Ralph Towner - Time Line

Squaredancecalling Steve · May-13th-2006, 04:42 AM

TIME LINE

Ralph Towner -- classical and 12-string guitar (ECM 2006)

Unaccompanied acoustic guitar is not everybody's cup of tea -- there's something a little austere about the sound, I think. But if it is to your liking, you are almost certainly already familiar with Ralph Towner, guitarist for Oregon as well as a soloist and leader of various groups of his own over the years. This new album, his first in five years, is one of his very best.

Like the previous album, Anthem, this one is all solo and all guitar (Towner has played keyboards on several previous efforts). I thought Anthem was one of his more satisfying works, emphasizing his lyrical side. But I like this one even better. It is more overtly playful, sunnier, less introspective and more dance-like, and it showcases Towner's brilliant virtuosity (although always understated and in a context that warrants it). Time Line is not a radical departure from his previous albums, but I think it is among the most adventuresome and musically varied of his works, and one of his very best. If you've enjoyed his compostions and playing in the past, I'd highly recommend this new one, which I found to be a delight from beginning to end!

(I recently criticized another recent ECM release for being insufficiently trimmed. And it seems as though most recent ECMs are over 70 minutes long, and are almost never under an hour. But this one clocks in at a lp-like 44 minutes, and I think its tautness is one of its advantages.)

Nate Dorward · May-13th-2006, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

I recently criticized another recent ECM release for being insufficiently trimmed. And it seems as though most recent ECMs are over 70 minutes long, and are almost never under an hour.

Even more irritating is their habit of releasing 2-CD sets with 85-95 minutes of music.....

Well Jim McAuley's solo album is more my speed

but I'll have to hear this one too.

jaka · May-13th-2006, 11:42 AM

Thanks Steve.

I always enjoyed Towner's work and had in mind to get this one, but your post just convinced me I definitely should.

frankiepop · May-13th-2006, 01:14 PM

there's a certain jazzooo like non-critical thinking or non-thinking culture at jc that just about revels in anything anymore.

i like oregon, but I don't know. I listened to towner's cuts at npr in their entirety, and they sounded just about exactly the same as the last couple ecm lps of towner's i picked up some 10-20 yrs ago. a four star kenny g rally can only be just around the corner.

Squaredancecalling Steve · May-13th-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankiepop

there's a certain jazzooo like non-critical thinking or non-thinking culture at jc that just about revels in anything anymore.

I know, it's pathetic. Some of these non-critical types are going to go out and enjoy a sunny spring day today like they never saw one before, even though the salient features of it are exactly like the spring days they've been looking at for the past twenty years! I mean if you can't be grumpy about that, what hope is there for you!?

Ron Thorne · May-13th-2006, 04:26 PM

Steve, you need to knock it off with this unabashed enjoyment and appreciation of stuff.

Seriously.

frankiepop · May-13th-2006, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

I know, it's pathetic. Some of these non-critical types are going to go out and enjoy a sunny spring day today like they never saw one before...

your 6700 posts prove that, where do u find the time.

Gary Sisco · May-14th-2006, 07:29 AM

Hanging out with your English teacher?

Sand · May-14th-2006, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankiepop

your 6700 posts prove that, where do u find the time.

About 1400 posts, I believe. Still, I had time for a Towner CD last week. It was a duo and consequestly I doubled the value of the time I spent on that one. When I listen to solo recordings, I play triplets on the "Submit Reply Button".

Where does sqcs find time? Wherever he finds it, it would fit in on his Time Line.

ormsbop · May-14th-2006, 09:42 AM

I'm embarrassed that I don't own any of Towner's solo guitar work (although I do have some Oregon and other sideman stuff).

So, thanks for the heads up SQDC Steve! I'll check this out.

Ron Thorne · May-14th-2006, 06:28 PM

Steve, have you heard the 1985 recording Ralph Towner made with Gary Burton . . . Slideshow? Or, the one with Gary's Quartet . . . Matchbook. These two are absolutely superb together, hand-in-glove.

Thanks for the heads up on Time Line.

Squaredancecalling Steve · May-14th-2006, 06:36 PM

Don't think I've heard either, Ron.

I think you'd like his duo album with Peter Erskine, "Diary" -- have you heard that one?

Dennis Gonzalez · May-14th-2006, 06:39 PM

Hey Orms...you should hear these two Ralph Towners definitely:

Solstice
Solstice: Sound and Shadows...

They are beautiful and poetic. This world has very little time for beautiful and poetic, but you should definitely make time for these. They could just change you!

The second one, Sound and Shadows, I asked him about during an interview I did quite a while ago. He said that he'd just finished recording it in Oslo when he got word that his brother had passed away suddenly in Oregon. He had enough presence of mind to ask the engineer for a rough copy on cassette (shows you how long ago this was!) as he was leaving, and he had it in his bag when he arrived at his Mom's home. They drove in his car to the funeral ceremonies and burial, and on the way back to his Mom's house, quite a long drive, from what he was saying, he popped the cassette in his car's cassette player. He said that they drove without speaking all those miles home and just absorbed the beauty and poetry of the music. And it helped them, in the time they drove, heal much of the pain of their broken hearts. It was a beautiful story. I could picture in my mind that drive and the effect the music had on them.

Ron Thorne · May-14th-2006, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

Don't think I've heard either, Ron.

I think you'd like his duo album with Peter Erskine, "Diary" -- have you heard that one?

No I haven't Steve, but I'm sure I'd dig it. I love Peter's sensitivity and touch. I'm sure that they meshed wonderfully.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

Hey Orms...you should hear these two Ralph Towners definitely:

Solstice
Solstice: Sound and Shadows...

They are beautiful and poetic. This world has very little time for beautiful and poetic, but you should definitely make time for these. They could just change you!

Dennis, I couldn't agree more about those two recordings.

Also, Sargasso Sea, a duo with John Abercrombie just came to mind. Another fine one.

Matthias Lupri · May-14th-2006, 07:40 PM

Hey

Been a big fan of Towner when I heard the duo records with Gary Burton, Slide Show and Matchbook... also very beautiful and poetic. Been listening and digging his group disc called Lost and Found these past few months too...I lost it and then I found it again and getting spins!

Need to check out this new one Timeline. Love the recent Pat Metheny solo disc One Quiet Night...also have a cool Lenny Breau solo record which I believe he recorded in his home also like Metheny's. Sounds like he's drunk though too on it.... or something? I have it somewhere but presently it's in the Lost category also!

M

Nate Dorward · May-14th-2006, 10:50 PM

Oh, is that the Cabin Fever session?

ormsbop · May-14th-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

Hey Orms...you should hear these two Ralph Towners definitely:

Solstice
Solstice: Sound and Shadows...

They are beautiful and poetic. This world has very little time for beautiful and poetic, but you should definitely make time for these. They could just change you!

Dennis: Thanks for the recs. I'll keep those in mind too. Nice story BTW.

I guess I'm looking more for his solo works. Is the solo live worth getting? The recording quality didn't sound that great although that might be my computer.

Matthias Lupri · May-15th-2006, 09:01 AM

Nate

Yeah I think it is called Cabin Fever session, do you have it? I have it on cassette somewhere in storage and have not listened to it in years, but I recall enjoying it.

M

Clay Fink · May-15th-2006, 01:03 PM

My favorite Towner is "Baktik".

Mike Schwartz · May-15th-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthias Lupri

Hey

Been a big fan of Towner when I heard the duo records with Gary Burton, Slide Show and Matchbook... also very beautiful and poetic. Been listening and digging his group disc called Lost and Found these past few months too...I lost it and then I found it again and getting spins!

Need to check out this new one Timeline. Love the recent Pat Metheny solo disc One Quiet Night...also have a cool Lenny Breau solo record which I believe he recorded in his home also like Metheny's. Sounds like he's drunk though too on it.... or something? I have it somewhere but presently it's in the Lost category also!

M

I have to check the Schwartz archive, but I have a couple of those in discussion on LP[!], certainly "Matchbook" and at least one other.

Another Towner fan here from the first Oregon recording, and many things since...

Nate Dorward · May-15th-2006, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthias Lupri

Nate

Yeah I think it is called Cabin Fever session, do you have it? I have it on cassette somewhere in storage and have not listened to it in years, but I recall enjoying it.

M

Matthias--actually, haven't heard that one, though I was curious about it.... The only Breau discs I have are Mo Breau, Five O'Clock Bells, Quietude and Legacy. (The latter two now part of Live at Bourbon Street.) The guy who wrote the new Breau bio, Ron Forbes-Roberts, chimed in here on my site about his favourite Breau albums:

http://www.ndorward.com/blog/?p=70

ormsbop · May-15th-2006, 11:47 PM

Lenny Breau is one of my all time favorite guitarists, although I came to his music late. I've got the 5 O'Clock Bells/Mo' Breau and Live At Bourbon St but I think his best playing I've heard is on the Complete Living Room Tapes . Chet Atkins thought that the latter record had his best playing. It captures the many variety of playing styles - virtuoso solo jazz; flamenco; travis picking; classical etc - he was capable of and then some. And really great interplay with clarinetist Brad Terry. I think having another player particularly a melodic foil made him more focused.
Live at Bourbon Street is also very good.

Matthias Lupri · May-17th-2006, 08:43 AM

Interesting read on Lenny there Nate, thanks. and "Living Room Tapes" sounds like another real intimate recording

Mike - I have the Slide Show on Lp also, but transfered it to tape years ago because I don't have a record player anymore, but tape just doesn't cut it, now I'm considering buying it on CD again...arrrgghhh

Also Ralph Towner CD "Ana" - solo guitar...another one I recall digging, but again, another one in my lost, and not yet found collection!

Lois Gilbert · February-2nd-2007, 11:30 PM