Record Reviews

CARAVAN ~ IT`S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS MADFISH 636551821223 (Barcode: 636551821223) ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 British Canterbury / Progressive Rock heroes CaravanFind albums by this artist are back with a new album, eight years after their last studio recording and well over fifty years since they started their journey in 1968. With vocalist Pye HastingsFind albums by this artist as the only original band member, the lineup includes violist / guitarist Geoffrey RichardsonFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Jan SchelhaasFind albums by this artist and drummer Mark WalkerFind albums by this artist. Two guests support them on this album: bassist Lee PomeroyFind albums by this artist and flautist Jimmy HastingsFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, nine songs and one instrumental, nine of which are written by Pye Hastings and one by Richardson. Obviously the music does not strike the same ecstatic reaction as that achieved while listening to the early albums by the group, but not because the music is less exciting. Simply we have all moved on and half a Century later we have a different perspective on everything, not only music. To be honest the music is quite faithful to the Canterbury spirit and mood, perhaps somewhat less ambitious but still offering great melody lines and fine instrumental support, and Hasting’s vocals sound fine to me, in contrast to the many critical reviews published about this album. It is completely naïve, if not simply stupid, to expect anything else from a group in their sixth decade of activity and at least they manage to reproduce the spirit of the early days without being completely derivative or pathetic. This album is a nice piece of music which stirs warm memories without being blindly sentimental. Definitely well done, lads! Overall, this is a nice effort by Prog veterans Caravan, re-visiting old memories and sentiments, and being completely professional and heartfelt. For Prog / Canterbury fans, who loved that music once, this is pleasant trip down the memory lane. If one does not have false expectations, one does not get disappointed!

Updated: 29/03/2024Posted: 29/03/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

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

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

OREGON ~ LIVE AT YOSHI`S INTUITION 3299 (Barcode: 750447329928) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2001 Released: 2002 This is a live album by the iconic American group OregonFind albums by this artist, recorded at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland, CA in 2001. It features three founding members of the group: guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist, oboe / English horn player Paul McCandlessFind albums by this artist and bassist Glen MooreFind albums by this artist, and drummer Mark WalkerFind albums by this artist, who replace the original drummer / founding member Collin WalcottFind albums by this artist, who died tragically in 1984 in a car accident. The album presents ten tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Towner, one was composed by Moore, one is credited collectively to the four members of the group and finally on was composed by Jim PepperFind albums by this artist. It was the third live album in their impressive recording legacy, that spans thirty brilliant releases. The music presents a selection of the group’s repertoire, going back to their early material and more contemporary (at the time) compositions, performed luminously by all four musicians and splendidly recorded. The music, as always, is an amalgam of highly melodic tunes, often spiced with World Music influences and of course extensive improvisations. The unusual, purely acoustic sound of the group remains as one of the most unique and instantly recognizable Jazz phenomena. Overall, this is an absolute gem of an album, as are all of the Oregon recordings, which I personally like to return to, often when the bleak reality becomes hard to bear. I had to opportunity to hear them often live in the 1970s / 1980s, but even after losing Walcott they managed to continue to play sublime music until the end of 2010s. A true balm to one’s soul.

Updated: 21/02/2026Posted: 21/02/2026

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

OREGON ~ NORTHWEST PASSAGE INTUITION 3191 (Barcode: 750447319127) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1996 Released: 1997 This is a studio album by the iconic American group OregonFind albums by this artist, which features the three founding members of the group: guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist, oboe / English horn player Paul McCandlessFind albums by this artist and bassist Glen MooreFind albums by this artist, and drummers Mark WalkerFind albums by this artist or Turkish / Armenian (resident in USA) Arto TuncboyaciyanFind albums by this artist, who replace the original drummer / founding member Collin WalcottFind albums by this artist, who died tragically in 1984 in a car accident. The album presents fourteen tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Towner and the others are by other members of the group. It was the first of four albums by Oregon released on the German IntuitionFind albums on this label label and it continues their impressive recording legacy, that spans thirty brilliant releases. The music offers a set of new compositions, strongly influenced by the presence of Tuncboyaciyan, performed luminously by all the musicians and splendidly recorded. The music, as always, is an amalgam of highly melodic tunes, often spiced with World Music influences and of course extensive improvisations. The unusual, purely acoustic sound of the group remains as one of the most unique and instantly recognizable Jazz phenomena. Overall, this is an absolute gem of an album, as are all of the Oregon recordings, which I personally like to return to, often when the bleak reality becomes hard to bear. I had to opportunity to hear them often live in the 1970s / 1980s, but even after losing Walcott they managed to continue to play sublime music until the end of 2010s. A true balm to one’s soul.

Updated: 11/03/2026Posted: 11/03/2026

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

OREGON ~ PRIME CAM JAZZ 5010 (Barcode: 016728501026) ~ USA ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 This is an album by the legendary American ensemble OregonFind albums by this artist. It features three founding members of the group: guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist, oboe / English horn player Paul McCandlessFind albums by this artist and bassist Glen MooreFind albums by this artist, and drummer Mark WalkerFind albums by this artist, who replaced the original drummer / founding member Collin WalcottFind albums by this artist, who died tragically in 1984 in a car accident. The album presents thirteen tracks, five of which are a suite commissioned by the Monterey Jazz Festival. Most of the music was composed by Towner, two tracks are by McCandless and three tracks are credited to the entire ensemble. This was the first album released on the Italian Cam JazzFind albums on this label label and it marks the 35th Anniversary of Oregon’s recording career, which started in 1970. The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow Studio in Oslo and engineered by the no less legendary Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist, and not surprisingly offers a spectacular sound quality. 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. Following the early years spent with VanguardFind albums on this label Records in the US, they later released their albums on several European labels, including ECMFind albums on this label, IntuitionFind albums on this label and CAM Jazz. The members of Oregon recorded and performed also as solo artists and members of other ensembles. Overall, the music on this album is a wonderful document of the late period 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: 23/09/2026Posted: 23/09/2026

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend