London’s Ezra Collective are releasing a new album, Here Because Of Hope. Arriving via Partisan, the record is out September 18. The jazz quintet has also shared a preview of the album, “Only Love,” featuring British-Gambian rapper Pa Salieu. Watch the lively music video below.
Here Because Of Hope is Ezra Collective’s first album since their 2024 full-length, Dance, No One’s Watching. In addition to Salieu, the project features Leona Lewis, Jamaican singer Lila Iké, Cameroonian singer Libianca, and Black Panther actress Letitia Wright. The album encompasses genres of the Black diaspora including calypso, afrobeat, and grime.
According to drummer Femi Koleoso, the album was conceived after the band considered the many “Black genres where the story is painful.” “And we came up with hope. It’s the hope that one day this pain will change and take me to that place. So we’re going to write in anticipation of that place.”
In June, Ezra Collective will embark on a multi-continent tour, trekking across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Scroll down for the full itinerary.
Here Because Of Hope:
01 Part I
02 Blow Your Trumpet
03 Sweet Echo
04 Don’t Worry
05 Only Love [ft. Pa Salieu]
06 Someday
07 Part 2
08 Birdie Sings
09 The Last Stand
10 Well Organised [ft. Lila Ike]
11 El Corazon
12 Bunny On The Rise
13 Part 3
14 All I Need [ft. Leona Lewis]
15 Jubilee Feeling
16 Black Flag
17 Most High [ft. Libianca]
Ezra Collective:
06-26 Brussels, Belgium – Couleur Café Festival
06-27 Heidelberg, Denmark – Metropolink
07-03 Lewes, United Kingdom – Love Supreme Festival
07-08 Henley, United Kingdom – Henley Festival
07-09 Marseille, France – Jazz Des Cinq Continents Festival
07-10 Barcelona, Spain – Cruilla Festival
07-18 Köniz, Switzerland – Gurtenfestival
08-01 Waterford, Ireland – All Together Festival
08-07 Agrigento, Italy – Festivalle
08-09 Locorotondo, Italy – Locus Festival
08-15 Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West
08-23 Los Angeles, CA – LA Jazz Festival
08-30 Lincoln, United Kingdom – Lost Village
10-03 Sydney, Australia – Move My Way SYD
10-04 Melbourne, Australia – Move My Way MEL
10-08 Seoul, Korea – YES24 Livehall
10-13 Tokyo, Japan – Toyusu Pit
