EDITOR’S NOTE: Legendary jazz guitarist Ralph Towner died Sunday January 18, at age 85 (see his New York Times obituary here), a few months after the death of his early collaborator, singer Nancy King (see Lynn Darroch’s ArtsWatch memorial appreciation of her here). Both Oregon Jazz Hall of Fame members were among the finest musicians ever to come out of our state. On the occasion of Towner’s passing, we’re publishing an updated version of Brett Campbell’s 2013 Oregon Quarterly feature about Towner, King and their fellow jazz giant, Glen Moore, whose meeting at the University of Oregon in the late 1950s ignited their respective careers.
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In early 1960, the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon hosted the annual Parents Weekend combo contest for student musicians. Freshman Glen Moore showed up with his acoustic bass, anchoring the rhythm section of three of the five jazz groups slated to perform. Moore listened closely to the other students. One especially stood out: “He was playing a little piano, then trumpet, and even bongos. He even had a bongo solo!”…