Xhosa Cole - K​(​no​)​w Them, K​(​no​)​w Us (July 30, 2021 Stoney Lane Records)

Xhosa Cole, the acclaimed 24 year-old award-winning saxophonist, is to release his much-anticipated debut album this summer, celebrating the rich tapestry of music and heritage of great African-American composers and improvisers - formative influences on his life and music - through a contemporary black British lens.

“... Cole expressed a touchingly modest reverence towards his great forebears, but there’s absolutely nothing modest about his playing, which is madly inventive at every moment and remarkably individual for one so young.” - The Telegraph

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. 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.”

Full of warmth, character and authenticity, K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us features seven pieces all with strong meaning to Cole. Opening with trumpeter Woody Shaw’s Zoltan, Xhosa recalls spending his late teens at Edgbaston reservoir in Birmingham repeatedly listening to clips of the album with a friend - “trying to milk all the little nuggets of information out of those moments of pure genius.” What’s New (Bob Haggart) was one of the very first jazz tunes Xhosa remembers hearing, from one of his favourite vocalists Ella Fitzgerald. “I’m what you call a hopeless romantic, which is why the old American song books resonate with me and get me all up in my feels!” Further tracks feature music from heroes Ornette Coleman, Lee Morgan and Thelonious Monk. “There is no composer like Monk and there is no pianist like Monk. The depth of his groove coupled with his harmonic commitment and integrity makes for one BAD musician! I’ve learned so much trying to prize open his compositions - you have to mine for the abundance of gold and treasures he’s left humanity.”

• K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us releases on 30th July 2021 on Stoney Lane Records, available on CD, limited edition 180g vinyl and all digital platforms 

1. Zoltan

2. Blues Connotation

3. Manhattan

4. Played Twice

5. On A Misty Night

6. What's New

7. Untitled Boogaloo

8. Zoltan (radio edit)

Xhosa Cole - Saxophone

Jay Phelps - Trumpet

James Owston - Bass

James Bashford - Drums

with special guests

Soweto Kinch - Saxophone (6, 7)

Reuben James - Piano (3, 6, 7)

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Dunmall / Schubert / Dessanay / Bashford - Sign of the Times (2018)

Master UK saxist, Paul Dunmall, has been working with other saxists through the years (like Evan Parker & Dave Liebman) and obviously chooses them well. This is the third recording that Mr. Dunmall and Mr. Schubert have done together, working with Alex Von Sclippenbach and Willi Kellers in the past. Both Italian bassist, Sebastiano Dessanay and UK drummer, Jim Bashford, have recorded with Mr. Dunmall in the past as well. From the gitgo, there is a fire burning from within, with Mr. Bashford’s strong mallet work and Mr. Dessanay’s probing bass creating an uplifting undertow. Both saxes, first alto and then tenor, start spinning one at a time, the spirits slowly rising higher as they build, the energy and intensity edging upwards as the go. The interplay between all four members of this quintet is extraordinary, waves upon waves, spiraling higher and higher as they go. Both saxists, although different and distinctive in tone, toss their lines tightly back and forth, sometimes at furious pace, sometimes sailing down to a more restrained simmer. When they later switch to soprano, the stream is more contained yet no less focused. The ’Sign of the Times’ must be the setting free of those cosmic spirits since this is what we have here. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

1. Sign Of The Times 31:49

2. Talbot 21:07

3. Blues Is The Colour Of My Beloved 08:19

Paul Dunmall, soprano, alto, tenor saxophones

Frank Schubert, soprano, alto saxophones

Sebastiano Dessanay, double bass

James Bashford, drums

Recorded at the Lamp Tavern, Birmingham, on 10/10/2017

Recorded and mixed by Matthew O'Malley

Wood engraving by Paul Dunmall

Produced for FMR by Trevor Taylor

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Sebastiano Dessanay UK Quartet - Restless Dreams (2018)

Restless Dreams is the latest album by Sebastiano Dessanay, which features his UK Quartet with Fulvio Sigurtà on trumpet, Bruno Heinen on piano and James Bashford on drums. 

The album took a long time to be conceived and realised, and it includes all original compositions by Sebastiano, some of which are rearranged tunes from his chamber opera The Cry of the Double Bass (www.thecryofthedoublebass.co.uk). 

Restless Dreams was beautifully recorded in Cagliari at janeStudios by American sound engineer Marti Jane Robertson. The cover photos are by Francesca Ardau and the stunning cover artwork by Giampaolo Gerra.

1. Prologue 00:45

2. Guarujá 04:57

3. Father and Son 04:28

4. Mother 08:45

5. Two Riffs 07:26

6. Restless Dreams 06:45

7. Norma 04:36

8. Oh My Soul 06:01

9. Epilogue 01:47

All compositions by Sebastiano Dessanay

Fulvio Sigurtà, trumpet and flugelhorn

Bruno Heinen, piano

Sebastiano Dessanay, double bass

James Bashford, drums

Recorded on 13 and 14 of April 2017 at janeStudio, Cagliari

Sound Engineers: Marti Jane Robertson and Michele Rovelli

Assistant Engineer: Marzia Bulli

Mix and Mastering: Marti Jane Roberston

Produced by Sebastiano Dessanay

Artwork by Giampaolo Gerra