“Cole plays like he’s got dirt under his fingernails; his tone has real bite and his lines come at you in a way that’s challenging without being hostile.” – Stereogum
“… Cole expressed a touchingly modest reverence towards his great forebears, but there’s absolutely nothing modest about his playing, which is madly inventive at every moment and remarkably individual for one so young.” – The Telegraph
Today, acclaimed 24-year-old award-winning saxophonist Xhosa Cole has shared a radio edit of his new single “Zoltan” (a reinterpretation of the Woody Shaw standard). The track is taken from his much-anticipated debut album, which sees Cole celebrating the rich tapestry of music and heritage of great African American composers and improvisers – formative influences on his life and music – through a contemporary black British lens.
Featuring special guest appearances from fellow Birmingham-raised musicians – MOBO-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch and celebrated pianist Reuben James – K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us takes its inspiration from words by the great Dizzy Gillespie about Louis Armstrong – ‘no him, no me.’ As Cole explains, “this album acknowledges the shoulders on which all of the musicians in the band stand as one. To understand me and my music is to understand all the amazing teachers and musicians who have helped me along this path – without the greats who helped to forge this journey over half a century ago we wouldn’t be lucky enough to be walking in their footsteps today.”
Cole, who won the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 2018, is already in demand performing nationwide from the BBC Proms to Ronnie Scott’s, alongside artists including Monty Alexander and Courtney Pine. Last year, he landed the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Newcomer, before heading into the studio to record his debut album following a mammouth 23-date UK tour with his Quartet, featuring trumpeter Jay Phelps, bassist James Owston and drummer Jim Bashford.
As a recording artist, Xhosa has featured on Soweto Kinch’s latest album Black Peril, and also recorded for UK R&B singer songwriter Mahalia’s critically acclaimed debut Love and Compromise.
Xhosa began playing Tenor Saxophone at the community music school run by the late Andy Hamilton MBE in Ladywood, Birmingham, moving through several community outreach arts programmes in his home city. His exposure to players from a range of different traditions and outlooks added to a strong connection to his inner-city community in Handsworth has helped to develop a fiercely unique and independent voice.
Full of warmth, character and authenticity, K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us features seven pieces all with strong meaning to Cole. Opening with trumpeter Woody Shaw’s Zoltan, Xhosa recalls spending his late teens at Edgbaston reservoir in Birmingham repeatedly listening to clips of the album with a friend – “trying to milk all the little nuggets of information out of those moments of pure genius.” What’s New (Bob Haggart) was one of the very first jazz tunes Xhosa remembers hearing, from one of his favourite vocalists Ella Fitzgerald. “I’m what you call a hopeless romantic, which is why the old American song books resonate with me and get me all up in my feels!” Further tracks feature music from heroes Ornette Coleman, Lee Morgan and Thelonious Monk. “There is no composer like Monk and there is no pianist like Monk. The depth of his groove coupled with his harmonic commitment and integrity makes for one BAD musician! I’ve learned so much trying to prize open his compositions – you have to mine for the abundance of gold and treasures he’s left humanity.”
The return of live music in 2021 marks a busy time ahead for Cole, focusing on composing for several exciting new commissions and working towards a recording of his own originals, including a Peter Whittingham Award to record Ibeji, a series of original duos with percussionists from the African Diaspora; a new score for the Flatpack Film Festival; and the Rhythm-a-thing trio, mixing new writing with the works of Monk. He is also a key part of new organisation Black Lives In Music, helping to address racial inequality in the music industry and create opportunities for Black musicians and professionals.
K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us releases on 30th July 2021 on Stoney Lane Records, available on CD, limited edition 180g vinyl and all digital platforms – Pre-order HERE