else was nominated?
Ezra Collective beat off stiff competition from a 12-strong list of nominees including Loyle Carner, Fred Again, Jessie Ware, J Hus and Raye. Other contenders included Artic Monkeys, Jockstrap, Lnakum, Olivia Dean, Shygirl and Young Fathers.
Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys made on the shortlist for the fifth time, and tied with Radiohead as the most-nominated act in the prize’s history.
The shortlist was selected by an independent judging panel including music critic Will Hodgkinson, DJs Jamz Supernova and MistaJam, and musicians Anna Calvi and Jamie Cullum.
Performers on the night included the winning jazz group, J Hus, Jessie Ware and Jockstrap, but Arctic Monkeys and Fred Again were missing from the evening’s line-up due to touring commitments.
Last year, the Mercury Prize was won by Little Simz for her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.
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