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Tony Oxley

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Tony Oxley was an English drummer in free improvisation who also made electronic music. He was born in 1938 in Sheffield, first taught himself piano and began drumming at seventeen. During his national service he played in the military band of the Black Watch and studied music theory. He then played in a dance orchestra on the Queen Mary, visiting clubs in New York and hearing great jazz musicians.

Music and breakthrough

In 1966 he moved to London, where he became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. There he accompanied guest musicians such as Joe Henderson, Lee Konitz, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans. From 1969 to 1972 he won the Melody Maker readers' poll for drummers every year. In 1969 he played on John McLaughlin's Extrapolation and, with Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler, formed a quintet that released The Baptised Traveller. In 1970 he helped found the label Incus Records, together with Bailey and others, which would release more than fifty albums. He enlarged his drum kit with amplification and electronics.

Influence

Later he played with Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor, led the Celebration Orchestra and from 1993 formed a quartet with Tomasz Stańko, Bobo Stenson and Anders Jormin. His last albums, Unreleased 1974-2016 and The New World, appeared on Discus. He died at the end of 2023. Oxley showed that a drummer need not only keep a tempo, but can have a voice of his own.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a track from The Baptised Traveller and notice how the drums do not tightly dictate the tempo, but join in with the other instruments. Who leads the conversation?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists