Ancient Infinity Orchestra - It’s Always About Love

“Ancient Infinity Orchestra is an attitude: a love, enthusiasm and openness.”

Based in the North of England. Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a joyous large ensemble that has communal music-making at the heart of everything they do. And that includes the melodies that flow out of their new album It’s Always About Love which blossom with uplifting improvised contributions that circle around bandleader Ozzy Moysey’s beautiful songs; generous sonic gifts of healing and repair.

The 15-member ensemble has a distinctive line-up: two double basses, harp, saxophones, clarinets, violin, viola, cello, oboe, flutes, mandolin, congas, piano, drum kit, with bells, shakers and other percussion instruments scattered on the floor of live sets and recording sessions, ready for members to use whenever the spirit takes them. This orchestration, and the overlap between membership and friendship, gives Ancient Infinity Orchestra a sound that is at once expansive and intimate, earthy, and cosmic, constantly shifting yet grounded in shared intention. The attention to intention and their inviting sonic world connects the music to artists ranging from Alabaster dePlume to Gondwana label boss Matthew Halsall and draws on inspiration from the revered elders of so-called Spiritual jazz: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pharoah Saunders, Coltrane (Alice and John), and Don Cherry.

The deep roots of Ancient Infinity Orchestra can be traced back to Ozzy’s childhood. After attending a Buddhist primary school in Brighton, where kids were encouraged to take part in improvised performances during assembly, Ozzy grew up in rural Lincolnshire. By the age of 11 he was teaching himself guitar and percussion and playing in his grandma’s church. At 17 he joined Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra, and then attended Leeds College of Music to study composition. It was here that in 2017 a group of musicians agreed to join seven-hour rehearsals, twice a week, in the shared house that became Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s first HQ. Gradually, the Orchestra became a grounding force in the emerging jazz scene in Leeds. 

Their debut, River of Light, was a vibrant celebration of togetherness recorded in three days and released on Gondwana in 2023. A Maida Vale session for Jamie Cullum’s BBC Radio 2 show brought them to a broader audience, as did bookings at North Sea Jazz Festival and We Out Here. Their music can be described as melody-driven improvised music, made by people who are deep into different types of traditional music, including folk, jazz and classical. “The tunes are a vessel,” Lead Ozzy Moysey says, “with everyone doing their thing. It exists so that my friends can be musically fulfilled.”

On top of the musicality, communality, and expression, It’s Always About Love is also a study in simplicity, stripping away excess to uncover something pure, warm, and human. Highlights include ‘Chant for Don Cherry’, which he describes as a ‘campfire style’ thank you to Cherry himself and which features high-colour piano lines and gently propellant guitars. “His beautiful, organic music-making deeply affected me. He had a direct link to the magic and he left so much music for us.” ‘The Seeker’ features intricate arrangements where a chorus of voices swoop around the instrumentalists before dropping into an irresistible groove – one for those who loved Floating Points’ collaboration with Pharoah Saunders. Penultimate tune ‘Old Friends’ is a celebration of communality and connection, with players and singers allowing joy to permeate every aspect of the song, with collective whoops and impromptu applause kept from the original recording for us to revel in.

Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a gathering of voices, traditions, and energies converging into something timeless. Their music is a journey inward and outward, always reaching toward the universal.

The final word, though, goes to Ozzy. “There is a need for love and connectedness. You pour the love you have into the music and people listening can feel it”