Biography
Born around 1962 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, Oxley came from a household steeped in music, where his mother performed on violin. At her encouragement he entered a distinctive apprenticeship devoted to crafting violin bows. During his youth the guitar drew his focus, prompting him to join rock groups such as the Suffolk outfit Kashmir. Studies begun in 1981 at Leeds College of Music fostered a growing engagement with jazz. Once his training ended, he relocated to Paris, France, and spent the latter half of the 1980s working freelance in ensembles that supported an array of pop acts. He also assembled and directed the New Noakes Quartet, whose personnel included Pierre-Michel Sivadier on piano, Kerry Galloway on bass, and Etienne Brachet on drums; the unit issued Through Green And Pleasant Lands in 1990 and Up To Here in 1994. A separate trio he put together with Andy Brown on bass and Russ Morgan on drums produced East Coast Joys in 1997. Extensive European touring and periodic returns to Britain culminated in a full relocation back to the UK during the late 1990s. In 1999 he became associated with the newly established contemporary jazz venue The Spin in Oxford, appearing there regularly alongside bassist Raph Mizraki and drummer Mark Doffman. He next formed the New Noakes Internationals, which toured and released Blue In Black And White in 2002. Curious Paradise took shape in 2003 as a touring and recording band featuring pianist Richard Fairhurst and Mizraki, both later succeeded by Steve Hamilton on piano and Steve Watts on bass. Additional players who have appeared and recorded with Curious Paradise across the years include drummer Morgan, saxophonists Mark Lockheart and Julian Nicholas, pianist Phil Peskett, and bassist Oli Hayhurst. Parallel work with Argentine guitarist Luis D’Agostino led to joint tours and recordings. During the 2000s Oxley launched Eclectica!, whose repertoire draws on traditions from the Americas and Eastern Europe; the ensemble comprises Oxley and D’Agostino on guitars, Bernard Gregor-Smith on cello, and Lizzie Ball on violin. He has maintained his practice of making violin bows, becoming recognized and sought after for the resulting instruments.
Albums
