Collin Walcott Benefit Ralph Towner, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny Collin Walcott/NY, USA 1985

Colin Walcott was an indispensable member of Oregon, a unique group that was formed in 1970 after splitting off from the Paul Winter Consort. The group fuses jazz, contemporary classical music, and folk music, and performs improvisations with a wide variety of sounds through free arrangements. He was suddenly killed in a car accident during Oregon’s European tour in 1984. He studied percussion at university, studied the sitar under Ravi Shankar, and further studied the tabla under Ara Rakha. In memory of this true musician who demonstrated his rare talent and was loved by many musicians, Ralph Towner, Glenn Moore, Paul McGrath, and others have written a special collection of works by Walcott. This two-disc set features the first high-quality recording of the rare performance from the 1985 Walcott tribute concert “The Colin Walcott Benefit” in New York, which brought together a stellar lineup of musicians including Oregon, who had worked with Candless for many years, Trinik Gurt, who later succeeded Walcott, Brazilian master percussionist Nana, veteran Cherry, guitarists Pat Metheny and John Abercrombie, Holland and DeJohnette, cellist Darling, and the great Native American jazz saxophonist/vocalist Jim Pepper, who also has deep ties to Walcott and Oregon!