Oregon - Beyond Words (Hybrid SACD) * * *

Oregon Beyond Words on Hybrid SACD from Chesky Records

As part of the Chesky Original Masters reissue series, the audiophile label Chesky Records is releasing Oregon's Beyond Words.

Ralph Towner on guitar and keyboards, bassist Glen Moore, and Paul McCandless (playing six different wind instruments) are featured at their most creative. Beyond Words features Oregon during a period when the group was a trio after the passing of percussionist Collin Wolcott. The unique band, which blended together modern jazz with rhythms, melodies and sounds inspired by the music of other cultures, was always unclassifiable and "beyond words." Performing originals by Towner and Moore, Jim Pepper's famous "Witchi-Tai-To," and a three-part free improvisation, the trio displays plenty of variety in moods (ranging from the whimsical to the somber), sounds (Towner's acoustic classical guitar contrasts with his work on synth), and instrumentation with McCandless featured on soprano, sopranino, oboe, bass clarinet, English horn, and penny whistle. Highlights include the driving, rollicking energy of "Ecotopia," the playfully infectious groove of "Pepé Linque," a classical-inspired rendition of "Les Douzilles," and most notably, the trio delivers a deeply introspective version of "The Silence of a Candle." No matter the mood or the instrumentation, all of the performances on Beyond Words are as memorable and as colorful as the group itself.

The title will be reissued on Hybrid Stereo SACD.