Tobias Delius

Tobias Delius (born 15 July 1964) is a British/German tenor saxophonist and clarinettist.

Early life Delius was born in Oxford, England, on 15 July 1964. His mother was German and his father was Argentine. Delius was brought up largely in England and Germany.

Delius was awarded the 2003 VPRO/Boy Edgar Award. In 2023, his duo with Christian Lillinger received the Instant Award in Improvised Music along with Tristan Honsinger. In 2025, he was awarded the 2025 Jazzpreis Berlin.

Playing style 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."