Oregon: OREGON in Moscow [Vinyl 2LP 180g]

Ethno Jazz / Acoustic Jazz
premiera polska: 2024-03-22
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: Gatefoldowe etui
opis: Rarytas w audiofilskiej wydawniczej serii - Intuition Master Series!
W ciągu ponad 50 lat bogatej historii zespołu, OREGON stał się synonimem zjawiskowego akustycznego jazzu skrzącego się etnicznymi wątkami z całego świata. OREGON, który powstał w 1970 roku, od samego początku łączył elementy jazzu z elementami muzyki klasycznej i tym, co dziś znane jest pod określeniem "muzyka świata". Jeśli wziąć pod uwagę, że taka fuzja elementów muzycznych z kultur niezachodnich było wówczas rzadkością, pionierski status tego zespołu jest tym bardziej widoczny.
Oficyna Intuition zarejestrowała po mistrzowsku w czerwcu 1999 roku koncert Oregonu z moskiewską Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. Ralph Towner – gitara i fortepian, Paul McCandless – instrumenty dęte drewniane, Glen Moore – kontrabas i Mark Walker – perkusja i instrumenty perkusyjne oraz znany ze współpracy z Patem Metheny'm producent Steve Rodby stworzyli monumentalne dzieło sztuki.
Jest to oszałamiające osiągnięcie pod każdym względem: kompozycji, orkiestracji, wykonania, improwizacji, produkcji i nagrania. Dwóch głównych kompozytorów, Ralph Towner i Paul McCandless, napisało własne orkiestracje, a rezultat jest wysublimowany, na przemian wspaniałe i poruszające. Program koncertu został tak pomyślany, aby uzyskać idealną równowagę pomiędzy starszymi i nowymi kompozycjami.

Płyta zdobyła cztery nominacje do Grammie Award 2001.

Tak recenzent JAZZ FORUM pisał o płycie "... ten monumentalny dokument współpracy z orkiestrą im. Piotra Czajkowskiego zawiera jednak sporo kompozycji specjalnie na tę okazję napisanych np.. Round und Robin, czy Acis and Galatea. W utworach Oregonu zawsze wiele było z muzyki klasycznej o impresjonistycznym odcieniu brzmieniowym. Ta muzyka zaczyna się nie wiadomo gdzie i rzadko też jednoznacznie się kończy. Dźwięki osiągają swój punkt kulminacyjny i zamierają, powoli rozpływając się w ciszy. Orkiestra nie jest tu jedynie elementem aranżacji, ale pełnoprawnym instrumentem, głosem w dialogu. Sposób jej traktowania przypomina utwory De Falli, czy ravelowskie koncerty fortepianowe. Powstaje zatem wrażenie, że mamy do czynienia z jakimś ogromnym koncertem, czy suitą o iście kalejdoskopowej gamie barw i nastrojów. Naturalność tej kreacji i inwencja muzyków świadczą tym, że przygotowali się od dawna do tego projektu, nie jest to zatem typowe wydawnictwo 'z okazji'. Niektóre fragmenty przypominają słynny album Pata Metheny'ego 'Secret Story' wrażenie to podkreśla produkcja związanego również z Methenym Steve'a Rodby'ego. Piękna muzyka, która potrafi nas przenieść do innego czasu i przestrzeni, grana przez muzyków o tak bogatej wyobraźni, że stanowi autonomiczny świat niepodatny na zewnętrzne wpływy..."

Editor's info
The formation OREGON has surely been well-known to most jazz and classical music enthusiasts. During the past 50+ years of band history, OREGON has become a synonym for genre-crossing music of the finest.
Emerging in 1970 from the legendary Paul Winter Consort, OREGON, right from the start combined elements of jazz with those of symphonic classical music and what is known today under the makeshift term "world music". If one takes into consideration that integrating musical elements from non- "western" cultures wasn't exactly common back then, this band's pioneering status is all the more clear.
Despite (or maybe actually because of) their music defying classification, and also despite a few harsh setbacks – for example, the tragic death of founding member Collin Walcott in 1984, or the abrupt dropout of percussionist Trilok Gurtu for less fateful reasons in the mid-1990s – OREGON has not only persevered until today but has also long become a legend of its own.
In the late 1990s, the core trio – supported by the outstanding percussionist Mark Walker and star producer Steve Rodby – set out to realize an ambitious project which they had often thought about, but not yet put to action: an OREGON album accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
This turned out to be a task none too easy. Even though OREGON had performed with orchestral accompaniment on several occasions in the course of the band's long career, recording with an orchestra proved to be a real challenge to the coordination skills of everybody involved. After all, you can't just hop on the next best airplane, grab any old orchestra on arrival, rent an appropriate studio and start recording.
After a long search and several dead-end plans - and with the tailwind of the Perestroika – Moscow was finally chosen – more specifically, the "Great Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio in the Name of Tchaikovsky", and the musically exemplary State Recording House of the GDRZ. Here, in June 1999, the 15 tracks of this double-album were recorded in just six days of recording. These tracks represent excerpts from the entire musical history of the band OREGON. This album was recorded strictly simultaneously, meaning that the band and the orchestra faced each other in the recording room and played the songs together. No overdubbing each other, no faking a relationship that wasn't there; just recording and mixing with the highest standards of quality. In this respect, "OREGON in Moscow" combines the best qualities of a live recording with those of a studio production.
Moreover, one can tell by the result that the 'six days in Moscow' must have been an intense and satisfying experience for all those involved, even despite the tough time schedule and demanding recording situation. In the liner notes, producer Steven Rodby describes one exemplary moment as
follows: "…the music was soaring, and with its [the take's] conclusion, came stomping feet, bows banging on music stands, applause and shouts. I'll never forget this moment, such as many others which occurred in these six days."
After such a statement, there's not much left to add. OREGON and the Tchaikovsky Orchestra, directed by George Garanian, joined forces to take this exceptional formation's repertoire (which is exceptionally beautiful to begin with) to new dimensions; to cinemascope, in a way. A lush, lavish celebration of music, full of beauty, grace and finesse, which all those involved can be very proud of. We definitely are.
The legendary double-album has now been remastered for the 25th anniversary of its recording and will be released as a double vinyl (180 gr) in gatefold as part of the "Intuition Master Series".

allaboutjazz.com
What Miles Davis and Gil Evans did with “Sketches of Spain” is what Oregon accomplishes by adding a carefully arranged, full orchestra to their performance. The two-disc set features lead arias from English horn, oboe, guitar, piano, bass, djembe, bass clarinet and soprano saxophone. Composers Ralph Towner, Paul McCandless and Glen Moore provided the music for this recording, which was made in Moscow over six days in June 1999.
A groundbreaking ensemble that links jazz with world music and New Age textures, Oregon has released 21 albums during its 30-year tenure. After attending the University of Oregon, Towner and Moore had performed with folksinger Tim Hardin at the 1969 Woodstock Festival before joining Paul Winter’s Consort. McCandless, who had recently graduated from Duquesne, was already a member when Towner, Moore and percussionist Collin Walcott arrived. Like the Modern Jazz Quartet that coalesced a few decades earlier, Oregon grew out of that larger ensemble to blend various new ideas with jazz.
Oregon’s performance with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow keeps the quartet at center stage. Lyrical solos weave in and out of eclectic compositions that offer exciting impressions. For the most part East European in character, the music provides lush harmony and stable rhythms. One interesting exception to the formula is Towner’s slow, melodramatic affair, “Free-form Piece for Orchestra and Improvisors.” Unlike the album’s orchestrated numbers, this one is actually an improvisation for conductor. The piece would have to turn out differently each time it was performed. The orchestra is divided into three sections. Each section has ten composed mini-compositions at hand, and they’re cued by hand signals from the conductor. It must keep the artists on their toes. Harmony works out well, since Towner has allowed for all the combinations. The members of Oregon stretch out over this scenario for eight and a half minutes. It works out rather well, particularly the impetus from bass clarinet and guitar.
An hour and a half altogether, Oregon’s double album captures the essence of their composed music while allowing improvised solos to flow unfettered. The rhythmic swing and dynamic groove of jazz take a back seat to the quartet’s focus on polished articulation and impressionism.
By Jim Santella

muzycy:
Ralph Towner- classical guitar, 12-string guitar, piano, synths
Paul McCandless- oboe, English horn, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
Glen Moore- acoustic bass
Mark Walker- drums, doumbek, djembe, other percussion

The Great Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio in the Name of Tchaikovsky

utwory:
A1. Round Robin (06:36)
A2. Beneath an Evening Sky (05:03)
A3. Acis and Galatea (07:54)
A4. The Templars (08:06)
A5. Anthem (05:57)
B1. All the Mornings Bring (06:31)
B2. Along the Way (03:25)
B3. Arianna (02:04)
B4. Icarus (03:40)
C1. Waterwheel (08:42)
C2. Spanish Stairs (05:13)
C3. Free-Form Piece for Orchestra & Improvisors (08:27)
D1. Spirits of Another Sort (02:32)
D2. Firebat (10:49)
D3. Zephyr (06:13)

total time - 91:30
wydano: 11-03-2024
nagrano: State Recording House GDRZ, Stusio 5, Moscow June 1999

more info: www.intuition-music.com