Tony Oxley — The New World

Appearing late last year The New World was the final album from Sheffield-born composer/ percussionist Tony Oxley- who had a distinctively busy & dense take on the free-improv form. He’d been active since the early 1970s, and over his career worked with the likes of Peter Brötzmann, Cecil Taylor, & Evan Parker.  He sadly passed away at the age of eighty-five on Boxing Day 2023

This six-track album is a collaboration between Mr Oxley- percussion & electronics, and Stefan Hölker- acoustic percussion. Been recorded in Viersen Germany in 2022.  The release is available as either a CD  or digital release from UK’s Discus Music.

The tracks are simply listed as Compositions One to Six- each running between five and fourteen minutes. The sound throughout is very shifting and abstract in its attack- as we find a busy blend of detailed percussive darts, rattles & slices. Blended with fiddles, creaks, and tolls.

At points, the compositions sit on the edge of improv noise- but never fully falling over into it. As there is meaning & shape present throughout, it’s just in such an abstract & at points manically surreal manner- with each track alive with reward tones & textures.

I’m not sure if you can break The New World into track-by-track reviewing- as each is so busy & shifting in its attack. But by saying that I certainly wouldn’t say that the tracks are interchangeable/ similar, as both parties are putting their all into the improv & joy of darting/ varied sound craft.

The New World is a fitting final release from this respected improviser- with the album severing up an engaging & brain-scrabbling journey into free improv form.