Xhosa Cole (tenor saxophone) Pat Thomas (piano) Oli Brice (double bass) Tim Giles (drums)
“It is the highly gifted Xhosa Cole who is currently making most waves … Cole has the rich expressive range and technical skills that characterise significant soloists.”– The Guardian
The Xhosa Cole Quartet perform improvisations on the music of Thelonious Monk. Critically acclaimed saxophonist, flautist and composer, Xhosa Cole an embodiment of the success of numerous community outreach arts programmes in Birmingham, UK. Holding his spirituality at the centre of his creative practice, Cole has been forging a career across communities in the UK and beyond. Having developed his unique mixed-heritage, black British, queer voice in the Jazz tradition, Xhosa’s musical roots are in collaboration and improvisation. This alchemic mix has opened the doors to work alongside a diverse and expansive pool of creative forces from different traditions, cultures, backgrounds and practices.
In 2018 he was the recipient of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award and has since: performed alongside artists including Monty Alexander and Courtney Pine and as a soloist for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; appeared at the BBC Proms, Cadogan Hall, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Ronnie Scotts; and received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Newcomer, Jazz FM’s Breakthrough act and Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. Last year Xhosa completed a 38 date UK tour with his quartet featuring NYC tap dancer Liberty Styles. To date he’s recorded two studio albums: ‘K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us’ featuring saxophonist, Soweto Kinch and Pianist, Reuben James and ‘Ibeji’, featuring conversations and duets with seven percussionists from the African Diaspora, which explores themes of Brotherhood, Ancestors, Masks, and Codes. As an improviser, Cole’s career has launched into the contemporary classical and free jazz communities of Europe and beyond, working closely with internationally acclaimed artists including Hamid Drake, Elaine Mitchener, Jason Yarde, Bex Birch, Majid Bekkas and Mark Sanders.
Xhosa has the rare trait of having firm roots in tradition paired with an uncompromisable radical vision. His art speaks to an intersectional experience that celebrates the reality of community connection and challenges conventions that inhibit true creative expression.
"The 24-year-old tenor saxophonist/composer is a British sensation and proves that he’s here for blood with this release … He’s got technique, talent, artistry and a burning desire that shows throughout the set." - Downbeat
