Ralph Towner
b. 1 March 1940, Chehalis, Washington, USA. Towner is primarily known as a highly regarded acoustic guitarist, an instrument he did not even take up until he was 23. Towner was born into a musical family and as a child he played trumpet and taught himself piano. He later studied composition at the University of Oregon, but after graduation in 1963 began to play guitar seriously, studying classical technique in Vienna. Back in the USA from 1968, he worked in New York with a number of jazz groups, mainly playing piano, and first came to public notice in 1971 with a fine 12-string guitar solo on Weather Report's I Sing The Body Electric. Since 1970, Towner has mainly pursued a solo career, releasing a series of fine albums for ECM Records, some in company with fellow guitarist John Abercrombie or vibraphonist Gary Burton. In 1971 Towner co-formed Oregon and he continues a dual career as a solo artist. He is a prolific composer, and many of his compositions have been performed by orchestras around the world. All are distinguished by their evocative moods and resonant harmonies.
Listen to Ralph Towner
at Finetune.
Albums
Top Tracks
- Always By Your Side
- Oleander Etude
- If
- Nimbus
- The Pendant
Related Artists
Fans
Comments
-
davidjmcclelland on 2008-03-05 14:15:08.610:
He played a monster set in an almost empty bar in Boston about 10 years ago - amazing heart considering I was perhaps the only person even looking his direction through the set, which lasted over 2 hours. Like having a solo command performance!