Ralph Towner - Open Letter (1992)
Artist: Ralph Towner
Title: Open Letter
Year Of Release: 1992
Label: ECM Records[ECM 1462]
Genre: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue,log,scans) | MP3/320 kbps
Total Time: 53:44
Total Size: 253 MB(+3%) | 127 MB(+3%)
WebSite: Album Preview
TracklistTitle: Open Letter
Year Of Release: 1992
Label: ECM Records[ECM 1462]
Genre: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue,log,scans) | MP3/320 kbps
Total Time: 53:44
Total Size: 253 MB(+3%) | 127 MB(+3%)
WebSite: Album Preview
1 The Sigh 5:13
2 Wistful Thinking 3:58
3 Adrift 6:10
4 Infection 3:18
5 Alar 7:14
6 Short 'N Stout 3:04
7 Waltz For Debby 4:16
8 I Fall In Love Too Easily 4:19
9 Magic Pouch 5:06
10 Magnolia Island 4:35
11 Nightfall 6:27
personnel :
Ralph Towner - classical and 12-string guitars, synthesizer
Peter Erskine - drums
Ralph Towner's a difficult case. The snoozy noodlings of his former band Oregon can be downright stupefying, but his solo work is often, though not always, quite a bit more interesting. Open Letter walks both sides of the line, but succeeds more often than it fails. Towner teams up with jazz drummer Peter Erskine on this set, and while guitar and drums may sound like kind of a dry instrumentation, Towner fleshes things out with some synthesizer and Erskine puts electronic percussion to tasteful use. But it's the more traditional fare that is most successful here -- while "Magic Pouch," awith its imitation flute, is almost a new age parody, the similarly gentle "Nightfall" hits the spot perfectly, and Towner's solo turn on the Bill Evans classic "Waltz for Debby" is exquisite. In general, Towner seems to do best with standards rather than originals; he acquits himself beautifully on "I Fall in Love Too Easily," but the faux-Spanish modality and synthesized seagull cries of "Alar" sound like muzak for tourists. Other Towner compositions, notably "The Sigh" and "Short 'n Stout," are far more successful.~Rick Anderson