Xhosa Cole Trio

Unfortunately, we have just learned that Xhosa Cole who was booked to perform has had to withdraw because he has tested positive for Covid 19. The Festival organisers have managed at very short notice to book a replacement band, The Jim Watson Quartet who will perform a tribute to the late Chick Corea. Please click here to see the new event and purchase tickets.

Introduced by our guest compere Stephen Foster.

Playing the music of Thelonious Monk with some contemporary arrangements in the style of 1960s Sonny Rollins, Xhosa was winner of the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year award and of the 2020 Jazz FM’s Breakthrough Act of the Year. Xhosa Cole is an embodiment of the success of numerous community arts programmes in Birmingham. Having grown up in Handsworth and first played the Tenor at Andy Hamilton's Ladywood Community Music School, he's now among a long legacy of Birmingham saxophonists including Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings.

Over the course of the past 12 Months 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 alongside his studies as a scholar at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Xhosa Also received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ in 2019. Also with Jim Bashford on drums and Josh Vadiveloo on double bass.