Tony Oxley (15 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English free improvising drummer and electronic musician. Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sc ...

where he accompanied visiting musicians such as

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

, and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

until the early 1970s. Each year between 1969 and 1972 he topped the ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' annual jazz readers poll for drummers. In 1970 Oxley helped found Incus Records, with Derek Bailey and others; the label would go on to release more than 50 albums. In 1993 he joined a quartet with

Tomasz Stańko Tomasz Ludwik Stańko (; 11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. In 1962, Tomasz Stańko formed his first band, the Jazz Darings, with saxophonist Janusz Muniak, pianist ...

Bobo Stenson Bobo Stenson (born Bo Gustav Stenson; 4 August 1944) is a Swedish jazz pianist. The Bobo Stenson Trio, formed in collaboration with Anders Jormin (bass) and Jon Fält (drums), has been in existence for over five decades. Career For 15 years, sta ...

and

Anders Jormin Anders Bertil Michael Jormin (born 7 September 1957) is a Swedish bassist and composer. Jormin established a musical partnership with Bobo Stenson in the mid-1980s which led to international recognition playing with Charles Lloyd, in the early ...

, and regularly released albums under his own name throughout the 2000s. His last albums were ''

Unreleased 1974–2016 ''Unreleased 1974–2016'' is an album by drummer and electronic musician Tony Oxley. The first three tracks were recorded in 1974, and feature Oxley with trumpeter Dave Holdsworth, trombonist Paul Rutherford, pianist Howard Riley, and bassist Ba ...

'' (2022) and '' The New World'' (2023), both released on the Discus label.

Biography

Tony Oxley was born in

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, England, on 15 June 1938. A self-taught pianist by the age of eight, he first began playing the drums at seventeen. In Sheffield he was taught by Haydon Cook. While playing evening gigs with local dance bands at night, he was sacked from his regular job, at a cutlery-making company, for falling asleep. During his

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

, with the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

military band, from 1957 to 1960, he studied

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

and improved his drumming technique. After leaving the army he became a member of a dance band playing for passengers on the '' Queen Mary'' and made several trips to New York. When on shore leave he would visit clubs and hear some of the leading modern jazz figures such as

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio stat ...

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

. From 1960 to 1964 he led a quartet which performed locally in England. Between transatlantic trips he played in a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

band in Chesterfield. By 1963 Oxley was also playing Saturday afternoon gigs with other aspiring young jazz musicians at the Grapes pub in Sheffield. In 1963 he began working with

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

and guitarist Derek Bailey, in a trio known as

Joseph Holbrooke Joseph Charles Holbrooke, sometimes given as Josef Holbrooke, (5 July 18785 August 1958) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. Life Early years Joseph Holbrooke was born Joseph Charles Holbrook in Croydon, Surrey. His father, als ...

. Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's, where he accompanied visiting musicians such as

, and

until the early 1970s. He was a member of bands led by

Gordon Beck Gordon James Beck (16 September 1935 – 6 November 2011) was an English jazz pianist and composer. At the time of his death, 26 albums had been released under his name. Early life Beck was born in Brixton, London, and attended Pinner Coun ...

and Mike Pyne. In 1969 Oxley appeared on the John McLaughlin album ''

Extrapolation In mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. ...

'' and formed a quintet with Bailey,

Jeff Clyne Jeffrey Ovid Clyne (29 January 1937 – 16 November 2009) was a British jazz bassist (playing both bass guitar and double bass). Clyne worked with Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott in their group the Jazz Couriers for a year from 1958, and was par ...

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

, and

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

, releasing the album '' The Baptised Traveller''. Following this album the group was joined by Paul Rutherford on trombone and became a sextet, releasing the 1970 album '' 4 Compositions for Sextet''. That same year Oxley helped found

Incus Records Incus Records is a British record company and record label, label founded by Derek Bailey (guitarist), Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley, Evan Parker and Michael Walters that specializes in free jazz and free improvisation, improvised music. The first ...

with Bailey and others and Musicians Cooperative. The label would go on to release more than 50 albums, continuing even after disagreements caused first Oxley and then Parker to leave. He received a three-month artist-in-residence job at the

Sydney Conservatorium The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

in Australia in 1970. Around this time he joined the London Jazz Composers Orchestra and collaborated with Howard Riley. Oxley was also a member of the saxophonist

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

's quintet, which in 1969 won awards at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

for best group, best soloist and best drummer. With the trio of the pianist Howard Riley, he began using amplification on his expanding drum kit. Each year between 1969 and 1972 he topped the ''

'' annual jazz readers poll for drummers. In 1973 he became a tutor at the Jazz Summer School in

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

, and in 1974 he formed the band Angular Apron. Through the 1980s he worked with

Tony Coe Anthony George Coe (29 November 1934 – 16 March 2023) was an English jazz musician who played clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute as well as soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, Coe started out on cla ...

and Didier Levallet and started the Celebration Orchestra during the latter half of the decade. In the late 1980s, Oxley toured and recorded with

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

, and also began a working relationship with

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

. In 1993 he joined a quartet with

and

. In 2000 he released the album '' Triangular Screen'' with the Tony Oxley Project 1, a trio with

Ivar Grydeland Ivar Grydeland (born 1 October 1976) is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar) and composer raised in Kongsberg. Career Grydeland was born in Trondheim, Norway, and studied jazz guitar at the Norwegian Academy of Music (1996–2000, and 2001–2 ...

and Tonny Kluften. Oxley's own abstract paintings appeared on the covers of some of his later albums, including his last, ''The New World'', a recording of electronic and acoustic percussion music, released on the Discus label in 2023.

Personal life and death

Oxley married Tutta (nee Rütten) in 2000. He died on 26 December 2023, at the age of 85.

Discography

As leader

* '' The Baptised Traveller'' (CBS, 1969) * '' 4 Compositions for Sextet'' (CBS, 1970) * '' Ichnos'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1971) * ''Jazz in Britain '68–'69'' with

John Surman John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, Clarinet family, clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for danc ...

(Decca Eclipse, 1972) * ''Tony Oxley'' (

Incus The ''incus'' (: incudes) or anvil in the ear is one of three small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear. The incus receives vibrations from the malleus, to which it is connected laterally, and transmits these to the stapes medially. The incus i ...

, 1975) * '' The Tony Oxley/Alan Davie Duo'' with

Alan Davie James Alan Davie (28 September 1920 – 5 April 2014) was a Scottish painter and musician. Biography Davie was born in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1920, the son of Elizabeth (née Turnbull) and James William Davie, an art teacher and painter who ...

(ADMW, 1975) * '' February Papers'' (Incus, 1977) * ''S. O. H.'' (EGO, 1979) * ''Ach Was!?'' with Ulrich Gumpert,

Radu Malfatti Radu Malfatti is an Austrian trombone and harmonica player, and composer. He was born in Innsbruck, in the province of Tyrol, on December 16, 1943. Malfatti is associated with the style of music known as reductionism and has been described as "a ...

( FMP, 1981) * ''SOH'' (View, 1981) * ''Nutty On Willisau'' with

(Hat Hut, 1984) * ''Live at Roccella Jonica'' with

Norma Winstone Norma Ann Winstone MBE (born 23 September 1941) is an English jazz singer and lyricist. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is best known for her contributions to improvised vocal music. Musicians with whom she has worked include ...

, Kenny Wheeler,

Paolo Fresu Paolo Fresu (; born 10 February 1961) is an Italian jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, as well as a composer and arranger of music. His unique trumpet sound is recognized as one of the most distinctive in the contemporary jazz scene. Fresu pla ...

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

, Paolo Damiani (Ismez/Polis Music, 1985) * ''Tomorrow is Here Jazzfest Berlin 1985, Live from the Philharmonie'' (Dossier, 1986) * ''The Glider & The Grinder'' with

Philipp Wachsmann Philipp John Paul Wachsmann (born 5 August 1944) is an African avant-garde jazz/jazz fusion violinist born in Kampala, Uganda, probably better known for having founded his own group Chamberpot. He has worked with many musicians in the free jazz id ...

(Bead, 1987) * ''Live in Roccella Jonica 1986'' with

Palle Mikkelborg Palle Mikkelborg (born 6 March 1941) is a Danish jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger and record producer. He is self-taught on the trumpet, although he studied conducting at the Royal Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. He became a professio ...

, Paolo Damiani, Tiziana Ghiglioni (Ismez/Polis, 1987) * ''Bodies'' with

Claudio Fasoli Claudio Fasoli (born 29 November 1939) is an Italian jazz - saxophonist (tenor and soprano saxophone) and composer of modern jazz. Music career In 2017, Claudio Fasoli's book "Inner sounds. In the orbit of jazz and free music", published by Ag ...

Mick Goodrick Mick Goodrick (June 9, 1945 – November 16, 2022) was an American jazz guitarist who spent most of his career as a teacher. In the early 1970s, he worked with Gary Burton and Pat Metheny. Biography An Elvis fan, Goodrick began studying guitar ...

Palle Danielsson Nils Paul "Palle" Danielsson (15 October 1946 – 18 May 2024) was a Swedish jazz double bassist born in Stockholm, Sweden. From 1974 to 1979, he was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet. He was the brother of pianist Monica Dominique. Daniels ...

(New Sound Planet, 1990) * ''Explore'' with

Stefano Battaglia Stefano Battaglia (born 1965 in Milan) is an Italian classical and jazz pianist, as well as a soloist and bandleader. He has played more than 3000 concerts as an improviser in many important festivals and international appointments over the world ...

(Splasc(H), 1990) * '' In the Evenings out There'' with

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

Gary Peacock Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, piani ...

, John Surman (

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

, 1993) * ''

The Tony Oxley Quartet ''The Tony Oxley Quartet'' is an album by the group of the same name, led by percussionist Tony Oxley, and featuring guitarist Derek Bailey (guitarist), Derek Bailey, keyboardist Pat Thomas (pianist), Pat Thomas, and electronic musician Matt Wand. ...

'' (Incus, 1993) * ''Sulphur'' with Stefano Battaglia, Paolino Dalla Porta (Splasc(H), 1995) * ''

The Enchanted Messenger ''The Enchanted Messenger'' is a live album by a fifteen-piece ensemble called the Tony Oxley Celebration Orchestra, led by English percussionist Tony Oxley, and with trumpeter Bill Dixon appearing as a featured artist. It was recorded in November ...

'' (Soul Note, 1995) * ''Deep'' with Ekkehard Jost, Reiner Winterschladen, Ewald Oberleitner (Fish Music, 1997) * '' Soho Suites (Recordings from 1977 & 1995)'' with Derek Bailey (Incus, 1997) * '' Digger's Harvest'' with

Alexander von Schlippenbach Alexander von Schlippenbach (born 7 April 1938) is a German jazz pianist and composer. He came to prominence in the 1960s playing free jazz in a trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens, and as a member of the Globe Unity Orch ...

(FMP, 1999) * '' Triangular Screen'' (Sofa, 2000) * '' Floating Phantoms'' (a/l/l, 2002) * '' GratHovOx'' with Frank Gratkowski,

Fred Van Hove Fred Van Hove (19 February 1937 – 13 January 2022) was a Belgian jazz musician and a pioneer of European free jazz. He was a pianist, accordionist, church organist, and carillonist, an improviser and a composer. In the 1960s and 1970s he per ...

(Nuscope, 2002) * ''S.O.H. Live in London'' with Alan Skidmore, Ali Haurand (Jazzwerkstatt 2007) * ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' with Derek Bailey (

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

, 2007) * ''Tony Oxley/Derek Bailey Quartet'' (Jazzwerkstatt, 2008) * ''Live at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz'' with

Conny Bauer Konrad "Conny" Bauer (born 4 July 1943) is a German free jazz trombonist. He is the brother of the trombonist Johannes Bauer. As a student at senior high school in Sonneberg between 1957 and 1961, he was enthusiastic about modern music and dan ...

Gianluigi Trovesi Gianluigi Trovesi (born 1944) is an Italian jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He has won various Italian jazz awards. He also teaches in Italy. Early life Trovesi was born in Nembro near Bergamo in Lombardy in 1944. He studied harmony ...

, Dietmar Diesner (Jazzwerkstatt 2008) * ''Improvised Pieces for Trio'' with Sebastiano Meloni, Adriano Orru (Big Round, 2010) * '' A Birthday Tribute: 75 years'' (Incus, 2013) * ''

Beaming In physics, relativistic beaming (also known as Doppler beaming, Doppler boosting, or the headlight effect) is the process by which relativistic effects modify the apparent luminosity of emitting matter that is moving at speeds close to th ...

'' (Confront Recordings, 2020) * ''

Elaboration of Particulars ''Elaboration of Particulars'' is an album by percussionist Tony Oxley and multi-instrumentalist Alan Davie. It was recorded during 1977 and 1978 at Gamels Studio in Rush Green, Hertford, United Kingdom, and was released by Confront Recordings in ...

'' (Confront, 2021) recorded in 1977 and 1978 * ''

'' (Discus, 2022) * '' The New World'' (Discus, 2022) With The Quartet * ''Dedications'' (Konnex, 1984) * ''Relation'' (Konnex, 1985) * ''Interchange'' (Konnex, 1986) * ''Live'' (Konnex, 1987)

As guest

With

* ''Gyroscope'' (Morgan, 1969) * ''Seven Steps to Evans – A Tribute to the Compositions of

'' (MPS, 1980) With Gordon Beck Quartet * ''Experiments with Pops'' (Major Minor, 1968) * ''When Sunny Gets Blue (Spring '68 Sessions)'' (Turtle, 2018) With

Bill Dixon William Robert Dixon (October 5, 1925 – June 16, 2010) was an American composer and educator. Dixon was one of the seminal figures in free jazz and late twentieth-century contemporary music. He was also a prominent activist for artist's right ...

* ''

Vade Mecum A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference. The term originally applied to a small or portable book containing information useful for its owner, but the ''Oxford Eng ...

'' (Soul Note, 1994) * '' Vade Mecum II'' (Soul Note, 1994) * '' Papyrus Volume I'' (Soul Note, 1999) * ''

Papyrus Volume II ''Papyrus Volume II'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon recorded in 1998 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.Stubenrauch, R.Bill Dixon discographyaccessed November 17, 2014 Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars. T ...

'' (Soul Note, 1999) * '' Berlin Abbozzi'' (FMP, 2000) With

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London, England) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of or ...

/London Jazz Composers Orchestra * ''

Ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

'' (Incus, 1972) * ''Stringer'' (FMP, 1983) * ''

Zurich Concerts ''Zurich Concerts'' is a double live album by Barry Guy and the London Jazz Composers' Orchestra featuring recordings of two large-scale compositions, one by Guy, the other by guest artist Anthony Braxton. The Guy work was recorded on November 11 ...

'' (Intakt, 1988) With

* ' ''98'' (Incus 2000) * ''The Moat Recordings'' (Tzadik, 2006) With

Rolf Kühn Rolf Kühn (29 September 1929 – 18 August 2022) was a German jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. He was the older brother of the pianist Joachim Kühn. Kühn lived in the United States from 1956 to 1959. John Hammond favourably compared him w ...

* ''Devil in Paradise'' (BASF, 1971) * ''Going to the Rainbow'' (BASF, 1971) With Howard Riley * ''Flight'' (Turtle, 1971) * ''Synopsis'' (Incus 1974) * ''Overground'' (Emanem, 2001) With

* '' Matka Joanna'' (ECM, 1995) * '' Leosia'' (ECM, 1997) With

* '' How Many Clouds Can You See?'' (Deram, 1970) * ''

Adventure Playground An adventure playground is a specific type of playground for children. Adventure playgrounds can take many forms, ranging from "natural playgrounds" to "junk playgrounds", and are typically defined by an ethos of unrestricted play, the presence o ...

'' (ECM, 1992) With

* '' Leaf Palm Hand'' (Disc 6 of 11-disc set ''Cecil Taylor in Berlin '88'') (FMP, 1989) * '' Looking (Berlin Version) The Feel Trio'' (FMP, 1990) * '' Looking (Berlin Version) Corona'' (FMP, 1991) * '' Celebrated Blazons'' (FMP, 1993) * '' Melancholy'' (FMP, 1999) * '' Nailed'' (FMP, 2000) * '' 2 Ts for a Lovely T'' (Codanza, 2002) * ''

Taylor/Dixon/Oxley ''Taylor/Dixon/Oxley'' is a live album by pianist Cecil Taylor, trumpeter Bill Dixon, and drummer Tony Oxley. It was recorded on May 19, 2002 during the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Victoriaville, Quebec, and was ...

'' (Les Disques Victo, 2002) * '' Ailanthus/Altissima: Bilateral Dimensions of 2 Root Songs'' (Triple Point, 2009) * '' Conversations with Tony Oxley'' (Jazzwerkstatt, 2018) * '' Birdland, Neuburg 2011'' (Fundacja Słuchaj!, 2020) * '' Being Astral and All Registers – Power of Two'' (Discus, 2020)

With others

, ''

Chaos Chaos or CHAOS may refer to: Science, technology, and astronomy * '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick * Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company * ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae * ...

'' with Furio Di Castri (Soul Note, 1998) *

, '' Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989'' (hatART, 1989) *

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

, '' Berlin Djungle'' (FMP, 1987) *

, ''The 1972 Ljubljana Concert'' (2018) *

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only B ...

, ''The Two Faces Of Fame'' (CBS, 1967) * Michael Gibbs, ''Michael Gibbs'' (Deram, 1970) *

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

, ''Monster Sticksland Meeting Two: Monster Jazz'' (MPS, 1974) *

Tubby Hayes Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was a British jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his virtuosic musicianship on tenor saxophone and for performing in jazz groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and trump ...

, ''Seven Steps to Heaven: Live at the Hopbine 1972'' (Gearbox, 2013) *

Giorgio Gaslini Giorgio Gaslini (; 22 October 1929 – 29 July 2014) was an Italian jazz pianist, composer and conductor. He began performing aged 13 and recorded with his jazz trio at 16. In the 1950s and 1960s, Gaslini performed with his own quartet. He was ...

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer. He is considered a pioneer of jazz-rock, particularly for his use of the electric violin starting in the 1970s. He rose to prominence for his colla ...

, ''Jean-Luc Ponty Meets Giorgio Gaslini'' (1974) *

Don "Sugarcane" Harris Don Francis Bowman "Sugarcane" Harris (June 18, 1938 – November 30, 1999) was an American blues and rock and roll violinist and guitarist. He is considered a pioneer in the amplification of the violin. Career Harris was born and raised in Pas ...

, ''Keep On Driving'' (MPS, 1970) * Didier Levallet, ''Scoop'' (In+Out, 1983) * John McLaughlin, ''

'' (1969) *

Mark Nauseef Mark Nauseef (born June 11, 1953) is an American drummer and percussionist who has enjoyed a varied career, ranging from rock music during the 1970s with his time as a member of the Ian Gillan Band and, temporarily with Thin Lizzy when Brian D ...

, ''All In All In All'' (

Relative Pitch Relative pitch is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note by comparing it to a reference note and identifying the interval between those two notes. For example, if the notes ''Do'' and ''Fa'' are played on a piano, a ...

, 2018) * Paul Rutherford & Iskra 1912, ''

Sequences 72 & 73 ''Sequences 72 & 73'' is an album by trombonist Paul Rutherford and the group known as Iskra 1912. It was recorded during 1972–1974 in London, and was released in 1997 by Emanem Records. The album features studio recordings of two ensemble work ...

'' (Emanem, 1997) *

Ronnie Scott Ronnie Scott Order of the British Empire, OBE (born Ronald Schatt; 28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was a British jazz Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner. He co-founded Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho district ...

, ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' (CBS, 1968) *

, ''Once Upon a Time'' (Deram, 1970) *

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...

, ''

Hypothesis A hypothesis (: hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations and make a testable and reproducible prediction about reality, in a process beginning with an educated guess o ...

'' (Bellaphon, 1978) *

Jasper van 't Hof Jasper van 't Hof (born 30 June 1947) is a Dutch jazz pianist and keyboard player. Van 't Hof was born in Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands, and began studying piano at the age of five. He played in jazz bands at school, and by the age of 19 was ...

and George Gruntz, ''Fairytale'' (MPS 1979) *

, '' Song for Someone'' (Incus, 1973)

References

Other sources

External links

Tony Oxley obituary
by Richard Williams at ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' * *
Tony Oxley discography
by Rainer Tieme, April 2020
Tony Oxley
at allaboutjazz.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxley, Tony 1938 births 2023 deaths Military personnel from Sheffield 20th-century British Army personnel Musicians from Sheffield British male drummers English jazz drummers Free jazz drummers Avant-garde jazz musicians Free improvisation Tzadik Records artists British male jazz musicians Joseph Holbrooke (band) members Incus Records artists FMP/Free Music Production artists Black Watch soldiers