Xhosa Cole at the EHSAA
VICTORIA KINGHAM
Traditionally in a review, one is assumed to make rational judgements, to not throw out superlatives like genius, innovator, unique, powerful, beautiful, as to overuse these kinds of words, it is possibly to undervalue their meaning. It was, however, difficult to watch someone like Xhosa Cole, who in the few years since he won the Young Musician of the Year competition has deservedly become one of the leading figures in the international jazz scene, and not use these words.
From the outset, it was clear that we were not going to watch any kind of formulaic, age-old modern jazz. For one thing, he incorporated a tap-dancer, Liberty Styles, as his percussion instrument. She could not only dance, but could understood the musical effect and value of her percussive footwork – in every sense. A simple idea, perhaps, but never having seen a dancer deployed in precisely this way, you then think, “Well, why not?”
As a tenor player, Cole has developed a most mature tone, style, and technical prowess, and has the capacity of the gifted to look as though he was born with the instrument hanging round his neck. Beginning with an a capella passage that developed into a kind of upside-down blues, we were led into a Cole original, Andy’s Shuffle, then a series of (mostly) Thelonius Monk tunes, uniquely presented and (dare I say it?) ennobled.
Xhosa is clearly a master musician and has very quickly developed the assuredness and the modesty of all great soloists and ensemble leaders (and in fact great orchestral conductors): that he knows what he wants to achieve, his musicians know what he wants to achieve. And he then gives them the musical space and respect to do it, physically removing himself from the stage while they perform, but leading all the same with a lift of the wrist, a look, a nod of the head.
As an improviser, Cole takes inventive harmonic risks while always respecting the melody; perfect then that the band should present Ugly Beauty, one of Monk’s more haunting tunes, and segue into Epistrophy. Creating something new out of these, the essence of pure jazz, must always be a musical challenge, but this version paid homage to Monk, simultaneously giving a brilliant performance (notably on bass, by Josh Varvello). It created something entirely innovative out of what is already great. We were led through Criss Cross and Stuffy Turkey in the same bold, pure, adventurous way, equal space being accorded to Steve Saunders on electric guitar and Nathan England-Jones on drumkit, Varvello’s bass winding through, sometimes leading.
The audience listened spellbound through the second half, through to the classic Straight No Chaser featuring a notable solo break by Saunders, and ending on an encore with a daring, fabulous, fully-realised version of Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday – and the foot-tapped percussion and the spare inventive drums underpinning and enabling the melodies.
So again, I have to re-assess the limits of what jazz can do. This isn’t the ambient dance-club jazz we talked about in our last reviews, neither is it the tired, formulaic performance of the jazz workshop tradition. This is a musician who has already absorbed oceans of music, making out of that reservoir something highly accomplished and totally original. I kind of wished Monk and Ellington were there to hear them perform, to watch an already-great leader and musician respect, and yet remake, their traditions.
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