Mixed Feelings Presents: Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope Tour
The Regent Theater101 West 5th Street, Los Angeles 90013
Ezra Collective bring their Here Because of Hope Tour to the Regent Theater for a full five-piece performance. The London band’s lineup is Femi Koleoso on drums, TJ Koleoso on bass, Joe Armon-Jones on keys, James Mollison on saxophone and Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet. The bill frames the night in African jazz and jazz, while the tour takes its name from the group’s Here Because of Hope.
Formed in London’s youth-club scene, Ezra Collective make jazz that reaches outward: The Guardian wrote that it “throws its arms around grime, carnival and J Dilla,” while live accounts hear reggae, Afrobeat, soul, rap and Latin influences in the mix. Their work treats dancing as central: Dance, No One’s Watching is described as “an ode to the sacred, yet joyous act of dancing.” They won the Mercury Prize for Where I’m Meant To Be and were named BRIT Group of the Year. On Here Because of Hope, they have worked with Pa Salieu, Lila Iké, Leona Lewis and Libianca; earlier collaborators include Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, Jorja Smith, Sampa the Great and Nubya Garcia. Reviewers have praised their “contagious dynamism,” musicianship and “pure joy” onstage.
The Regent’s story as a 1914 movie house is still visible in its proscenium arch and surviving plasterwork, now framing a concert room with a sloping floor and second-floor mezzanine. Most shows are ticketed and standing-room only, though occasional seated events are marked as first come, first served; check your event listing for its format and door time, and buy ahead for popular dates, since some sell out. The room is set up for live music, with the mezzanine offering another view of the stage. Before the show, you can get wood-fired pizza and other bites at Prufrock Pizzeria inside the venue, or drinks at the attached Love Song bar. The Regent is on South Main Street in Downtown’s Bank District, a short walk from Pershing Square station.