-
Nice.............................................. .................................................. ..................
-
01-23-2014 05:23 PM
-
Had the pleasure of meeting Ralph backstage after an Oregon concert here in Florida. Had seen him a few times before that in Boston back in the 70's. I had just finished studying at Aspen Music School. He was interested in what my experience was there with the various instructors. At that time there were no published scores of his compositions available. I noticed a copy of the tune "Oceanus" in his Mark Leaf case and mentioned that his music was hard to find. . He reached over and handed me the score. I was totally enthralled. He is one of my favorite musicians. A brilliant artist.
-
His duo with John Abercrombie was and still is one of the most balanced, dynamic, unexpected and funniest meetings of the minds. He's still active, mostly in Europe and calls Tuscany his home. Heaven on earth.
David
-
check out the cd sargasso sea
-
I've talked to Ralph about Frameworks guitar and guitar synths few years ago.
I like Frameworks nylon strings guitars...
-
I can recommend the album Diary and his work with the group Oregon. Here he's doing Icarus with Gary Burton if you want to hear something from the Real Book.
-
-
I love this tune:
-
Here's a great guitar duo version of it:
-
Man, I love Ralph Towner. One of the most unique visions out there.
I have a couple of his albums that are more or less on constant cycle at my house. Anthem is a big favorite.
-
Does anyone know what make of classical and 12 string guitar Ralph plays? I know he played a Guild 12 string for a number of years but not sure now. Thanks.
-
Seeing him play a double bill with Egberto Gismonti soon. Looking forward to it!
-
In a 2010 interview with Anil Prasad Towner reported:
Originally Posted by jaco
"(For Chiaroscuro) I used my old faithful classical guitar made by Jeffrey Elliott and Cyndy Burton. It was built in 1995, using East Indian rosewood and European spruce. It’s the most perfectly-balanced guitar I’ve ever played. You always know exactly how loud every note on every fret in every register will be when you pluck it. There aren’t any notes that jump out unexpectedly. It’s like playing a very well-voiced Steinway piano when you hit a bunch of notes in unison and want them to all be exactly the same volume. It gives me so much control over dynamics. I also like the tone of the instrument. It’s very lyrical and warm, while still being very clear.
I’m also playing my custom Guild 12-string with a Fishman under-saddle pickup that was made for me 40 years ago. It has a very wide classical neck so the strings aren’t too crowded together like on most 12-strings. It’s also made of rosewood and spruce, with a cutaway that makes it easy to play. It’s a really beautiful-sounding instrument that’s well balanced, and has exceptional tone."
-
For the Townies, a couple of tidbits and anectdotal artifacts. Ralph plays great piano, as a matter of fact, he played piano before he even picked up a guitar after he turned 20. Diary is a must have recording, half piano, half guitar.
As I mentioned before he and John Abercrombie made an uncanny combination, a wide spectrum of sounds and styles embodied in each of them, and an amazing dialogue. But their on stage humour never gets documented and it's priceless.
Ralph had written a tune for his dog Bippo. It's actually a number they did in two parts, at the beginning and the reprise at the end. So mischevious John takes the announcement mic and in his deadpan conversational audience banter tells a story:
"Ralph had a dog." looks at Ralph and Ralph nods. "He went everywhere with Bippo. But one day Bippo ran ahead to cross some railroad tracks ahead of him." Ralph looks up to see where this story is going "And a train ran over him. Cut him in half." Stunned silence.
"This is Bippo part 1"
Ah. Yeah
David
-
Ralph Towner is a true original. I first heard and saw Towner playing with the Paul Winter Consort in the Seventies. Hard to be precise because I caught PWConsort concerts a few times in those years, once or twice with Towner and it seems to me with Gene Bertoncini one time as well. Subsequently I've caught Ralph is various international concerts, the last time in Italy. I believe Ralph still lives at least part time in Sicily.
One of my favorite discs of his is Open Letter with his solo guitar versions of Waltz for Debby and I Fall In Love Too Easily, both of which I transcribed. Just great feel and tone. Of course, Ralph is an excellent pianist as well.
Jay
-
Wonderful wonderful tunes on this thread. The take home lesson on Ralph Towner I get is:
never let your playing get so cluttered and busy that lose the melody; the melody always serves as the gravitational center. Also, as Debussy stated, music is the silence between the notes. Ralph exemplifies it, wonderful use of space and silence in the service of music that is deeply lyrical and beautiful.
-
I think Ralph was a piano player before he took up guitar at the age of twenty. Bill Evans was obviously a huge influence. And it shows in his guitar compositions. His sense of harmony is beautiful.
-
Jaco - That is awesome! I met Ralph after a concert in Salzburg last year - great guy, so down to earth. I think he's still the best in the world. Not sure this is against any rules here, etc, but any chance you could scan that oceanus score and send it to me at seangallagher@auburn.edu? One of my favorite tunes of his, and it would be awesome to see the actual score.
Sean
-
Ahhh a Ralph Love Thread! Excellent! Been a fan of his for...gulp...40+ years.
Waterwheel
Beneath an Evening Sky
-
Here's my dream:
I hit the lottery, hire the secretary, who hires the planes etc etc....I stay at a nice hotel somewhere in Italy ( doesn't he live there ? ), and follow him & his concerts around Europe for a summer or two.....or three......or - - -
Listening to Ralph Towner on the Riviera, or the Amafi Coast......I mean, could this life get any better than that ?
(( Thanks to all for not waking me - just me doing some winter dreaming, somewhere in Wisconsin)) .
Dennis
-
That was about 30 years ago and lost through several moves since. I do remember it was a lowered sixth string tuning and was essentially the voicing written out for each chord change. But there were some great voicing, and it was a photocopy of I assume his handwritten score. If I ever find it again I'll post. Originally Posted by seanster
-
budding masters...towner & abercrombie
cheers
-
Hi Guys,
anyone out there that has an idea, where i can get a transcription / sheed (pdf ...) of towner´s tammurriata?
Thanx
Arno
-
Duet or each one solo? Originally Posted by David B
Either way , what a great experience to see those two on the same night.
Sargasso Sea. Just beautiful music - simple (and complex) as that.
-
Reply With Quote
Show Us Your Set List
Today, 03:56 PM in From The Bandstand