In Stride CamJazz****

Oregon, perhaps the best of all "crossover" units, are 40 this year and still going their own sweet, orderly, multicultural way with a zest that belies anno domini. The quartet's character rests mainly on the lyricism, logic, melodic ingenuity and sheer virtuosity of Paul McCandless (oboe/cor anglais/soprano/flute), the brilliant Ralph Towner (classical, 12-string and synth guitar/piano), and Towner's composing, with Glen Moore (bass) and Mark Walker (drums/percussion) in close-knit support. Towner, whose piano reflects a Bill Evans influence, again wrote most of the material. And it's perhaps significant that, however interchangeable their superbly played and dynamically nuanced albums are, amid new pieces they can still draw enough stimulus from two older items, As She Sleepsand On The Rise, for possibly the finest performances here. See CamJazz.com