From the department of brazen self-promotion:

Please join me in welcoming that venerable and merry band of musicians, OREGON, featuring Ralph Towner, Paul McCandless, Glen Moore, and Mark Walker. OREGON has been serving up profoundly beautiful, and beautifully profound, music for well over 30 years, and their occasional visits are events not to be missed.

As I did last year, I will again have the honor and joy of serving as appetizer for their sumptuous main course, and will be joined on a few tunes by various Oregonian friends.

Also, it's likely that there will be copies of my recent Naim album, Remember the River, which features Paul McCandless and Steve Rodby, available for sale at the gig.

Come on down and dig on up.

As always, I'm grateful for your past and future support.

Your fred,
Fred

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OREGON
with, for starters, Fred Simon - solo piano

Sunday and Monday, May 15 and 16, 2005
7:30 PM

Martyrs
3855 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
for information call (773) 404-9494

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*** WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT PEACE, LOVE, AND UNDERSTANDING? ***

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Fred - any plans for a trip to Englandshire?

Steve.

Fred - sounds fantastic and I truely wish I could be there. How about you guys coming down under for a few shows?

Adrian

Fred - where were you, when Oregon recently toured Germany, I would have LOVED to see you with the band !!!

Cheers
Stefan

Fred,
Now I am really home sick!! I would love to see/hear you and Oregon together! What a sublime combination. I just caught the group here in Bakersfield, California, and they were wonderful. Ralph was playing some new electric guitar that looked like something from Star Wars, sounded great. Will KC record any of this on his little recorder? I hope so! Have a great set! And, I hope you will give a full report!

Anthony

PS: This is what I miss about home. You can catch a set like this without driving 100+ miles. Also, ordered the new Hobgood from ProMusica.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: smiglass,

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Bull:
Fred - any plans for a trip to Englandshire?

No plans currently, but my standard reply is that I'll play anywhere I'm invited. Would love to come over and play ... just need the invitation.

Thanks for asking.

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Expat in Oz:
Fred - sounds fantastic and I truely wish I could be there. How about you guys coming down under for a few shows?

I've never been to Australia, but have always wanted to ever since I was a kid and saw the film Walkabout.

And again, my standard reply: if invited, I will gladly serve.

All best,
Fred

quote:

Originally posted by sjust:
Fred - where were you, when Oregon recently toured Germany, I would have LOVED to see you with the band !!!

Thanks for your warm wishes, Stefan. I would have loved to see me there, too. But, you know ... just need that formal invitation.


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quote:

Originally posted by smiglass:
Fred,
Now I am really home sick!! I would love to see/hear you and Oregon together! What a sublime combination. I just caught the group here in Bakersfield, California, and they were wonderful. Ralph was playing some new electric guitar that looked like something from Star Wars, sounded great. Will KC record any of this on his little recorder? I hope so! Have a great set! And, I hope you will give a full report!

Thanks for your kind words, Anthony.

The two nights with Oregon went incredibly well. Their music is some of my favorite in the history of human civilization ... not hyperbole, just fact. To share the stage with them is a wonderful honor and pleasure.

The room, Martyrs, is great ... beautiful Steinway piano, fantastic sound, good vibes. I played solo for a few tunes and you could hear a pin drop — a very rare experience these days in places where art and commerce intersect — and was very warmly received. Then I played a duet with Glen Moore, then a duet with Paul McCandless, then a trio with Paul and Mark Walker. It was heaven.

Then the mighty Oregon took the stage and blew our collective mind. Just insanely great. And playing several wonderful new tunes from a new album they just recorded this spring in Oslo with engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug.

By the way, that new guitar of Ralph's is called a frame guitar (looks like Picasso might have drawn it), and it has nylon strings with a pickup, but also triggers synth modules. Very cool.

And, yes, Ken did record the second of the two nights.

All best,
Fred

Thanks for the report, Fred! I wish I could have been there to hear two of my favorite musical performers. It had to be a great experience! I would love to have a TruStereo recording of you with Oregon. I think the blending of styles would be wonderful!

Anthony

quote:

Originally posted by smiglass:
Thanks for the report, Fred! I wish I could have been there to hear two of my favorite musical performers. It had to be a great experience! I would love to have a TruStereo recording of you with Oregon. I think the blending of styles would be wonderful!

Thanks again for the very kind words, Anthony.

...

Man...I believe here in the '03 Naim Christmas Wish thread I posted a request for Fred and Oregon to collaborate...my wish finally came true! Who says there isn't a Santa Claus?

Fred, what's the release date?

best regards,

dave

quote:

Originally posted by dave simpson:
Man...I believe here in the '03 Naim Christmas Wish thread I posted a request for Fred and Oregon to collaborate...my wish finally came true! Who says there isn't a Santa Claus?

Fred, what's the release date?

So far, the closest you'll see to something like that is my recent album Remember the River, with Paul McCandless and Steve Rodby, or Usually/Always from 1988, with McCandless, Walker, and Rodby (among others).

The problem is that there is so much common language between my music and that of Oregon that there's a real risk in diluting the recipe too much. Over the decades I've recorded and/or performed with every member of Oregon except the late Collin Wolcott, but usually only one at a time (the only exception being playing/recording with McCandless and Walker).

But hopefully there will be more double bill shows like this past week, at least in Chicago. And I hope to record again with both McCandless and Walker, together if possible.

In the mean time, if you're not familiar with Paul's 1992 album Premonition, featuring Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby (who also produced), Walker, and me. Sadly, it's out of print, but I often see it surface on eBay.

Thanks for the warm wishes,
Fred

...

Come on Naim, help the man sort out a UK tour and get him over here!

S.

Premonition is a delightful album featuring the versatility of Paul McCandless on various reed instruments. I also enjoyed the piano of Lyle Mays, who I think is under-appreciated and really shines away from PMG. Also nice synth textures by Fred Simon.

Anthony

quote:

Originally posted by smiglass:
Premonition is a delightful album featuring the versatility of Paul McCandless on various reed instruments. I also enjoyed the piano of Lyle Mays, who I think is under-appreciated and really shines away from PMG. Also nice synth textures by Fred Simon.

Thanks once again, Anthony. Premonition was a great project, both the album and the subsequent tour (albeit too short). And I'd say that even if I wasn't a member of the band.

.

If any of you far flung Naim fans are in the New York area this weekend, Oregon is in town at Iridium, in the heart of the Broadway Theater district, until Sunday night. We did not get the added bonus of Fred's playing, but the Oregon foursome is one of the great bands in all of music, and tonight's shows were somewhat undersold. So, if you have the time, try the website at www.iridiumjazzclub.com and get yourself some tickets to see one of the best American groups of the post war era. Paul McCandless, who handles their public speaking, mentioned that they are celebrating 35 years playing together.

Their set's tonight were wonderful, displaying their great group interactions, and stunning improvisations from each player simply melded into flowing rivers of sound. Go if you can, you won't regret it!

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by bdnyc:
the Oregon foursome is one of the great bands in all of music ... one of the best American groups of the post war era ... Their sets tonight were wonderful, displaying their great group interactions, and stunning improvisations from each player simply melded into flowing rivers of sound. Go if you can, you won't regret it!

Amen and right on.

One of the best groups from anywhere of any era, I'd say.

Now, everybody do like Bruce do and go.

Fred

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