Lantern

Reviewed: 2018-03-28
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: acoustic fusion jazz. While there are certain touchstones common to many Oregon recordings here, and certain methodologies that have come to define its sound and approach to harmony and melody, Lantern makes clear that, forty-seven years on, and with its two remaining co-founders well into their senior years, Oregon remains as effortlessly surprising and holistically inimitable as it's ever been.
If You Like: David Friesen
Track Review (favorites denoted by*):
*1/ Dolomiti Dance (6:11) – guitar starts> uptempo & bouncy> quick stop
2/ Duende (5:59) – guitar starts> midtempo pastoral jam> quick stop
*3/ Walkin’ The Walk (6:35) – bass/drums start> midtempo jam swings uptempo then mellows, then swings back up> quick stop
4/ Not Forgotten (4:31) guitar starts> slow & contemplative jam> fade
*5/ Hop, Skip, And A Thump (6:24) – guitar starts> midtempo bop jam> quick fade
6/ Figurine (2:54) – piano starts> slow tempo jam> fade
*7/ The Glide (8:07) – sax starts> uptempo jam> swinging solos all around> crescendo end
**8/ Aeolian Tale (5:46) – bass starts> slow jam with Spanish vibe swings to midtempo> bass solo> quick stop
**9/ Lantern (7:58) – oboe starts> ethereal slow jam swings uptempo with an undulating jungle vibe> swells in volume> slow fade
10/ The Water is Wide (7:07) – oboe starts> midtempo jam> quick fade