The Oxcentrics

The Oxcentrics
The Oxcentrics in 2005
Background information
Origin	Oxford, England
Genres	Dixieland jazz
Years active	1975 onwards
Website	myspace.com/oxcentrics
Members	Graham Downing, Glyn Lewis, Paul St John-Smith, Adrian Sheen, Mike Southon, Geoff Varrall, Simon Wallace, Oliver Weindling, Chris West
Past members	Adam Brett, Billy Jenkins, Charles Kuta, Mark Lockheart, Colin Moynihan, Ashley Slater, Hugh Wallis

The Oxcentrics were a Dixieland jazz band founded in 1975 at Oxford University. The band's name was derived from The Oxontrics, an original 1920s jazz band. Several (although by no means all) members were from University College, where many of the rehearsals took place. They played at a number of Oxford Balls, for the Oxford University Jazz Club, on May Morning, and for other events. The line-up, mostly Oxford University undergraduates, who recorded The Halcyon Days of the '20s & '30s on 29 February 1976 at the Acorn Studios in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, were:

Adrian Sheen was the original bandleader and Mike Southon subsequently took over as frontman in late 1976 (as "Gorgeous Mike Vaseline").Colin Moynihan was the original but short-lived pianist. Sally Jones tap danced for the band on occasions. Jonathan Bowen took many photographs and recorded the band in the 1970s. Further musicians who played with the Oxcentrics included Yva Thakurdas (trumpet) and Hugh Wallis (tuba). The band's manager was Laura Lassman.

The band continued in a changed form in London in the 1980s, managed by Olly Weindling, using many of the top young London jazz musicians such as Ashley Slater, Mark Lockheart and Billy Jenkins. Guests included Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and many others from Loose Tubes. In 1988, the Oxcentrics produced a CD, Oxcentromania! through Eccentric Records.