Oregon: Oregon - CD

ECM Records

€14,92
(No reviews yet) Write a Review
SKU:
ECM1258
UPC:
0602517775930
Availability:
Items on stock ships within 2 days. To order out of stock items, contact us on orders@sepeaaudio.com. We will update you on availability.
Shipping:
Calculated at Checkout
Edition:
1x CD, Touchstones Series
ECM Records Cat#:
ECM1258
Released:
19.9.2008 in Germany
Original Release:
Label ECM Records Cat# 177 7593
Genre:
Jazz
Artist:
Oregon
Adding to cart… The item has been added

By the time of this self-titled ECM debut, the collective known as Oregon had firmly established its uncategorizable sound on a host of recordings for Vanguard. From the cover photograph, which stands as one of the more confounding choices in ECM history, those unfamiliar with Oregon would probably never guess that the music it sleeves could be so ethereal. Oregon finds the group still in its original incarnation with Paul McCandless, Ralph Towner, Glen Moore, and Collin Walcott (in one of his last sessions with the group before his life was tragically ended in a 1984 car crash).

The opening chords of “The Rapids” render some of the album’s more compositionally minded passages (the others being McCandless’s “Beside A Brook” and two pieces from Moore, of which the winged “Arianna” stands out). And yet, while rays of light shoot from McCandless’s soprano, the music’s percussive colors are what really hold our attention. Oregon doesn’t so much cross into as over idioms, as exemplified to pointillist effect in the droning “Beacon.” These sustained emotions continue later in “Skyline,” before carrying us into “Impending Bloom,” the rhythms of which burst like an organic ancestor of Aphex Twin’s “Alberto Balsalm.” It also constitutes a meta-descriptive statement for Oregon’s musical process, where the idea of profusion is but a memory on the slope toward a different kind of light. It moves with the persistence of a small locomotive, soprano saxophone flirting with the snake of smoke above it. The evocative “Taos” is another highlight, so adroitly negotiating as it does subterranean thrums with high flutes. The crepuscular guitar and wayfaring bass clarinet of “There Was No Moon That Night” form yet another.

I must confess that, despite Oregon’s legendary status, I was only recently introduced to their music via this recording. A magical experience. As I understand it, those more well-versed than I in Oregon lore tend to look down upon this album, so who knows how my relationship with it might change as I begin to familiarize myself with the more classic material. Whatever may come, I know I’ll always appreciate this date for having shown me the way.

Tracklist:

1 The Rapids 8:25
2 Beacon 2:52
3 Taos 6:11
4 Beside A Brook 4:19
5 Arianna 6:25
6 There Was No Moon That Night 7:17
7 Skyline 1:18
8 Impending Bloom 7:51

CD recordings carry 2 year warranty if treated properly. No returns of used product.