Whale Theatre, Greystones
Friday 2nd May, 8.00pm
Tickets: €25

Saxophonist Xhosa Cole has been blazing a trail since he first emerged on the UK jazz scene as the winner of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year award, in 2018.

A year later he collected the ‘best newcomer’ prize at the prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards, and was named Breakthrough Act of the Year by Jazz FM in the UK.

Now aged 28, Xhosa Cole is from Handsworth, and follows in the illustrious footsteps of such great contemporary saxophonists from Birmingham, including Soweto Kinch and Sons of Kemit frontman, Shabaka Hutchings.

His recently released third album ‘On a Modern Genius Vol. 1’, which explores and collages the compositions of pianist Thelonious Monk compositions, breathing new life into tmeless tunes, was named ‘Album of the Month’ by The Guardian, in February of this year. It was also ‘Editor’s Choice’ of the UK’s leading jazz magazine, Jazzwise, a month later.

Xhosa has performed twice at the BBC Proms, Composed music for the Ripieno Players, a Birmingham Based String Orchestra, recorded saxophone for Mahalia’s debut album Love and Compromise, completed a 22 date UK tour, all while he studied at the the UK’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

“An erudite young sax master who catches Monk’s wild spirit… and will surprise even the most devout buffs, and hook the most unsuspecting of jazz newbies too.” – The Guardian

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Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini has been a central figure in South Africa’s vibrant jazz scene for over a decade.

One of just a handful of African-based musicians to be signed to the prestigious Blue Note jazz label, he has released three albums on Blue Note, including Modes of Communication: Letters From the Underworlds, which earned a New York Times ‘Best Album of the Year’ ranking in 2020.

But Makhatini is no ordinary jazz pianist. Rather, he’s a warm, engaging performer who is also a healer, shaman and educator who has delved deep into the history and traditions of his ancestors for inspiration.

A charismatic live performer, his concerts are absorbing, his tunes a rich tapestry that can be simple, sparce and lyrical, or dense and hypnotic.  Makhathini imbues his music with distinctive cultural references – Zulu language recitations, trills, treble fill-ins, intimate microphone murmurs and passages studded with impressive tongue-click consonants of the Khoisan languages of his homeland. 

Makhathini is joined in his stellar trio by South African double-bassist Zwelakhe Bell le Pere and Cuban drummer Lukmil Perez, musicians with whom he appears to have a near telepathic understanding. 

“…quite simply magnificent.” – Best of Jazz

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