Oregon Music

Although Cherry Poppin' Daddies became a popular act during the swing revival of the late 1990s, the eight-piece band formed one decade prior in Eugene, Oregon. Vocalist Steve Perry (aka MC Large Drink, a nickname intended to distance Perry from the famous Journey frontman) and bassist Dan Schmid initially crossed paths at the University of Oregon, and a shared interest in punk music convinced the students to leave school and pursue a band. After playing together in the Jazz Greats and St. Huck, the duo shifted gears in 1989 by forming Cherry Poppin' Daddies, a unique band whose lineup gradually encompassed guitarist Jason Moss, drummer Tim Donahue, trumpeter Dana Heitman, saxophonists Sean Flannery and Ian Early, and keyboard player Dustin Lanker. The musicians' dedication to ska, swing, jazz, and…

This recording celebrates the 35th anniversary of the unique folk/jazz group Oregon. The group originals, which include a five-song "Monterey Suite" (the final five selections), each contain their unpredictable moments and feature the four musicians both in interplay with each other and as the lead. Paul McCandless, who is in particularly rewarding form, generally takes honors even though Ralph Towner wrote the majority of the selections.

This is one of only 2 discs Oregon recorded as a trio. The original quartet with percussionist/sitarist Colin Wallcot was intact until Walcott's death in a tour bus accident in November '84 after many recordings with the group. After a break, percussionist Trilok Gurtu entered the band for the next 3 recordings spanning a handful of years, but then departed. Instead of running out and hiring another percussionist, the remaining trio of founding members starting touring and recording as a trio, up until 1997's "Northwest Passage" CD, where they featured 2 different percusionists. The bands only other trio recording, following "Troika",is 1995's "Beyond Words" which takes a completely different approach as "Beyond" is basically a live-in-the-studio recording replicating an Oregon live performance in the context of a high quality studio sound recording.

The challenge facing any longstanding group is retaining its core qualities while remaining contemporary and vital as the years pass. Oregon may well be the longest-running group in jazz today, with three of its four members together since its inception in 1970. Its ability to combine detailed composition with near-telepathic free improvisation can still be heard on 1000 Kilometers, the group's 24th recording, but what's also immediately evident is a group that's by no means standing still. Had original percussionist/sitarist Colin Walcott not died in a tragic accident in 1984, it's a near certainty that he'd still be playing with woodwind multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, guitarist/keyboardist Ralph Towner and bassist Glen Moore today. Still, drummer/percussionist Mark Walker has been with the group for more than a decade, so it's time to stop considering him the new kid on the block.

Vasant Rai is one of the world’s most acclaimed masters of Indian music.He emerged a virtuoso on the sarod.(The sarod is a 25-string fretless lute.) In 1973, Rai became a visiting professor of music at Columbia University in New York City. He subsequently founded the Alam School of Indian Classical Music in New York, where he now teaches sarod, sitar, flute, violin, guitar, and voice. He lives in the Chelsea district of New York City, and carries on the pure classical tradition of his homeland, expressing the same universal musical spirit as his guru. But meanwhile, Vasant is exploring new directions.