1. Deep Six.
2. From a Dream
3. Catching Up
4. 1000 Kilometers
5. Bayonne
6. Simone
7. Free Imp
8. Back Pocket
9. Relentless Imp
10. Paraglide
11. The Bactrian
12. 1000 Kilometers (reprise)
Paul
McCandless – Oboe, English horn, bass clarinet,
soprano
Ralph
Towner – Classical guitar, synth guitar, piano,
keyboards
Glen
Moore – Double bass
Mark
Walker – Drums, hand percussion, drum synthesiser
Oregon
is a quartet which has ploughed its own furrow
for more than 35 years. Long before it was
fashionable, Oregon was exploring what we
now know as World Music, as well as incorporating
elements from classical and folk music. The
band still has three of its four original
members: only the drummer has changed several
times. My favourite era was when Trilok Gurtu
brought his multiple percussion into the mix,
but Mark Walker now deals impeccably with
the percussion. The group’s guiding genius
is Ralph Towner, who might be described as
a guitarist except for his many other talents
– including pianist, keyboardist and composer.
Multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless is another
group stalwart with his keening reed instruments.
The reediness of Paul’s oboe sometimes gets
too shrill (leading to the thought that, like
some jewellers, he could hang up a sign saying
"Ear piercing while you wait").
Yet Oregon’s music is generally easy on the
ear. This can lead to blandness but the intelligence
in the writing and playing keeps the listener
alert.
And
there is plenty of variety. The opening Deep
Six is a complex yet attractive piece
which illustrates the quartet’s ability to
create rich and varied sounds as well as compulsive
rhythms (underpinned by Glen Moore’s sturdy
bass). The title-track refers to the long
distances the band often has to travel to
gigs: a distance which the band came to call
a "Stowsand", from the name of the
band’s late manager, Thomas Stowsand, to whose
memory this album is dedicated. Glen Moore’s
double bass becomes a melody instrument in
Back Pocket, accompanied only by drums
(a pairing which throws my mind back to Big
Noise from Winnetka). The Bactrian
evokes the ungainly lope of the camel
and an exotic Arabian atmosphere. Tracks seven
and nine consist of free improvisations which,
because of the group’s empathy, are more integrated
than many attempts at free playing.
In
these days of musical excess and showing-off,
Oregon remains steadfastly restrained – even
at times introverted. Yet their music has
integrity as well as beauty, stimulation as
well as thoughtfulness. Long may they continue.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
CamJazz
CAMJ 7803-2
