Record Reviews

OREGON ~ IN MOSCOW INTUITION 3303 (Barcode: 750447330320) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1999 Released: 2000 This is an album by the legendary American ensemble OregonFind albums by this artist, recorded in Moscow, Russia in 1999 and featuring the three founding members: guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist, oboe / English horn / saxophone / bass clarinet player Paul McCandlessFind albums by this artist and bassist Glen MooreFind albums by this artist and the drummer / percussionist Mark WalkerFind albums by this artist, who replaced the original drummer Colin WalcottFind albums by this artist, who died in a car accident in 1984. They are accompanied by the Tchaikovsky Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist of Moscow, conducted by the Armenian conductor / composer / saxophonist George GaranianFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents fifteen tracks, all original compositions by the ensemble members. The album, despite the fact that it was recorded in Moscow, offers a superb sound quality. The music includes pieces that were previously already performed by Oregon or individual Oregon members with orchestras, especially those performed with various orchestras around the world, conducted by the American conductor / pianist Dennis Russel DavisFind albums by this artist, but also pieces prepared especially for this project, as well as a few pieces that were performed without the orchestra. Oregon were undoubtedly one of the most eclectic, unique and revolutionary cross-genre American ensembles, which managed to combine Jazz improvisations with World Music, strongly influenced by Indian music, Classical Music, Avant-Garde and New Age and even Psychedelic and Space elements. The members of the band were virtuosi on their respective instruments and their collective performances, which I managed to hear in person many times over the years, were simply magical. Not surprisingly, Oregon achieved acclaim and Artistic recognition predominantly in Europe, where they toured extensively Overall, the music on this album is a wonderful document of the artistry of Oregon, and offers a wonderful example of Jazz-Classical Fusion at its best. For enthusiasts of such orchestral Jazz projects, this is some of the finest and most sophisticated embodiment of the genre.

Updated: 21/10/2026Posted: 21/10/2026

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OREGON ~ TREFFPUNKT JAZZ 1990 SWR JAZZHAUS 485 (Barcode: 730099048552) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1990 Released: 2024 This is an archival live album by the legendary American ensemble OregonFind albums by this artist, recorded in Ludwigsburg, Germany in 1990 and featuring the three founding members: guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist, oboe / English horn / saxophone / bass clarinet player Paul McCandlessFind albums by this artist and bassist Glen MooreFind albums by this artist and the Indian drummer / percussionist Trilok GurtuFind albums by this artist, who replaced the original drummer Colin WalcottFind albums by this artist, who died in a car accident in 1984. The 2CD album presents fourteen tracks, all original compositions, mostly by Towner but also by all the other ensemble members. The album, recorded by the SWR German Radio, offers a superb sound quality. The music includes a few tracks from the ensemble’s last studio album “45th ParallelFind albums with this title”, recorded in 1988, but also a wonderful collection of music from their earlier albums. The musicians are obviously in a great spirit and the improvisations are truly stellar for the entire duration of the concert. The music, as usual, is an amalgam of Jazz, World Music and Avant-Garde influences and simply takes no prisoners. Oregon were undoubtedly one of the most eclectic, unique and revolutionary cross-genre American ensembles, which managed to combine Jazz improvisations with World Music, strongly influenced by Indian music, Classical Music, Avant-Garde and New Age and even Psychedelic and Space elements. The members of the band were virtuosi on their respective instruments and their collective performances, which I managed to hear in person many times over the years, were simply magical. Not surprisingly, Oregon achieved acclaim and Artistic recognition predominantly in Europe, where they toured extensively Overall, the music on this album is a wonderful document of the artistry of Oregon, and offers a relaxed environment, which inspires the musicians to improvise intensively and extensively on the beautiful themes. For Jazz-World Fusion enthusiasts this is some of the finest and most sophisticated embodiment of the genre.

Updated: 16/10/2026Posted: 16/10/2026

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COLIN WALCOTT ~ CLOUD DANCE ECM 1062 (Barcode: 602517799295) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2008 This wonderful and by now Classic album by US sitar / tabla player Colin WalcottFind albums by this artist, founding member of the legendary OregonFind albums by this artist and CodonaFind albums by this artist ensembles, was recorded in the company of the excellent trio led by guitarist John AbercrombieFind albums by this artist with bassist Dave HollandFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist, which recorded the "GatewayFind albums with this title" album at the same period. A veteran pioneer of Jazz-World Fusion, Walcott redefined the genre with this recording, expanding the borders of improvisation and inter-genre fusion well beyond anything previously encountered. His tragic death in a car accident during the European tour of Oregon cut his incredible career short, which makes this recording even more important, if such thing is possible at all. Of the eight compositions present on this album Walcott composed five and co-composed two more with Abercrombie; the remaining one was composed by Holland, who plays some incredible bass on this album. In retrospect this remains to be one of the best early ECMFind albums on this label releases, which deserves to be heard by every serious Jazz-World Fusion connoisseur. Brilliant stuff!

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