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Oregon
Oregon in Moscow
(Intuition)
The quartet Oregon has always drawn on the European classical music tradition as well as other musical forms. The group's sounds encompasses jazz, so-called "world music" (with especially heavy influences from Brazil and India) and improvisation. But the forms of European classical music permeate both its chamber-jazz instrumentation (Ralph Towner on guitars, piano and synthesizers, Paul McCandless on reeds, Glen Moore on bass and—originally Collin Walcott on sitar and percussion—now Mark Walker on drums and percussion) and its structure. Over the past three decades, the members of Oregon have worked with various orchestras, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and orchestras in Italy and Mexico City. But this recording with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is the first documentation of Oregon's orchestral oeuvre.
As with any meeting between a well-established musical group and another entity—whether a single musician or a symphony orchestra, the basic question is "How much does the guest add to or change the group's sound?" Both the good and bad answer in this uneven effort is "Not very much." This is by no means a meeting of equals. Rather, it is Oregon with the orchestra. Not that there are not moments when the orchestra makes a difference. In particular, Towner succeeds in writing arrangements for the Muscovites that amplify and illuminate the themes of his compositions. But more often than not, the orchestra is used to wrap itself around a soloist or simply repeat the melodies after the lead instrument states them. Although they avoid the saccharine excesses of the worst jazz-with-strings recordings, Oregon does not succeed in bringing the orchestra to anywhere near an equal footing. So the quartet's ethereal sound is largely unaffected by the orchestra. Not necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps a missed opportunity for a more challenging and musically rewarding collaboration.
— Russell Woessner, March 2001
Release Date: 14 Nov 2000
On his fourth solo recording for the ECM label, Ralph Towner demonstrates the power of understatement. Playing only classical or 12-string guitar, he takes advantage of ECM's close-miked recording techniques to make every nuance of his playing count. Even the sound of his fingers sliding along the guitar strings is clearly audible in this extremely intimate performance. Towner masterfully manipulates the dynamics of his playing to create both drama and emotion in his music. Rather than introduce a song with a flourish, the guitarist draws the listener in with a whisper. Likewise, he wastes little time on stating the obvious. On the only two non-original compositions, Scott LaFaro's "Gloria Step" and Charles Mingus' "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat," Towner begins his improvisations almost immediately without bothering to state much of each tune's familiar melodies.
In his own compositions, Towner blurs the distinctions between writing and playing even further. While his interest in both classical and folk music is obvious in his formidable technique and dancing melodies, it is often difficult to say exactly where his composing ends and his improvisations begin or to untangle his overlapping melodies. Towner creates an intricate and compelling universe of sound that carries the listener along with an easy but irresistible momentum. It is a journey that is well worth taking with him.
— Russell Woessner, March 2001
Release Date: 13 March 2001Oregon (with Ralph Towner) are performing on:
Mar 15, 2001 in Lexington, VA at Lenfest Center, Washington Lee Universityplease send comments to jazzmatazz@att.net
last update 20 March 2001