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For over three decades OREGON has inspired audiences in renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and Vienna’s Mozartsaal; at international jazz clubs and major festivals such as Montreux, Pori, Berlin, Montreal, and Newport Jazz; and on tours throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, Eastern and Western Europe, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Algeria, and Australia.

OREGON began in 1960 at the University of Oregon with undergraduate students Ralph Towner and Glen Moore who formed a musical friendship on bass and piano inspired by Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro and later by Brazilian music. Moore earned a degree in history and literature and Towner completed his in composition, taking up guitar in the process. In the mid 60’s, they both traveled to Europe. Towner studied classical guitar in Vienna with Karl Scheit; Moore studied classical bass in Copenhagen and sat in with such greats as Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon. By 1969, both were living in New York City, playing with a community of young musicians who formed the great fusion bands of the ‘70’s including Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Performing with folksinger Tim Hardin at the ‘69 Woodstock Festival, Towner and Moore encountered two members of the Paul Winter Consort who introduced them to the music of that group. In the studio with Hardin, Ralph and Glen connected with sitar and tabla player Collin Walcott. He was a graduate of Indiana University under George Gaber, studied ethnomusicology at UCLA and served as road manager for Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha. On a break at that session, Ralph and Collin played their first guitar/sitar duet in the hallways of Columbia Studios.

By 1970 Ralph, Glen, and Collin had joined the Paul Winter Consort for a 50-concert U.S. tour where they quickly formed an alliance with its oboist, Paul McCandless, who had studied at the Manhattan School of Music under Toscanini’s first oboe player, Robert Bloom. During that initial tour, Ralph began composing a new repertoire of original material including “Icarus”, which has since become a standard. The early development of OREGON took root in motel rooms and college dormitories where, in private jam sessions, Towner, Walcott,Moore and McCandless began investigating new musical possibilities after getting a taste of collective improvisation on tour with the Consort. Winter’s group introduced them to the idea of performing concerts with uncommon combinations of instruments in an eclectic variety of musical styles. Incorporating these elements, OREGON emerged with a unique synthesis of European classical instrumentation, American jazz harmony, and ethnic influences from around the globe. The notion of recording their own music first arose at a party, where Towner and Walcott were entertaining friends in their guitar/sitar configuration. The group was offered the use of an 8-track studio in the Hollywood Hills, known as “The Farm.” A short-lived independent label in Los Angeles subsidized six weeks of taping and mixing. The company did not succeed in selling the results to a major label and the tape went into storage for ten years before its Vanguard release on disc called—Our First Record.

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Album Review

Oregon: 1974

Read "1974" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


Tra le numerosissime pubblicazioni di materiale inedito che emerge dagli archivi rischia di passare inosservata questa preziosissima gemma, che riporta alla luce un concerto tenuto in Germania nel 1974 dagli Oregon, uno dei gruppi musicali più importanti dell'ultimo mezzo secolo per il loro approccio rivoluzionario a una concezione della musica senza confini o barriere create da categorizzazioni dovute più a esigenze di mercato che espressive. La loro musica fonde in maniera pressoché perfetta elementi jazzistici, classici, folkloristici ed etnici attraverso ...

Live Review

Oregon alla Casa del Jazz di Roma

Read "Oregon alla Casa del Jazz di Roma" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


Oregon Summertime 2017 Casa del Jazz Roma 17.7.2017 Quello degli Oregon è un gradito ritorno sulle scene romane dopo qualche anno di assenza, in occasione del tour per la presentazione del nuovo album, Lantern, appena pubblicato dalla CAM Jazz, e primo lavoro con il nuovo contrabbassista, il nostro Paolino Dalla Porta che ha sostituito Glen Moore nel 2015. I 47 anni trascorsi dalla fondazione del quartetto nella sua formazione originaria, di ...

Album Review

Oregon: Lantern

Read "Lantern" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


Pochi gruppi, soprattutto nel mondo del jazz, possono vantare una tenuta così lunga come quella degli Oregon, che si sta ormai avvicinando al mezzo secolo di vita (il quartetto è stato fondato nel 1970). Lantern è il trentesimo titolo della loro discografia (contando anche un paio di antologie), pubblicato come i quattro precedenti dalla etichetta italiana CAMjazz. È anche il primo senza l'apporto del contrabbassista Glen Moore, uno dei membri fondatori, che nel 2015 ha scelto di lasciare i compagni ...

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Album Review

Oregon: Lantern

Read "Lantern" reviewed by John Kelman


Despite having to replace percussionists a couple of times since its inception in 1970, Oregon's otherwise consistent lineup of reed/woodwind multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, guitarist/pianist/primary composer Ralph Towner and double bassist Glen Moore remained unchanged for forty-five years--surely some kind of record in the jazz world. And with current drummer/percussionist Mark Walker joining the group for 1997's Northwest Passage (Intuition), Oregon has, over the last two decades, enjoyed its longest-standing lineup. Until 2015, that is, when it was announced, ...

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Rediscovery

Oregon: In Performance

Read "Oregon: In Performance" reviewed by John Kelman


Oregon In Performance Elektra 1980 Sometimes it's a great experience to hear a live recording where you were actually at the show and can recall some of its most exhilarating moments. In the case of today's Rediscovery, Oregon's In Performance, I was at only one of the dates from which this original double-LP (reissued on a single CD by Wounded Bird in 2003) was culled--Montreal, which was recorded along with shows in Quebec City and ...

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Live Review

Euro Open Jazz Festival 2014

Read "Euro Open Jazz Festival 2014" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Ivrea e Banchette--20-22.03.2014 Il trittico centrale del festival dedicato al duetto è partito la seconda sera a Banchette, in una Sala Pinchia esaurita da giorni, con Paolo Fresu e Daniele Di Bonaventura, il primo rivolto (come del resto gli accade da un po') più al flicorno che alla tromba, il secondo votato unicamente al bandoneon, su cui del resto eccelle. Fresu ci ha tenuto subito a precisare che comunque, a scanso di equivoci, non avrebbero suonato tango ...

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Extended Analysis

Oregon: Family Tree

Read "Oregon: Family Tree" reviewed by John Kelman


OregonFamily TreeCam Jazz2012Some things change; some things stay the same. As Oregon celebrates its 42nd year of existence with the release of Family Tree, it also reaches another milestone: its longest period of stability. Of course, the group already trumps any other contemporary jazz group, with three of its four members--guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner, woodwind/reed multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless and bassist Glen Moore--dating back to Oregon's official start in 1970. Oregon would, in fact, ...

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Crowdfunding Campaign

Pianist Bob Karty Launches Kickstarter Campaign Reuniting Members Of Oregon And The Pat Metheny Group

Pianist Bob Karty Launches Kickstarter Campaign Reuniting Members Of Oregon And The Pat Metheny Group

Source: Bob Karty

Pianist and composer Bob Karty has launched a Kickstarter for his debut album as leader and composer, featuring all original compositions and a stellar band: Paul McCandless on saxophones, oboe, and bass clarinet, Mark Walker on drums and percussion and Steve Rodby on acoustic bass. McCandless and Walker are members of the seminal jazz band Oregon; Rodby played for three decades with guitarist Pat Metheny. Bob Karty has worked for nearly two decades with top artists on the Bay Area ...

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Crowdfunding Campaign

Pianist Bob Karty’s Kickstarter Reunites Members Of Oregon And The Pat Metheny Group With Imaginative Original Compositions

Pianist Bob Karty’s Kickstarter Reunites Members Of Oregon And The Pat Metheny Group With Imaginative Original Compositions

Source: Bob Karty

Pianist and composer Bob Karty has launched a Kickstarter for his debut album as leader and composer, featuring all original compositions and a stellar band: Paul McCandless on saxophones, oboe, and bass clarinet, Mark Walker on drums and percussion and Steve Rodby on acoustic bass. McCandless and Walker are members of the seminal jazz band Oregon; Rodby played for three decades with guitarist Pat Metheny and is one of the most in-demand producers in jazz. Bob Karty has worked for ...

Event

Bandwidth Conference Kicks Off Next Week in Portland, Oregon

Bandwidth Conference Kicks Off Next Week in Portland, Oregon

Source: HypeBot

Next week in Portland, Oregon, the Bandwidth music and technology conference kicks off for its annual event discussing the evolving music space, bringing in top minds in the field from Sony Network Entertainment, Beatport, Warner Music Group, YouTube, and more (updated list of attending companies below). Closed discussion sessions revolve around how people discover, purchase, interact with, and are exposed to new music - with a focus on marketing, fan behavior, current trends, and future forecasts. Attendees must apply to be invited, and the ...

Award / Grant

Patrick Lamb to be Inducted Into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame

Patrick Lamb to be Inducted Into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

Following his highly successful #5 Billboard Hit Single “Sweet Tea" and his latest chart climbing hit track, “Get Wid It," Funk/Soul/R&B/Jazz musician and song-writer Patrick Lamb was announced by the Oregon Music Hall of Fame (OMHOF) as one of the inductees that will be honored at the 6th Annual Oregon Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Concert, to be held Saturday, October 6th at 7pm at the Aladdin Theater. A native Mississippian, Patrick began his career as a teenager ...

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Event

Oregon Live Interview with Dave Schroeder at Barnes & Noble (NYC) on Friday, February 5th at 4:00 P.M.

Oregon Live Interview with Dave Schroeder at Barnes & Noble (NYC) on Friday, February 5th at 4:00 P.M.

Source: Michael Ricci

Oregon Live Interview with Dave Schroeder at Barnes & Noble (NYC) on Friday, February 5th at 4:00 p.m. Join us this Friday, February 5th, for an in-store Barnes & Noble interview with the members of the legendary ensemble Oregon. Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm Barnes and Noble 150 East 86th Street New York, NY 10028 About Oregon For over three decades OREGON has inspired audiences in renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, ...

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Performance / Tour

Keller Williams | 11.12.08 | Oregon

Keller Williams | 11.12.08 | Oregon

Source: JamBase

Words by: Mike Bookey | Images by: Mark Davidson

Keller Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe :: 11.12.08 :: Domino Room :: Bend, OR

Williams, Moseley, Sipe :: 02.21 :: NYC Almost two years to the day after his solo show almost sold out the Midtown Ballroom, Keller Williams returned to Bend. But this time around, there were two striking differences. First off, the often-solo Williams was playing with his all-star cast ...

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Event

Jazz Excursion in Talent, Oregon, October 13

Jazz Excursion in Talent, Oregon, October 13

Source: All About Jazz

Want to hear jazz but don't want the hassle the crowd at the Jazz Jubilee in Medford, Oregon? Larry Cavalier and J.C. Cook will perform a variety of jazz standards at the Avalon Bar & Grill, 105 W. Valley Road in Talent, on October 13th 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. This duo's enchanting interpretations of tunes from the jazz legacy and the classic song repertoire will include songs such as: the well recognized My Meloncholy Baby. (Music by Ernie Burnett ...

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Performance / Tour

Rob Scheps / Glen Moore Duo August 10/11, Portland, Oregon

Rob Scheps / Glen Moore Duo August 10/11, Portland, Oregon

Source: All About Jazz


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Bonnie Kane
multi-instrumentalist

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

1974

Moosicus Gmbh
2021

buy

Lantern

CAM Jazz
2017

buy

Family Tree

C.A.M. Jazz
2012

buy

In Stride

Unknown label
2010

buy

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