RALPH TOWNER - Diary
ECM 674 3483
Ralph Towner (12-string & classical guitar, gongs)
Recorded April 1973
Ralph Towner has been making albums for ECM for almost fifty years, and this early album and his first entirely solo recording is still one of the loveliest albums in the labels discography. In a career that has spanned more than five decades, the guitarist has found himself in many different settings including being a member of the groundbreaking group Oregon, as well as duos with John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Gary Peacock and Paolo Fresu. It also goes without saying that his Solstice album with Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber and Jon Christensen had an enormous influence on all musicians concerned and also helped define the ECM sound.
As a guitarist he favours the 12-string and classical guitar and over the course of his long career has developed an individual and instantly recognisable style that has produced some of the most gorgeous acoustic guitar music of the last half a century, and it is fascinating to hear on this first solo album just how fully formed his concept was. Already Towner is absorbing what he learned from his period as a Bill Evans influenced pianist, and drawing on Western classical music and Brazilian music; but what is so impressive is how he pulls all this together in a music that is very quickly uniquely identifiable as his own.
All in all it is fair to say that Diary is pretty much a masterclass in how to record a solo album. There is nothing here but pure music, and music of the highest quality. From the compositions to the arrangements everything is as good as it could possibly be. Towner has worked out his concept so thoroughly that there is nothing that is superfluous, and the result is a set that is perfectly balanced and complete. The multi-instrumental side of his playing is used as and when the composition requires, and sparingly at that with the use of the gongs heard on 'Images Unseen' adds perfectly to the ethereal mood of the piece.
Overall the music places an emphasis on lyricism, with delightful melodies, counter melodies and breathtaking accompaniment that draw in the listener. From the outset, 'Dark Spirit', the beauty of the composition, playing and indeed spirit of the music is all encompassing, every detail from Towner's guitars and piano clearly enunciated. This is music that for all it's quietness speaks volumes. The magic continues throughout, and pieces such as 'The Silence Of A Candle' for piano, and 'Mon Enfant' (by an anonymous composer) for guitar are exquisite, as is the Towner classic 'Icarus' impeccably arranged for piano and guitar. This is a piece that obviously resonated with the guitarist, as he would return to this composition some 12 months or so later in a wonderful duet for guitar and vibes with Gary Burton on the Match Book album also for ECM.
Not surprising that Diary has been selected as one of the fifty Touchstone re-issues, and a jewel in the ECM crown.
ECM 674 3483
Ralph Towner (12-string & classical guitar, gongs)
Recorded April 1973
Ralph Towner has been making albums for ECM for almost fifty years, and this early album and his first entirely solo recording is still one of the loveliest albums in the labels discography. In a career that has spanned more than five decades, the guitarist has found himself in many different settings including being a member of the groundbreaking group Oregon, as well as duos with John Abercrombie, Gary Burton, Gary Peacock and Paolo Fresu. It also goes without saying that his Solstice album with Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber and Jon Christensen had an enormous influence on all musicians concerned and also helped define the ECM sound.
As a guitarist he favours the 12-string and classical guitar and over the course of his long career has developed an individual and instantly recognisable style that has produced some of the most gorgeous acoustic guitar music of the last half a century, and it is fascinating to hear on this first solo album just how fully formed his concept was. Already Towner is absorbing what he learned from his period as a Bill Evans influenced pianist, and drawing on Western classical music and Brazilian music; but what is so impressive is how he pulls all this together in a music that is very quickly uniquely identifiable as his own.
All in all it is fair to say that Diary is pretty much a masterclass in how to record a solo album. There is nothing here but pure music, and music of the highest quality. From the compositions to the arrangements everything is as good as it could possibly be. Towner has worked out his concept so thoroughly that there is nothing that is superfluous, and the result is a set that is perfectly balanced and complete. The multi-instrumental side of his playing is used as and when the composition requires, and sparingly at that with the use of the gongs heard on 'Images Unseen' adds perfectly to the ethereal mood of the piece.
Overall the music places an emphasis on lyricism, with delightful melodies, counter melodies and breathtaking accompaniment that draw in the listener. From the outset, 'Dark Spirit', the beauty of the composition, playing and indeed spirit of the music is all encompassing, every detail from Towner's guitars and piano clearly enunciated. This is music that for all it's quietness speaks volumes. The magic continues throughout, and pieces such as 'The Silence Of A Candle' for piano, and 'Mon Enfant' (by an anonymous composer) for guitar are exquisite, as is the Towner classic 'Icarus' impeccably arranged for piano and guitar. This is a piece that obviously resonated with the guitarist, as he would return to this composition some 12 months or so later in a wonderful duet for guitar and vibes with Gary Burton on the Match Book album also for ECM.
Not surprising that Diary has been selected as one of the fifty Touchstone re-issues, and a jewel in the ECM crown.
