Oregon

Beyond Words Oregon

As part of the celebrations marking Chesky Records’ 40th anniversary, the renowned audiophile label is releasing a reissue of Oregon’s “Beyond Words.” The trio, consisting of Ralph Towner on guitar and keyboards, bassist Glen Moore, and Paul McCandless (who plays six different wind instruments), is shown in a phase following the death of percussionist Collin Wolcott – and yet from an incredibly creative perspective. Oregon was a unique band: always unclassifiable and “beyond words.” “Beyond Words” also blends jazz with rhythms, melodies, and sounds inspired by the music of other cultures.

With original compositions by Towner and Moore and Jim Pepper’s famous “Witchi-Tai-To,” the trio creates a wide variety of moods, sounds – Towner’s acoustic classical guitar contrasts with his playing on the synthesizer – and instrumentation. McCandless can be heard playing the soprano, sopranino, oboe, and bass clarinets, as well as the English horn and penny whistle. Among the album’s highlights are the driving, exuberant energy of “Ecotopia,” the playfully infectious groove of “Pepé Linque,” a classically inspired interpretation of “Les Douzilles,” and, above all, the deeply introspective version of “The Silence Of A Candle.”

Evosound presents “Beyond Words” as part of the Chesky Original Masters Series – pressed on 180-gram vinyl using the sonically superior One-Step process and cut at 33 RPM.