Tony Kofi

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Tony Kofi
Background information
Born (1966-07-10) 10 July 1966 (age 57)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Saxophone, flute
Years active1991–present
LabelsSpecific Jazz, The Last Music Company

Tony Kofi (born 10 July 1966)[1] is a British jazz saxophonist and flautist. He leads a trio and quartet and is co-founder of the Monk Liberation Band.[2][3] His trio includes drummer Winston Clifford and Hammond B3 organist Anders Olinder.[4] Kofi is signed to the Specific Jazz label.[5] He has twice won BBC Jazz Awards: Best Instrumentalist in 2008 and Best Album in 2005 for All Is Know.[6][7] Tony joined Grand Union Orchestra in 1998, led by artistic director Tony Haynes, and has been a prominent player ever since.[8] In May 2021 Kofi appeared on BBC Radio 4 to discuss his early life and the life-changing event that led him to take up the saxophone.[9]

Early life[edit]

Kofi was born in Nottingham to Ghanaian parents. His mother was a big fan of jazz and owned a lot of records.

He was born left-handed but forced by his family to use his right hand.

Kofi had dreams of being a musician but was told that was unrealistic. As he was good at woodwork at school, that set his path for his likely career as a carpenter.

At the age of 16, he was working as an apprentice when a splinter caught his sleeve and he fell from a roof. As he fell he says he experienced a clear vision of his life stretching out before him, including travel, a family and playing an instrument. After the fall he was in a coma for several days but in time recovered fully.

Kofi received some compensation money for the fall, and he spent £50 of it on a saxophone. He told his parents he wasn't going back to work and would be focused completely on teaching himself to play the instrument.

At first his family didn't approve but he played every day, despite complaints about the noise from his six brothers. As he improved, his parents came to support his attempts and his mother gave him her records to learn from.

Kofi later studied at Berklee College of Music.

Discography[edit]

  • Plays Monk: All Is Know (Specific Jazz, 2004)
  • Future Passed (Specific Jazz, 2006)
  • The Silent Truth (Specific Jazz, 2008)
  • For the Love of Ornette with Jamaldeen Tacuma (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010)
  • Point Blank (The Last Music Company, 2018)
  • Another Kind Of Soul (Live) (The Last Music Company, 2020)

Source:[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Birthday Greetings to Tony Haynes at 80". London Jazz News. 10 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Xintiandi and All That Jazz". Shanghai Daily News. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  3. ^ Hewett, Ivan (15 November 2007). "Getting in the Monk Habit". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  4. ^ Walters, John L. (8 June 2006). "Tony Kofi". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  5. ^ Gelly, Dave (22 August 2004). "Tony Kofi Quartet Plays Monk". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  6. ^ "BBC - Music - Jazz Awards 2008". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  7. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Fifth BBC Jazz Awards winners". www.bbc.co.uk. 4 July 2005. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Tony Kofi - Grand Union Orchestra". grandunion.org.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. ^ Wallis, Lucy (10 September 2021). "Life Changing - The near-death experience that made me a musician". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Tony Kofi | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2019.


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