OREGON - Northwest Passage (1997) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Oregon's first recording in a while features the three surviving original members (Ralph Towner on guitar and keyboards, bassist Glen Moore, and Paul McCandless, who switches between soprano, English horn, sopranino, oboe and bass clarinet) with either Arto Tuncboyaciyan or Mark Walker on percussion. They perform 14 originals that usually avoid blue notes, making the music sound very folk-oriented. There is plenty of variety in the atmospheres, and the consistently intriguing music should appeal to many listeners, including those who are into mood music, world music or folk songs in addition to jazz. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1     Take Heart 5:12
Ralph Towner
2     Don't Knock on My Door 2:11
Glen Moore / Arto Tuncboyaciyan
3     Lost in the Horns 5:39
Paul McCandless
4     Over Your Shoulder 1:42
Ralph Towner / Mark Walker
5     Claridade 6:34
Ralph Towner
6     Joyful Departure 6:32
Ralph Towner
7     Nightfall 8:38
Ralph Towner
8     Under a Dorian Sky 1:20
Oregon / Arto Tuncboyaciyan
9     Fortune Cookie 4:49
Ralph Towner
10     Under the Mountain 1:52
Oregon / Arto Tuncboyaciyan
11     L' Assassino Che Suona (The Musical Assassin) 3:35
Glen Moore
12     Intro 1:22
Glen Moore / Ralph Towner
13     Yet to Be 4:14
Ralph Towner
14     Northwest Passage 2:56
Oregon / Mark Walker
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – Glen Moore (faixas: 1 to 3, 5 to 14)
Bass Clarinet – Paul McCandless (faixas: 9)
Classical Guitar – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1, 3, 5, 6)
Cymbal [Cymbals], Performer [Hand-held Microphone] – Arto Tunçboyaciyan (faixas: 8, 10)
Drums – Arto Tunçboyaciyan (faixas: 1, 2, 5, 6, 11)
Drums, Percussion [Hand Drums] – Mark Walker (faixas: 3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 14)
English Horn – Paul McCandless (faixas: 5)
Keyboards – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14)
Oboe – Paul McCandless (faixas: 8, 10, 13, 14)
Percussion – Arto Tunçboyaciyan (faixas: 2, 6), Mark Walker (faixas: 13, 14)
Piano – Ralph Towner (faixas: 3, 5, 9, 12, 13)
Sopranino Saxophone – Paul McCandless (faixas: 7)
Soprano Saxophone – Paul McCandless (faixas: 1, 3, 6, 9, 11)
Triangle, Shaker [Shakers] – Arto Tunçboyaciyan (faixas: 5)
Twelve-String Guitar – Ralph Towner (faixas: 3, 4, 7, 8, 10)
Vocals – Arto Tunçboyaciyan (faixas: 2, 10)
 

OREGON - Oregon In Moscow (2000) 2xCD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist 1 :
1     Round Robin 6:36
Paul McCandless
2     Beneath an Evening Sky 5:03
Ralph Towner
3     Acis and Galatea 7:54
Ralph Towner
4     The Templars 8:06
Ralph Towner
5     Anthem 5:57
Ralph Towner
6     All the Mornings Bring 6:31
Paul McCandless
7     Along the Way 3:25
Ralph Towner
8     Arianna 2:04
Glen Moore
9     Icarus 3:40
Ralph Towner
Tracklist 2 :   
1     Waterwheel 8:42
Ralph Towner
2     Spanish Stairs (Squanto) 5:13
Paul McCandless
3     Free-Form Piece for Orchestra and Improvisors 8:27
Ralph Towner
4     Spirits of Another Sort 2:32
Paul McCandless
5     Firebat 10:49
Glen Moore
6     Zephyr 6:13
Ralph Towner
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – Glen Moore (faixas: 1-1 to 1-6, 1-8 to 2-6)
Bass Clarinet – Paul McCandless (faixas: 1-5, 2-3, 2-5)
Cello [Cello Melody] – Andrei Demin (faixas: 1-9)
Classical Guitar – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1-1, 1-3, 1-5 to 1-7, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-5, 2-6)
Concertmaster [Orchestra] – Mikhail Shestakov
Conductor [Orchestra] – George Garanian
Cymbal [Cymbals] – Mark Walker (faixas: 2-4)
Drums – Mark Walker (faixas: 1-1, 1-2, 1-4 to 1-6, 1-9 to 2-3, 2-5, 2-6)
English Horn – Paul McCandless (faixas: 1-2, 2-2, 2-4)
Ensemble – Oregon
Goblet Drum [Doumbek], Djembe – Mark Walker (faixas: 1-5, 1-6, 1-9, 2-1, 2-5)
Oboe – Paul McCandless (faixas: 1-1, 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, 1-7, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-5, 2-6)
Orchestra – The Moscow Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra
Percussion – Mark Walker (faixas: 1-1, 2-3)
Piano – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1-4, 2-2 to 2-4)
Soprano Saxophone – Paul McCandless (faixas: 1-1, 1-5)
Synthesizer [Synths] – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1-5, 2-3)
Timpani – Mark Walker (faixas: 1-4)
Twelve-String Guitar – Ralph Towner (faixas: 1-2, 1-9) 

OREGON - 1000 Kilometers (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Throughout their long existence, Oregon have consistently performed music that is difficult to categorize. Some of their acoustic ventures, particularly in the group's earlier days, could be considered "world jazz" or "folk-jazz" due to the unusual instrumentation, avoidance of conventional blue notes, and original pieces. On 1000 Kilometers, there are times when the group actually sounds close to Weather Report in the 1970s, particularly when electronics and Paul McCandless' soprano are utilized. But there are also performances that sound far from Weather Report, focusing on Ralph Towner's acoustic guitar, McCandless' other instruments, and the rhythm team of bassist Glen Moore and drummer Mark Walker. The music constantly keeps one guessing, and although McCandless is generally the lead voice in the ensembles, all four musicians make strong contributions. 1000 Kilometers is a fine effort from a unique band. The improvisation by Paul McCandless on the title track was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, and Mark Walker's "Deep Six" was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition. by Scott Yanow  
Tracklist:
1     Deep Six 4:23
Mark Walker
2     From a Dream 1:02
Ralph Towner
3     Catching Up 8:15
Ralph Towner
4     1000 Kilometers 10:30
Ralph Towner
5     Bayonne 6:31
Paul McCandless
6     Simone 5:54
Ralph Towner
7     Free Imp 1:46
Oregon
8     Back Pocket 2:59
Glen Moore
9     Relentless Imp 3:35
Oregon
10     Paraglide 6:57
Ralph Towner
11     The Bactrian 8:05
Glen Moore
12     1000 Kilometers (Reprise) 2:03
Ralph Towner
Credits:
Classical Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer [Synth Guitar], Piano, Keyboards – Ralph Towner
Double Bass – Glen Moore
Drums, Percussion [Hand Percussion], Synthesizer [Drum Synthesizer] – Mark Walker
Ensemble – Oregon
Oboe, English Horn, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone – Paul McCandless 

OREGON - The Family Tree (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As of this recording, three out of four members of Oregon have been playing together in the group for 42 years. Drummer and percussionist Mark Walker has been on board since 1996, making them among the longest-running small groups in jazz history. Given their long-established sound and collective sense of pan-global adventure, Oregon have remained vital, restless, and disciplined. Family Tree features five new Ralph Towner compositions plus two utterly reworked -- and superior -- versions of others recorded on his solo offerings, two new Paul McCandless numbers, a new one by Glen Moore, and two collective compositions from the band. Family Tree is the first recording since 1989's 45th Parallel that does not feature any group improvisation. The album was recorded at Ludwigsburg's glorious state-of-the-art Tonstudio Bauer, which was also the home studio for 2010's In Stride and three of the band's albums on ECM in the mid-'80s. Standout tracks here include Towner's strident "Tern," McCandless' crystalline "Julian," and the upbeat, elegant, group-composed closer "Carnival Express," which recalls the more celebratory aspects of Weather Report (albeit with a lot less electricity) in their mid-'70s prime.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist:
1     Bibo Babo 6:55
Ralph Towner
2     Tern 5:22
Ralph Towner
3     The Hexagram 5:54
Ralph Towner
4     Creeper 5:34
Ralph Towner
5     Jurassic 2:28
Oregon
6     Family Tree 6:31
Ralph Towner
7     Stritch 2:47
Oregon
8     Mirror Pond 5:33
Ralph Towner
9     Moot 5:48
Glen Moore
10     Julian 4:31
Paul McCandless
11     Max Alert 4:07
Oregon
12     Carnival Express 8:01
Ralph Towner
Credits:
Classical Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer – Ralph Towner
Double Bass – Glen Moore
Drums, Percussion [Hand Percussion], Synthesizer [Drum Synthesizer] – Mark Walker
Oboe, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Flute [Flutes] – Paul McCandless