Tobias Delius (born 15 July 1964) is a British/German tenor saxophonist and clarinettist.
Tobias Delius (born 15 July 1964) is a British/German tenor saxophonist and clarinettist.
Delius was born in Oxford, England, on 15 July 1964. [1] His mother was German and his father was Argentine. [2] Delius was brought up largely in England and Germany. [1] He switched from clarinet to tenor saxophone at the age of sixteen, and played with local bands. [1]
Delius played in Mexico for eight months before joining the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam in 1984. [1] He did not complete his studies there, which included lessons with Misha Mengelberg and Paul Stocker, but developed his reputation with improvisers in the area. [1] He joined Available Jelly in 1989, Trio San Francisco and other bands that included Daniele D'Agaro and Sean Bergin in 1992, and toured with Louis Moholo in 1992–93. [1] He also co-founded a quartet with Han Bennink, Larry Fishkind and Tristan Honsinger in 1990. [1] Fishkind was later replaced by Joe Williamson in this band, [2] which employs a "method of improvising suites utilizing written themes introduced democratically by any member". [3]
Delius was awarded the 2003 VPRO/Boy Edgar Award. [4] In 2023, his duo with Christian Lillinger received the Instant Award in Improvised Music along with Tristan Honsinger. [5] In 2025, he was awarded the 2025 Jazzpreis Berlin. [6]
Grove wrote: "Delius produces a sumptuous timbre reminiscent of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster, which he combines with a decidedly modern and slippery harmonic and rhythmic conception. He phrases over bar-lines as his harmonic extensions blur the edges of chord changes, and he uses varied dynamics to dramatic effect. He is a consistently deft improviser in both traditional and free settings." [1]
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