Angular Apron is particularly noteworthy as it is the first Tony Oxley album to be released since the drummer and percussionist’s death, aged 85, on Boxing Day 2023, in Viersen, Germany. The list of distinguished players that Oxley played and recorded with over his career is awesome and speaks volumes about his talent. The list begins with John McLaughlin on the guitarist’s debut album Extrapolation in 1969, moving on to Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler and Paul Rutherford on Oxley’s own early albums on CBS, and frequent albums with Cecil Taylor, starting during the pianist’s historical 1988 festival in Berlin and continuing until Taylor’s own demise.
Angular Apron itself was recorded on October 2nd 1992 at the Ruhr Jazz Festival, Bochum, Germany. "Angular Apron" itself is an Oxley composition which he returned to many times after debuting it in the early 1970s. The piece drew equally on Oxley’s interest in contemporary composition and on his experience as one of the central figures of European improvised music. For the festival performance he assembled a quintet comprising himself on percussion and electronics, Larry Stabbins from Britain on soprano and tenor saxophones, Manfred Schoof from Germany on trumpet and flugelhorn, Pat Thomas from Britain on piano and electronics, and American bassist Sirone (who died in 2009, aged 69.) Despite the players’ different ages and backgrounds, the line-up illustrates that Oxley was as adept at selecting players for a quintet in 1992 as he had been in 1969. This is the first recording of the piece. Mastered from the original master tapes, its sound is excellent and it plays continuously for 64 minutes and 43 seconds.
The recording opens impressively with a prolonged piano solo from Thomas who was rapidly establishing himself as an improvising pianist; earlier in 1992 he had recorded an Incus album as part of the Tony Oxley quartet alongside Derek Bailey. Towards the end of the piano solo, Oxley joins in on drums and cymbals, easing the transition to a duo of trumpet and occasional subtle drums. The composition effectively straddles contemporary composition and improv, the quintet’s instrumentation making it lean slightly towards improv, especially when Schoof or Stabbins is playing flat out.
Oxley does not play a drum solo as such, but is a constant presence, always ready and able to keep the music flowing smoothly without any awkward silences or non-sequiturs. Although this quintet was brought together solely for this one performance, they sound as if they had played together many times and knew each other’s nuances. Throughout, the music is very listenable and engaging; it can be listened to again and again, every occasion repaying the investment of time. A fine album for admirers of Oxley or those wishing to discover his music.
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