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Remembering Tony Oxley: Combination

By Ian Patterson
December 30, 2023
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The sad news of the passing of free-spirited English drummer/percussionist Tony Oxley on December 26, 2023, is tempered by the knowledge that his was a life well lived, and his musical legacy a lasting one. As a member of

Ronnie Scott

saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ronnie Scott's house band in the latter half of the 1960s, Yorkshireman Oxley played with some of the greats of American jazz, and in later decades he would forge a notable musical partnership with

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor that bequeathed a dozen live albums.

He was the drummer on

John McLaughlin

guitar
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">John McLaughlin's debut as leader, Extrapolation (Marmalade Records, 1969), and it was in the milieu of the European jazz avant-garde that he is probably best remembered, collaborating with

Evan Parker

saxophone, soprano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Parker,

Derek Bailey

guitar
1932 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Derek Bailey,

John Surman

saxophone
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">John Surman,

Norma Winstone

vocals
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Norma Winstone,

Kenny Wheeler

flugelhorn
1930 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wheeler,

Barry Guy

bass, acoustic
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Barry Guy,

Tony Coe

saxophone, tenor
b.1934

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Coe,

Alan Skidmore

saxophone
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Skidmore ... the list is a long one.

Oxley was admired on both sides of the Atlantic, toggling between dates with the likes of

Bill Dixon

trumpet
1925 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Dixon,

Anthony Braxton

woodwinds
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Braxton,

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans and

Paul Bley

piano
1932 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bley, and European free-jazz royalty such as

Tomasz Sta��ko

trumpet
1942 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomasz Sta��ko,

Alexander von Schlippenbach

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Alexander von Schlippenbach and

Peter Brötzmann

woodwinds
1941 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Br?tzmann.

This live solo performance from 1991 clocks in at just shy of three minutes, but it gives a tremendous flavor of the freedom and invention with which Oxley played his merry way.

Tony Oxley: June 15, 1938 -December 26, 2023.

Contact Ian Patterson on All About Jazz.
Ian is dedicated to the promotion of jazz and all creative music all over the world, and to catching just a little piece of it for himself.

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