2 minute read
All that Jazz
BY SIMON ADAMS
REVIEWS
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XHOSA COLE K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us (Stoney Lane Records).
Twenty-four-year-old saxophonist Xhosa Cole is a great young black musician, a proud native of Birmingham with a fine Brummie accent to go with it. And he is an equally proud member of the LGBTQ+ community with a real social conscience: when I last saw him live at Brighton’s Verdict club, many yonks before Covid, he talked passionately about the scourge of street homelessness. What’s not to like? His debut album celebrates the music and heritage of seven great African-American composers and improvisers through a contemporary Black British lens. Guesting with his quartet are two more great Brummies: saxophonist Soweto Kinch and pianist Reuben James. Together they pack a joyous punch, Cole’s driving saxophone lines leading the charge. This is the sort of debut that any young musician must dream of. Just listen!
JAIMIE BRANCH Fly or Die Live (International Anthem).
Jaimie Branch is an American trumpet player, one of the few women to play the trumpet, and one of the few of any gender to play it so well. Caught live at a club in Zurich in March 2020, playing a repertoire road-tested after extensive touring, this lengthy set features cello, bass, drums, thumb piano, and tuned percussion as well as Branch’s explosive trumpet, giving many of the tracks the feel of a carnival or a street dance rather than a traditional jazz performance. What results is joyous music from start to finish, ebullient, thoughtful, and often surprising in its sudden shifts and turns. Branch herself is a magnificent trumpeter, leading from the front. If only circumstances would allow us to hear her play live.
MATT RIDLEY The Antidote (Ubuntu).
The Antidote, as in an antidote to the troubles facing the modern world, troubles that obviously concern leader Matt Ridley. He wants his music to unite, not divide, to heal and not harm. His own antidote predates the current coronavirus crisis, but is all the more valid for it. Ridley is an accomplished bass player and composer, now on his third album as leader. He likes to blend jazz with rock and folk music, delivered in places with symphonic grandeur, producing an album of sonic contrasts and some surprise. The improvisation is dynamic, each piece well thought out, though some will object to the prog-rock postures that tend to dominate. But it is still worth a listen.
