Richard And Mimi Fariña – Memories [1968; Vanguard]

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In the last album from the Fariña couple (released two years after Richard’s death in a motorcycle accident), the dreamy folk pop of their previous two albums drifts into more somber tones in some of its tracks, though the playful nonsense of earlier pieces holds fast in other inclusions.  Assembled from an assortment of recordings, the songs include Mimi’s sister Joan Baez on two compositions, along with excerpts from live sessions, instrumental jams, and Mimi by herself, covering one of Richard’s early songs. 

For such a range of sources, the pieces come together with fine cohesion, a quality helped by the couple’s usual comfort with experimentation.  Though the styles and instrumentation change with almost every track, the sense of personalities provide a steadying guide through the jumble of moods and sketches.  A very personalized memorial, but the scattered-mindedness, though it fits the departed, makes for an album experience which can be off-putting at first listen.

Here’s the cover art used for the reissue.

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Oregon – Music of Another Present Era [1972; Vanguard]

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On their first album, the fusion jazz group Oregon keeps things gentle, with the assorted strings, percussion, and wind instruments winding through a range of world music styles.  Largely absent of vocals, the compositions manage their sizable ensembles well, and the passing-off of melodies and beat-lines through the group is done with disarming deftness.  The songs also move fairly quickly for their style, averaging about three minutes and change for the fourteen tracks, aided by the focused song-writing to keep the music free of repetitive bloat.  While none of the tracks lend themselves to humming, the hooks do have a tendency to lie in memory and unexpectedly resurface.  A nice debut, if a bit light in its form, with an impressive base of technique laid for further expansion.

Here’s the cover art used on some reissues.

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