Ralph Towner - Solo Concert (1980)

Confession: because of the similarity in name and the fact they are both guitarists, I usually confuse Ralph Towner with Robin Trower, formerly of Procol Harum. Maybe the recent rescue of this CD from the used bin will help remedy my confusion. And by "recent," I mean yesterday evening.

CD liner notes. Click to enlarge.

Recorded live at Amerika Haus in München, Germany and Limmathaus in Zürich, Switzerland in October 1979. This guy claims that "Solo Concert is to the guitar what Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert is to the piano. It’s that good." And he's right. I'll be pairing the two together for a late night listen in the near future, if not tonight. Maybe I'll throw some Leo Kottke into the mix, too. The pieces are melodic and relaxing, yet display stunning technique. As such, it holds up to both active and passive listening.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "impressionistic flights of fancy and both jazz and classical references."
• Downbeat (★★★★★): "most impressive and again demonstrates that one needn’t be electric to be electrifying."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½

Is it jazz, classical, New Age, all of the above? I'll just say it's on the ECM label and leave it at that.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #43
• CashBox Jazz: #39

Tracks: 7 tracks, 48 minutes. On first blush, my picks are Spirit Lake, Zoetrope, Timeless, and a nice take on Miles Davis' Nardis.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None