4 Compositions for Sextet
| 4 Compositions for Sextet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Tony Oxley | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | February 7, 1970 |
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| Genre | Avant-garde jazz, Free jazz | |||
| Length | 38:14 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Tony Oxley chronology | ||||
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4 Compositions for Sextet is an album by English free-jazz drummer Tony Oxley, which was recorded in 1970 and released on CBS. The album, the second of a trilogy that Oxley recorded for major labels, features the same band with whom he recorded the previous, The Baptised Traveller, expanded to a sextet with the addition of trombonist Paul Rutherford.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [2] |
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek states "The four tunes are all outer-limits numbers; all methadrine takes on what were happening improvisations. It's true that there are loose structures imposed on all four tracks, but they quickly dissolve under the barrage of sonic whackery."[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz notes that "Four Compositions was a title guaranteed to offend players and fans who wanted to set aside any implications of predetermined structures."[2]
In his book Honesty Is Explosive!: Selected Music Journalism, music writer Ben Watson claims about the album "It is a stone-cold, drop-dead, ice pick-in-the-forehead masterpiece. It was too much for the marketing department at Columbia, and Oxley was dropped."[3]
Track listing
- All compositions by Tony Oxley
- "Satunalia" – 10:09
- "Scintilla" – 8:56
- "Amass" – 13:00
- "Megaera" – 6:09
Personnel
- Evan Parker – tenor sax
- Kenny Wheeler – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Paul Rutherford – trombone
- Derek Bailey – guitar
- Jeff Clyne – bass
- Tony Oxley – drums
