7/4 Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Posted March 1, 2009 Hey - it's Ralph Towner's birthday again! Happy birthday to a true original. I'll have to spin some classics later today... Quote
WorldB3 Posted March 1, 2009 Report Posted March 1, 2009 Hey - it's Ralph Towner's birthday again! Happy birthday to a true original. I'll have to spin some classics later today... Happy B-Day Mr. Towner! Not that I need one, but its a great excuse to spin Batik and Solstice today. Quote
bigtiny Posted March 3, 2009 Report Posted March 3, 2009 I really like 'Old Friends, New Friends' bigtiny Quote
7/4 Posted May 30, 2009 Author Report Posted May 30, 2009 Time Line has been getting a bit of spin around here lately. Quote
mjzee Posted May 30, 2009 Report Posted May 30, 2009 Just listened to Ana again. Stunning. He creates a mood so quickly. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted May 30, 2009 Report Posted May 30, 2009 There's an interesting passage in Bill Bruford's bio where he talks with great admiration for Towner. He reports conversations with Towner about flying into Oslo, failing to sleep and then going into the studio jet-lagged: "He'll tell you that his entire body of recorded work has been extracted from him between stifled yawns and that he has never made a record yet on which he was not half-asleep." Of course, some wags would maintain this was standard ECM recording policy! Quote
7/4 Posted May 30, 2009 Author Report Posted May 30, 2009 I saw that, I still haven't read the entire book. Too many books, not enough time. Yesterday at work I was listening to Batik and was thinking about how different the results were (If Summer Had...) with another drummer (Bruford replacing DeJohnette). Of course the Bruford album has different composers (mostly Bruford). Quote
king ubu Posted March 1, 2010 Report Posted March 1, 2010 There's an interesting passage in Bill Bruford's bio where he talks with great admiration for Towner. He reports conversations with Towner about flying into Oslo, failing to sleep and then going into the studio jet-lagged: "He'll tell you that his entire body of recorded work has been extracted from him between stifled yawns and that he has never made a record yet on which he was not half-asleep." Of course, some wags would maintain this was standard ECM recording policy! Ha, that's kind of funny Happy Birthday to Mr. Towner! I don't have many of his recordings yet, but the two Touchstones (Solstice and Batik) are fine! And his recent one, "Chiaroscuro" with Paolo Fresu, is very good, too! Quote
7/4 Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Posted March 1, 2010 Happy Birthday to Mr. Towner! I don't have many of his recordings yet, but the two Touchstones (Solstice and Batik) are fine! two classics from my youth! And his recent one, "Chiaroscuro" with Paolo Fresu, is very good, too! gotta get that one. Quote
king ubu Posted March 2, 2010 Report Posted March 2, 2010 Played "Solstice" twice in a row last night - pretty good one indeed! And the photo of a young Garbarek is funny! He seems like an unpretentuous guy there... tempi passati! Quote
randyhersom Posted March 2, 2010 Report Posted March 2, 2010 Wow there is a Ralph Towner thread and I haven't pitched in. One of my favorites. Solstice is indeed gorgeous and was a great bridge for a prog rock fan like me back in the day. On the whole I love the sound of his twelve string most of all, but my single favorite cut, Oregon's Yet To Be doesn't feature 12 string at all, Ralph is on piano. The solo versions of the "Hits" on Diary are to die for, Icarus and Silence of a Candle. A melodist and composer first and an improviser second, his projects denied easy genre classification. One could view him as a pioneer paving the way for increased prominence for both New Age and World Music. Quote
7/4 Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Posted March 2, 2010 Wow there is a Ralph Towner thread and I haven't pitched in. One of my favorites. Solstice is indeed gorgeous and was a great bridge for a prog rock fan like me back in the day. On the whole I love the sound of his twelve string most of all, but my single favorite cut, Oregon's Yet To Be doesn't feature 12 string at all, Ralph is on piano. The solo versions of the "Hits" on Diary are to die for, Icarus and Silence of a Candle. A melodist and composer first and an improviser second, his projects denied easy genre classification. One could view him as a pioneer paving the way for increased prominence for both New Age and World Music. Yet I always think of him as a jazz guy influenced by classical music. I guess I'm just more interested in his solo albums. Quote
WorldB3 Posted March 2, 2010 Report Posted March 2, 2010 (edited) [ I don't have many of his recordings yet, but the two Touchstones (Solstice and Batik) are fine! And his recent one, "Chiaroscuro" with Paolo Fresu, is very good, too! yes, Chiaroscuro is a good one, nice to hear him on the 12 String on a few tracks on it. My all time favorite by him is Batik. Edited March 2, 2010 by WorldB3 Quote
7/4 Posted April 13, 2010 Author Report Posted April 13, 2010 (edited) I've been spinning this a lot in the car in the last few weeks. Ralph Towner - Open Letter. I really love it too. The combination of classical guitar & Prophet synth is real nice. Edited April 13, 2010 by 7/4 Quote
7/4 Posted May 1, 2011 Author Report Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) Ralph Towner - Toledo Edited May 1, 2011 by 7/4 Quote
7/4 Posted September 10, 2012 Author Report Posted September 10, 2012 I heard Oregon play@Birdland, NYC last week. It's the first time I've heard Towner play live and I was pretty thrilled, I wish I stayed for the second set. I wish he played more guitar, he also plays keyboards. I enjoyed myself anyway, the band was great. It was first time I’d heard Towner live. If only he’d perform more solo gigs in the states! Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted September 10, 2012 Report Posted September 10, 2012 I've seen him a couple of times - a particularly memorable gig with Steve Swallow, Norma Winstone and, I think, Kenny Wheeler (clearly not quite that memorable!!!!). All Swallow compositions, I believe. Quote
kh1958 Posted September 10, 2012 Report Posted September 10, 2012 I heard Oregon a couple of times at the Caravan of Dreams in the last 1980s; they are an excellent group. Ralph Towner also played a solo concert at the Caravan. He was my favorite in that group, but Paul McCandless and Glenn Moore are pretty nice players as well. Quote
StarThrower Posted September 10, 2012 Report Posted September 10, 2012 I've picked up a bunch of stuff over the past few years. Diary Open Letter Solstice Batik Oregon: Winter Light; Music Of Another Present Era; s/t on ECM; Ecotopia Winter Light is great! The instrumental version of Jim Pepper's Witchi Tai-To is sublime! Kenny Wheeler-Deer Wan, terrific album! Would love to purchase a CD of Old Friends New Friends if it gets reissued. Oregon fans might be interested in Nguyen Le's Walking On The Tiger's Tail. A great record featuring Paul McCandless, Art Lande, and Jamie Haddad. Quote
7/4 Posted March 1, 2015 Author Report Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) birthday. . Edited March 1, 2015 by 7/4 Quote
StarThrower Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 Happy 75th to the one and only, Ralph Towner! Quote
Sundog Posted March 1, 2015 Report Posted March 1, 2015 Happy Birthday Indeed! Will spin some Ralph a bit later. Quote
7/4 Posted February 22, 2016 Author Report Posted February 22, 2016 Rare ECM video! Ralph Towner with Solstice. Where is more ECM video from the early days??? NRK TV Jazz i Munch-museet 28. februar 1975 "Norwegian music program. Surrounded by Munch paintings met four leading jazz musicians, two Norwegian and two overseas, to its first public interaction. The American guitarist Ralph Towner, the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, the German bassist Eberhard Weber and Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen - Ralph Towner's quartet. The recording is from an exercise in the Munch Museum in Oslo. " Quote
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