OREGON - Troika (1994) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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. That Cd though primarily features pieces recorded previously by the group (sometimes numerous times)with only a couple new pieces. This recording, then, appears to me to be made up of entirely new pieces specifically written for "Troika" and, as a result, is perhaps the bands more important work as a trio. Matter of fact, in recent years, most of Oregons recordings feature a mix of new compositions and old pieces newly-recorded, which makes "Troika" probably even more important in the bands recorded works for fans looking primarily for material not available or re-recorded elsewhere. Of course the lack of any percussion at all makes this a bit different as well, even though there have been numerous percussionless pieces back in the Colin Wallcott days when Walcott would play sitar. But this is the first complete group recording without any percussion whatsoever. web
Tracklist :
1. Charlotte's Tangle (5:40)
Ralph Towner
2. Gekko (6:06)
Ralph Towner
3. Prelude (Improv 2) (2:21)
Oregon
4. Mariella (6:51)
Ralph Towner
5. Spanish Stairs (Squanto) (2:54)
Oregon
6. Arctic Turn / Land Rover (Free Piece) (2:53)
Oregon
7. Mexico For Sure (3:54)
Glen Moore
8. Pale Sun (6:39)
Oregon
9. I Said Ok (4:20)
Glen Moore
10. Tower (5:32)
Ralph Towner
11. Minaret (3:03)
Oregon
12. Celeste (6:37)
Ralph Towner
Credits :
Ralph Towner - Classical Guitar, Twelve-string Guitar, keyboards
Glen Moore - Double Bass
Paul McCandless - Oboe, English Horn, Reeds