Ecotopia

Given the death of Colin Walcott, a virtual architect of Oregon's sound, it would natural to assume the band would have to search for a way to fill that void. It would also be quite natural for them to make a record that reflected that void. That said, and allowing for the exception that Oregon was leaning in a somewhat, shall we say, "more accessible" direction before Walcott's untimely demise, there is no excuse for this waste of studio time and Manfred Eicher's energy. It is no wonder that he began the ECM New Series a few years before, given the junk churned out by some of label's stable between 1983 and 1988, and this record is a stellar example. Simply put, this is a trite, new age piece of dreck slopped out by a group of musicians whose combined creativity should always take them to stellar heights. There are no redeeming tracks on this disc, and few redeeming moments (the 12-string and tabla introduction to "Innocente" is one) where one can remember that this was a band that opened a new door in chamber jazz in terms of composition and free improvisation. Worthless.