Birmingham Massive - Jazz FM Voices

Jazz FM Award winner Xhosa Cole presents an hour of music from the West Midlands city of Birmingham.

Xhosa began playing Tenor Saxophone at the community music school run by the late Andy Hamilton MBE in Ladywood, Birmingham, moving through several community outreach arts programmes in his home city. His exposure to players from a range of different traditions and outlooks added to a strong connection to his inner-city community in Handsworth has helped to develop a fiercely unique and independent voice.

In this Jazz FM Voices special, he's got a jam packed playlist of music and artists who call the city home, and brand new music from his debut album 'K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us'.

Listen again here:

About 'K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us'

Featuring special guest appearances from fellow Birmingham-raised musicians – MOBO-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch and celebrated pianist Reuben James - 'K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us' 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."

He continues, "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.”

To find out more, and purchase the album, visit his Bandcamp Page.