Xhosa Cole

Xhosa Cole, the acclaimed 24-year-old saxophonist who won the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 2018, releases his much-anticipated debut, celebrating the rich tapestry of music and heritage of great African-American composers and improvisers - formative infuences on his life and music - through a contemporary black British lens.

The album, K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us features special guest appearances from fellow Birmingham-raised musicians - MOBO-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch and rising star pianist Reuben James - and 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." - JAZZWISE MAGAZINE