Ralph Towner & Gary Burton - Matchbook (1975)

I wish I could remember where I got the recommendation for this CD so that I could thank them or give them proper credit because this thing is fantastic.* One of the most quiet, relaxing CDs I've come across in the past few years. The music here could almost be termed "folk-jazz-classical fusion" without being New Agey. The duo performs works that are peaceful but always hold one's interest. Towner's acoustic guitars play perfectly off Burton's vibes on these nine tracks. A line from a feature on Burton in the November 20, 1975 issue of DownBeat magazine simply describes the album as "a friendly exchange of ideas with guitarist Ralph Towner, an instrumentalist whose style bears many surprising similarities to Gary’s" and that's a great analogy - more like a conversation between the two.

Recorded in Germany on July 26 & 27, 1974, when Towner was 34 years of age and Burton was 31.

Also the first ECM CD I've ever purchased that was packaged in a bi-fold cardboard slip cover instead of a proper jewel case. This 2019 reissue is part of the ECM Touchstones releases.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "a pure delight"
• Walrus!: "This is fine modern, improvisational chamber music."
• DownBeat (★★★★★): "coerce[s] so much rapt, meditational attention from the listener that one has no choice but to be strongly affected."
• High Fidelity: "This is an album for making love, for making peace."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #35
• Record World Jazz: #34

Tracks: It's all beautiful so don't skip anything. My top picks today are Icarus, Aurora, the serene album opener Drifting Petals, along with the two covers: Some Other Time from the musical On The Town and Charles Mingus's Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. The latter of those two concludes the album and leaves you wanting more.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Gary Burton Quintet - Whiz Kids (1987)
Ralph Towner - Solo Concert (1980)

*I believe it was from some random, online list of jazz albums that also included Paul Desmond's 1962 album Desmond Blue, but I've long since forgotten which website. Of course, Desmond Blue will appear in this space at a later date.

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