R.I.P. Ralph Towner
A eulogy for the sublime guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist
Ralph Towner has died. He was 85. A ‘quiet’ guitar virtuoso, Towner took folk, jazz, and classical voicings and made them his own blend — across fusion and free jazz and that special, nocturnal ‘third’ music that sits out in its own liminal space.
Towner was a multi-instrumentalist, contributing percussion, French horn, trumpet, and piano to many of his own recordings, and on his solo debut, Diary (1973) he overdubs himself on more than one guitar and piano — making every sound on the record, and it feels he’s as adept at both instruments.
Towner was a member of the 1970 fusion group, Oregon, which showcased Indian music and various classical and ‘free’ music forms.
From 1973 on, he released a bunch of solo albums, and some collaborations, almost all of them on the ECM label.
I was blown away by his album, Diary. I still am. It’s one of those albums. For me, it’s as important as Keith Jarrett’s Koln Concert, and operates on a similar level.
Saturday Morning Records: #42 — Ralph Towner, “Diary”
About 20-25 years ago, I really started to get into solo instrumental music. I mean really — as in Big Time. I’d always loved guitar music, so from the shredders (Vai, Satriani) through the legends (Jeff Beck) and the new blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan) to the jazz greats (George Benson, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt) I had a pretty good grounding in a range of styles. I wasn’t ever really into classical music but through film soundtracks, and then through enjoying the guitar work of John Williams, and a few others, I started getting really interested in that space too.
It’s a record I’ve adored for close to 30 years now:
But there were many others. And there was also the knowledge that this was likely one of your favourite guitar players’ favourite guitar players. People like Nils Cline and James Blackshaw and Nigel Gavin might not have existed without the work of Towner.
And that work continued long through his career. I adored 2001’s Anthem.
And the last album I’m aware of by Towner was released in 2018, but recorded a decade ago now in 2016, and it’s utterly beautiful:
But if Towner had only released Diary he would still have been one of my favourite players. His 12-string work a revelation, arriving, like so much of the best music, right into my life when I needed it most. And never leaving.
That’s the thing. We pay tribute to these people. We never knew them. But we will have their music forever. And that’s what matters most from a listener’s point of view.
I could share Towner’s music with a friend or two. And I certainly did. But it’s always been some of my favourite music to sit up late at night with. Writing. Thinking. Just in awe of the subtle, sometimes silent beauty in his playing. And even more so in the spaces.
R.I.P. Ralph Towner
