Tony Oxley
One of the founders of jazz-based free improvisation in the U.K., from 1963 to 1966 Oxley was one-third of Joseph Holbrooke, a pioneering group based in Sheffield that also included guitarist Derek Bailey and then-bassist (later composer) Gavin Bryars. The group started out as a relatively conventional jazz outfit, but by 1965 it had begun playing totally improvised pieces. The group's relative isolation from other currents in British free music -- drummer John Stevens' London-based Spontaneous Music Ensemble was a contemporary -- purportedly helped the band develop a unique approach. After the members moved to London in 1967, Oxley became the house drummer at Ronnie Scott's, a famous mainstream jazz club. He also continued working in experimental contexts. After winning Melody Maker's reader's poll, Oxley was given the chance to record as a leader. His first album was The Baptised Traveler (1969); the record reflected Oxley's steadfast interest in free improv. In 1971, with Bailey and saxophonist Evan Parker, Oxley established Incus Records, which became England's premier free jazz/improv label. Oxley also worked with the London Jazz Composer's Orchestra. In the mid-'70s, he formed SOH, a trio with the saxophonist Alan Skidmore and bassist Ali Haurand. The group lasted until 1984.
From that point onward, Oxley performed with many, if not most, of free jazz's leading figures. Of particular note was his work with the Feel Trio, a venture with pianist Cecil Taylor and bassist William Parker, lasting intermittently from 1988-1991. In the '90s, Oxley led and recorded with the Celebration Orchestra. He continued to play and record with a number of European new music stalwarts, including saxophonist John Surman and trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, for the ECM label. In the late '90s, Oxley began playing in a duo with Bailey, renewing a partnership that exerted so much influence on the course of British experimental music. The live Triangular Screen, drawn from two different concerts, appeared on Sofa Records in 2000. Floating Phantoms arrived in 2002. Advocate, which paired Oxley with guitarist Derek Bailey, came out on John Zorn's Tzadik Records in 2007. Oxley was also an accomplished painter working in an abstract figurative vein. He died on December 26, 2023, at the age of 85.
© Chris Kelsey /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
-
Adventure Playground
John Surman, Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, Tony Oxley
Jazz - Released by ECM on 1/09/1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In The Evenings Out There
Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, Tony Oxley, John Surman
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on 1/09/1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Leosia
Tomasz Stańko, Bobo Stenson, Anders Jormin, Tony Oxley
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on 1/01/1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Unreleased 1974-2016
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Discus Music on 8/04/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chaos
Paul Bley, Furio Di Castri, Tony Oxley
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Soul Note on 6/10/1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Tony Oxley
Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Tony Oxley
Classical - Released by Les Disques VICTO on 1/01/2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Being Astral and All Regiters - Power of Two (Live at the Ulrichsberg Festival, May 10th 2002)
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Discus Music on 4/12/2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
THE BAPTISED TRAVELLER
Pop/Rock - Released by Columbia on 28/04/1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
February Papers
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Discus Music on 1/01/1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Enchanted Messenger
Tony Oxley, Celebration Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Soul Note on 1/01/1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Quartet 1
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Discus Music on 9/02/2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Embrace
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Discus Music on 11/03/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo