Xhosa Cole Shares First Single ‘Trinkle-Tinkle’ from Upcoming Album ‘On A Modern Genius (Vol. 1)’
Xhosa Cole by Chris Neophytou
Selected press for Xhosa Cole:
“It is the highly gifted 24-year-old saxophonist Xhosa Cole who is currently making most waves... Cole has the rich expressive range and technical skills that characterise significant soloists.” – The Guardian
“It is Cole’s maturity and strong vision that freshen the content of an established jazz form and marks him as a ‘must see’” – The Financial Times
“Genuinely thrilling flights of invention... a level of unaffected sincerity that’s rare in UK contemporary jazz... one of the most exciting releases of the year.” – Jazzwise
“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
"His musicianship is glorious yet measured." - The Quietus
Today, Xhosa Cole, winner of BBC Young Musician Jazz Musician Of The Year, Parliamentary Jazz Award, Jazz FM’s Breakthrough Act, and the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award shares details of his third album On A Modern Genius (Vol. 1) a live tribute to the works of Thelonious Monk.
Along with this announcement Xhosa also shares the first single of the album ‘Trinkle-Tinkle’ ahead of a headline set at the London Jazz Festival at Kings Place this Sunday.
Following his much-admired debut K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us (2021), and intriguing concept recording Ibeji (2022) - featuring Cole in duets with seven percussionists from across the African diaspora, this new release captures Cole with his quartet during an extensive spring tour of the UK in 2023 playing the music of Monk. “We made the record off the back of a 38-date UK tour,” Cole explains. “It’s a snapshot from back-to-back dates in the middle of the tour playing this music - we were in a van trekking up and down the UK – St. Ives to Devon to Wales to Morecambe to Newcastle to Louth to Sheffield…!”
Thelonious Monk has always had a special place in Xhosa’s heart, who first connected with his music through saxophonist Sonny Rollins. “My route to connecting to him was through Rollins, both geniuses of modern music in their own rights. Masters of melodies, riffing and spontaneity, they are kings in a dynasty of improvised music. Monk has a strong legacy of being an influential mentor and teacher to countless young aspiring jazz musicians - Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Billy Higgins, Barry Harris and Johnny Griffin. This legacy lived on through his compositions. Through his recordings and study of his writing, I've learnt so much about the infrastructure that holds melody and groove together, and through his improvising, I'm learning about the intersection of authenticity, identity and expression.”
Xhosa’s affinity with Monk also partly stems from the Caribbean influence on his music - Monk grew up in San Juan Hill in New York with a big Caribbean population. His 1959 track, ‘Played Twice’ (featured on K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us) was Cole’s first exploration in interpreting Monk, which inspired the tour and recording. “Monk’s writing and playing has been interpreted in so many ways - this is our first documentation of a long and ongoing dive into his compositional world. We pushed and stretched and found new ways into and through this intricate music. I love discovering the wild and varied versions of these classics that have been recorded, and am proud to add our stamp to this ever-expanding celebration.”
Opening with the iconic melody Trinkle-Tinkle, the album also features American tap dancer Liberty Styles on four tracks. “My early roots are in African dance and so when tap dancer Liberty Styles and I saw that she was dancing what I was hearing (and they saw that I was playing what they were feeling) we knew this was a musical connection to life. This album is a celebration of friendship, joy and improvisation - it's a snapshot into the love that you can only find on the road with friends.”
Listen to ‘Trinkle-Trinkle’ here
The seven tracks of On A Modern Genuis (Vol.1) weave together nine Monk tunes, with the album closing with Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday, featuring celebrated vocalist Heidi Vogel singing on a piece she and Cole played together at the BBC Proms. “Ellington has such a strong musical resonance with Monk,” notes Cole. “I wanted to honour these tunes that have given so much to this vast family tree that is music, and to celebrate their composer, a person who epitomised grace.”
Xhosa has developed his unique mixed-heritage, black British, queer voice in the jazz tradition. His musical roots are in collaboration and improvisation - the origins traced back to his beginning playing Tenor Saxophone at the community music school run by Andy Hamilton in Ladywood, Birmingham - which has opened the doors to work alongside an expansive pool of creative forces from different traditions, cultures, backgrounds and practices.
In the three years since the release of his debut album K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us on Stoney Lane Records, Cole’s career has launched into the contemporary classical and free jazz communities of Europe and beyond, earning widespread praise on both sides of the Atlantic, working with internationally acclaimed artists including Hamid Drake, Elaine Mitchener, Jason Yarde, Majid Bekkas, Pat Thomas and Mark Sanders. He has numerous headline appearances from Ronnie Scott's to London Jazz Fest, also supporting jazz legend Cécile McLorin Salvant at Cadogan Hall for the London Jazz Festival. As a composer, he has been commissioned by the BBC, Aldeburgh Festival, Flatpack Film Festival and Symphony Hall Birmingham, and also appeared twice at the BBC Proms.
On A Modern Genius (Vol.1) will be released on 10th January 2025 on CD and all digital platforms with Stoney Lane Records.
Xhosa Cole's live dates
2024
November 24th London - London Jazz Festival: Kings Place
November 25th Brighton - TBC
November 28th Cambridge - Hidden Rooms (Cambridge Modern Jazz)
November 29th Poole - The Lighthouse
November 30th Birmingham - MAC
December 1st Liverpool - District (Parrjazz)
December 4th Cardiff - The Flute and Tankard
December 5th Leicester - Jazz House
2025
February 19th London - Ronnie Scotts
February 22nd Derby - Museum & Art Gallery (Derby Jazz)
February 26th Sheffield - The Lescar
February 27th Leeds - Seven Arts (JazzLeeds)
Pre-order On A Modern Genius (Vol. 1) here
Tracklisting
1. Trinkle-Tinkle ft. Liberty Styles
2. Rhythm-a-ning ft. Liberty Styles
3. Misterioso/Straight, No Chaser
4. Criss Cross/'Round Midnight/Brilliant Corners
5. Let's Cool One
6. Bright Mississippi ft. Liberty Styles
7. Come Sunday ft. Heidi Vogel & Liberty Styles
All music by Thelonious Sphere Monk, except Come Sunday, by Duke Ellington
