Oregon Flac

Oregon continues to move forward creating and evolving as one of America's most important contemporary musical movements. The compositions are original and soar with collective unity, fusing elements of jazz, folk, classical, and world music into a completely original voice. Recorded in a live setting, Chesky Records has captured this event in absolute sonic splendor.

Fine late '70s material from the acoustic band Oregon. Despite the title, it's not violin-dominated material, but their standard blend of Asian, European, African, and American elements and influences.

As of this recording, three out of four members of Oregon have been playing together in the group for 42 years. Drummer and percussionist Mark Walker has been on board since 1996, making them among the longest-running small groups in jazz history. Given their long-established sound and collective sense of pan-global adventure, Oregon have remained vital, restless, and disciplined. Family Tree features five new Ralph Towner compositions plus two utterly reworked – and superior – versions of others recorded on his solo offerings, two new Paul McCandless numbers, a new one by Glen Moore, and two collective compositions from the band. Family Tree is the first recording since 1989's 45th Parallel that does not feature any group improvisation.

A musical score created by The Oregon Trio for a production of the Shakespeare play by the Oregon Shakespeare Theater in Ashland, Oregon in 1998.

One of the earliest and finest exponents of world jazz, Oregon began life in 1970 as an offshoot of the Paul Winter Consort, in which the group's original members had played. From the beginning, the band eschewed most jazz conventions. Percussionist Collin Walcott played tabla, sitar, and dulcimer, among other instruments, but did not use a trap set; bassist Glen Moore doubled on clarinet, viola, and piano, and its front line was formed by a double-reedist (Paul McCandless) and an acoustic guitarist (Ralph Towner).

Passionate, airy, poetic, refined, gentle, evocative: this is Lantern, the new valuable gift Oregon and CAM JAZZ are releasing to all those, ever-growing in number, who are keen on their music, and all the lovers of the finest jazz. This CD features ten original tracks by a quartet that is a wonder of unity, coherence and also expressive freedom: Lantern blends different gems into a new one, a precious plot of moods that take on fantasy and avant-garde nuances (Lantern) or are conventional and playful like lovely dances (Dolomiti Dance), swinging and brisk (Walk The Walk, The Glide), sweetly Latin (Not Forgotten) or, at times, almost poignant (Figurine). Even a disarmingly simple track (The Water Is Wide) turns into a small gem of jazz thanks to the sophisticated solos by Paolino Dalla Porta on double bass and that talented artist, Ralph Towner, on piano (and guitar, of course).

Although it doesn't state it anywhere on the CD itself, this one is a bit different from all of the Oregon projects before or since. This recording on the Vanguard label is from 1979 and has a very good recorded sound for the time. I would say this is my very favorite Oregon recording ("Winter Light" comes a close second), from the bands first decade, my favorite recording at least up until the time they recorded for the ECM lable in the mid 1980's. Oregon has a large body of compositions, many of which have been recorded several times at intervals years apart, with slight changes in arrangement. However this recording has 9 pieces that I don't recall the band has recorded since, so there are no familiar well-known Oregon pieces here.

If there was a "second best" recording from Oregon in their early years, this would be it. The concept of "Winter Light" certainly reflects the visage of the Pacific Northwest in the fourth season, yet it is a music, and time of year, filled with hope for the future while pondering a somewhat bleak present. Winter can be pleasant, bearable and filled with its own snowy delights. The first three pieces on their own are worth the price of this entire project, and are definitive works from the quartet. "Tide Pool" while accented with bizarre twists, is anchored by Walcott's energetic tabla and Towner's pure bred energy on acoustic guitar.