RIP Tony Oxley

Sad to hear of the passing at the age of 85 of drummer and percussionist Tony Oxley, one of the most revered free-jazz players that the UK has ever produced. His work on the classic John McLaughlin album Extrapolation and much later with Tomasz …

Published: 27 Dec 2023. Updated: 4 months.

Sad to hear of the passing at the age of 85 of drummer and percussionist Tony Oxley, one of the most revered free-jazz players that the UK has ever produced. His work on the classic John McLaughlin album Extrapolation and much later with Tomasz Stanko in the 1990s on Leosia certainly stand the test of time. Born in Sheffield, Oxley, who later lived in Germany for many years, formed a seminal jazz trio called Joseph Holbrooke with guitarist Derek Bailey and double bassist Gavin Bryars and co-founded Incus Records in 1970. Drummer Gary Husband is among many musicians to pay tribute to Oxley on social media writing: ''Very sorry to hear of the passing of the great Tony Oxley - a true individual and pioneer in free-form expression. An early inspiration on me. I’m drawn to revisit him at (to me) his greatest on his own albums and to celebrate him.''

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Jamil Sheriff's Five Gold Rings, Red Kite, Lamplight Social Records ****

Spotify link added on 9 March. What's ahead on the UK scene for early 2023? One priority listen is certainly Red Kite to be released in January the work of pianist and composer Jamil Sheriff's Five Gold Rings band. Sheriff is head of the school …

Published: 27 Dec 2023. Updated: 2 months.

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Spotify link added on 9 March.

What's ahead on the UK scene for early 2023? One priority listen is certainly Red Kite to be released in January the work of pianist and composer Jamil Sheriff's Five Gold Rings band.

Sheriff is head of the school of music and education at Leeds Conservative and his band here have lots of Conservatoire connections - with principal lecturer Richard Iles alternating trumpet and flugel; Jim Corry, also a principal lecturer at Leeds, on alto saxophone; Leeds graduate and guest lecturer Sam Quintana on double bass; and Caroline Boaden - a Leeds senior lecturer - on drums.

Sheriff began his recording career 20 years ago and he is also reissuing five albums from his back catalogue including his debut Daydreams. There are some lovely touches from Iles who proves very Kenny Wheeler-like on 'Going To Church' and elsewhere as Sheriff deftly accompanies.

The tunes are strong - there's a vein of melancholia in some and you get a bittersweet feeling of a lost time mostly when the horns pair up together as on 'Friends Since the 80s' and later on the title track. Sheriff's solo spot on 'Spiralling into Control' changes the mood before a gloriously plengent theme taken up by Iles and then Corry. On the swinging 'Love Someone' you get a more retro sense - the bounce and swing of Johnny Dankworth hovers into view even a little here - and again the spirit of Kenny Wheeler seems a guiding light over so much of this very fine record.

l-r: Jim Corry, Sam Quintana, Jamil Sheriff, Caroline Boaden, Richard Iles photo: press

Out on 19 January