Classical and 12–string guitar master Ralph Towner, a Washington State native, grew up in a musical family, inspired by his mother, a pianist and teacher, and his father, a trumpeter. Towner only took up guitar in his early twenties after completing a degree in music composition at the University of Oregon, whereupon he pursued an intense period of classical guitar study in Vienna.
Towner relocated to New York and worked as a session musician on both piano and guitar. He soon joined the Paul Winter Consort, and with bandmates Collin Walcott (sitar, table), Paul McCandless (oboe, sax), and Glenn Moore (bass), he co-founded the pathbreaking fusion ensemble Oregon in 1970.
With his Oregon mates, Towner debuted on the German jazz label ECM with Trios/Solos (1972). In addition to his numerous solo recordings, he undertook notable ECM duo releases with John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Paolo Fresu, and Gary Peacock. The ensemble he assembled for 1975’s Solstice (ECM) also is notable, with Norwegians Jan Garbarek on reeds and drummer Jon Christensen, and German double bassist Eberhard Weber.
Towner backed work by Garbarek, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Wheeler, Egberto Gismonti, Peter Erskine, Azimuth (John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone), and Weather Report. He partnered with fellow guitarists Wolfgang Muthspiel (Germany) and Slava Grigoryan (Kazakhstan) on the stellar 2013 ECM release Travel Guide, recorded in Lugano, Switzerland. Of special note are his late ECM titles, My Foolish Heart (2017) and At First Light (2023, his finale).
Ralph Towner stands among the few artists who integrated acoustic guitar into jazz, together with Brazilian masters Bola Sete, Luiz Bonfá, and Laurindo Almeida, Charlie Byrd (hear his bossa nova work with Stan Getz), and Bill Connors. Towner’s composition sensibilities and musicianship reflect his rootedness in Brazilian traditions, classical counterpoint, the piano approach of Bill Evans, and the wider universe of jazz.
In this edition of Jazz Roots & Branches we present a necessarily truncated audition of Ralph Towner’s extensive discography. Thanks for joining us.
Playlist
Title | Artist | Album | Composer | Label
Touchstone | Oregon | Music of Another Present Era | Ralph Towner | Vanguard
Dark Spirit | Ralph Towner | Diary | Ralph Towner | ECM
Nimbus | Ralph Towner | Solstice | Ralph Towner | ECM
Isla | Ralph Towner & John Abercrombie | Five Years Later | Ralph Towner | ECM
Flutter Step | Gary Peacock & Ralph Towner | Oracle | Gary Peacock | ECM
Blue in Green | Ralph Towner & Paolo Fresu | Chiaroscuro | Bill Evans; Miles Davis | ECM
Die Blaue Stunde | Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel & Slava Grigoryan | Travel Guide | Wolfgang Muthspiel | ECM
My Foolish Heart | Ralph Towner | My Foolish Heart | Victor Young; Ned Washington | ECM
Flow | Ralph Towner | At First Light | Ralph Towner | ECM
Fat Foot | Ralph Towner | At First Light | Ralph Towner | ECM
Four Comets II | Ralph Towner | Anthem | Ralph Towner | ECM
