HI-Fi News

The drummer who pioneered the absent beat of Free Improvisation, where the timbral weight of each percussive blow matters as much as its place in the metric scheme, played in Oslo in Spring 2000 with two young acolytes: guitarist Ivar Grydeland and bassist Tonny Kluften. The first track was recorded at the Kongsberg Jazz festival. It raises the anxiety that Grydeland will simply emulate the style of Oxley´s first significant guitarist, Derek Bailey. Subsequent tracks blow away that fear, as Oxley augments his drums with pre-recorded tape and the trio conjure fantastic sound sculpture which defy aural distinction between the players.