The Xhosa Cole Quartet @ the Lescar, Sheffield, - Dec. 4

Xhosa Cole (tenor sax), Jay Phelps (trumpet), James Owston (bass), Jim Bashford (drums).

(Review by Steve T)

When we arrived the queue was already out the door. Had it got round that, not only is he the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, but now also confirmed as Best Newcomer at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards? It's so nice for them do something that improves our lives for a change.

Fresh from the ceremony the previous evening, he arrived with a crack chord-less quartet for a night of classic, cutting edge jazz.

His stall was set out straight off, his horn honking and squeaking, though wonderfully fluid and controlled; raw and real and it was clear any script was left at the door. Trane and Sonny Rollins were the first names to spring to mind.

Canadian trumpeter Jay Phelps held a note and held his own, taking it down then taking it slow before taking it up.

A bass solo from fellow BBC nominee James Owston, his nimble fingers all over his instrument, but bringing a heavy, thick sound and, together with Jim Bashford effortlessly switching it around on kit, keeping things as serious as your life, sax and trumpet blowing as the mood took them, sometimes together, sometimes alone, sometimes entwined.

References came thick and fast; too fast for me to figure them out and it deserved somebody more eloquent, with more knowledge of jazz than me to unpick the influences converging from several of jazz's golden ages: bebop, hard-bop, free jazz, Blue Note, all coalesced into something timeless.

Xhosa apologised for the squeaks attributing it to a new old mouthpiece but I'm not sure anybody objected; I certainly didn't.

A lovely, intelligent slow piece followed, Deep Blue written by Owston ahead of a beautiful version of Yesterdays, Xhosa sitting one out as Phelps built up to some sleazy blowing.        

The first set ended with Billie's Bounce to mark a forthcoming centenary for Bird, Xhosa acknowledging his influence and claiming him as the man that made it all happen; why he was there, why we were there.

Only now did I realise just how crammed the small room was, people standing behind the bar with the shutters down, others outside just listening.

Part two was more of the same, insomuch as it was raw and real with a far greater level of spontaneity than most so-called free jazz.

By way of acknowledgement, Ornette's Rambling followed before Monk's Reflections gave Phelps a break, Xhosa playing a sax intro, rhythm watching for a signal or just waiting for him to take the horn out of his mouth. Once he'd explored all the possibilities Owston took another assured solo with Bashford's light brushwork in support.

More acknowledgement of major influences: Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins and Joshua Redman on a take of Darn That Dream before another Monk piece I missed the title of and didn't recognise.   

After a false start and some discussion between the two horn players, somebody asked if they even knew each other, to which they shook hands by way of introduction.

Sonny Rollins' Kiss and Run finished things off, Xhosa acknowledging the significance of one of the most brilliant musicians of C20th and the greatest living jazz artist (though I feel a Lance 'in my opinion' being snuck in, I think any living jazz artist would be embarrassed by any suggestion they're greater than Sonny). 

There really wasn't anything left to say.

Jez Matthews - mastered ceremonies with the same informed enthusiasm as last time we visited the Lescar - Jazz Venue of the Year 2018 in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards - and he must feel his life is charmed at the moment, with Matt Anderson next week and the North East's very own Zoë Gilby - 2019 Vocalist of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards - the following week.

But tonight all our Christmases came at once. 

Steve T