Oregon at Mom Cultural Center

Without a doubt OREGON is one of the finest groups ever to paint a musical landscape of such global proportions. For three decades OREGON has inspired audiences in renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and Vienna’s Mozartsaal; in international jazz clubs and at major festivals on tour throughout every continent.

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. In the mid 60’s, they both traveled to Europe. Towner studied classical guitar in Vienna, 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 ‘7 0’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. On a break at that session, Ralph and Collin played their first guitar/sitar duet in the hallways of Columbia Studios. Young musicians Ralph Towner and Glen Moore met Collin Walcott at a recording session in New York City in 1969. When the three joined the Paul Winter Consort for a 50-concert U.S. tour the following year, they quickly formed an alliance with its oboist, Paul McCandless. The early development of Oregon took root when the four began investigating new musical possibilities after getting a taste of collective improvisation on tour with the Consort. Winter’s group introduced them to the concept of performing 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 world music influences from around the globe....

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Without a doubt OREGON is one of the finest groups ever to paint a musical landscape of such global proportions. For three decades OREGON has inspired audiences in renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and Vienna’s Mozartsaal; in international jazz clubs and at major festivals on tour throughout every continent.

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. In the mid 60’s, they both traveled to Europe. Towner studied classical guitar in Vienna, 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 ‘7 0’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. On a break at that session, Ralph and Collin played their first guitar/sitar duet in the hallways of Columbia Studios. Young musicians Ralph Towner and Glen Moore met Collin Walcott at a recording session in New York City in 1969. When the three joined the Paul Winter Consort for a 50-concert U.S. tour the following year, they quickly formed an alliance with its oboist, Paul McCandless. The early development of Oregon took root when the four began investigating new musical possibilities after getting a taste of collective improvisation on tour with the Consort. Winter’s group introduced them to the concept of performing 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 world music influences from around the globe.
In November 1984, Walcott died in an auto accident. This left Oregon with the seemingly impossible task of filling an enormous vacuum. They reunited for the first time in May 1985
at a memorial concert for Walcott in New York where the dazzling Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu joined them to pay tribute. Over a five-year period, he played on three albums with the band. Upon his departure the three original members continued their creative development as a trio. For the 1996 Intuition recording Northwest Passage, the group incorporated drummer Mark Walker on the Indie Award winning record. He soon after became their newest member.

Ralph Towner – Guitar/Piano
Paul McCandless – Woodwinds
Glen Moore – Acoustic Bass
Mark Walker – Drums/Percussion

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