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{{Short description|American musician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
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{{Infobox musical artist
{{BLP refimprove|date=March 2017}}
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| name = Ralph Towner
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{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ralph Towner
| image = Ralph Towner.JPG
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| caption = Ralph Towner in concert with [[Paolo Fresu]], Treibhaus, [[Innsbruck]], Austria, 2010
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| image = Ralph Towner.JPG
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| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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| caption = Ralph Towner in concert with Paolo Fresu, Treibhaus Innsbruck 2010
| birth_name = Ralph Towner
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| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name = Ralph Towner
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1940|3|1}}
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| birth_place = [[Chehalis, Washington|Chehalis]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], United States
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1940|3|1}}
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| death_date =
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| birth_place = [[Chehalis, Washington|Chehalis]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[United States]]
| instrument = [[12-string guitar]], [[classical guitar]], [[piano]], [[synthesizer]], [[percussion]], [[trumpet]], [[french horn]]
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| death_date =
| instrument = [[12-string guitar]], [[classical guitar]], [[piano]], [[synthesizer]], [[percussion]], [[trumpet]]
| genre = [[Jazz]], [[contemporary classical music|classical]], [[world music|world]], [[folk music|folk]]
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| occupation = Guitarist, arranger, bandleader, composer
| genre = [[Jazz]], [[contemporary classical music|classical]], [[world music|world]], [[folk music|folk]]
| years_active = 1960s–present
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| occupation = Guitarist, arranger, bandleader, composer
| years_active = 1960s–present
| label = [[ECM Records|ECM]]
| label = [[ECM Records|ECM]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.ralphtowner.com/}}
| associated_acts = [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]], [[Weather Report]], [[Gary Burton]], [[Paul Winter]], [[Gary Peacock]], [[Jan Garbarek]], [[John Abercrombie (guitarist)|John Abercrombie]], [[Glen Moore]], [[Bill Bruford]], [[Eddie Gómez (musician)|Eddie Gómez]], [[Slava Grigoryan]], [[Wolfgang Muthspiel]], [[Paolo Fresu]], [[Jeremy Steig]], [[Paul McCandless]], [[Collin Walcott]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.ralphtowner.com/}}
}}
}}


'''Ralph Towner''' (born March 1, 1940, [[Chehalis, Washington]]) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the [[twelve-string guitar]], [[classical guitar]], [[piano]], [[synthesizer]], [[percussion]] and [[trumpet]].<ref>{{cite web
'''Ralph Towner''' (born March 1, 1940)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2520}}</ref> is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the [[twelve-string guitar]], [[classical guitar]], [[piano]], [[synthesizer]], [[percussion]], [[trumpet]] and [[French horn]].<ref>{{cite web |website=Ralphtowner.com |url=http://www.ralphtowner.com/ |date=1940-03-01 |title=Biography |access-date=2019-11-30}}</ref>
|url=http://www.ralphtowner.com/ |date=1940-03-01 |title=Biography |accessdate=2019-11-30}}</ref> Towner has made notable recordings of [[jazz]], [[third stream]] under strong influence of [[folk music|folk]] and [[world music]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[File:Ralph Towner1989.jpg|thumb|Ralph Towner with Oregon at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay CA 4/30/89.]]
[[File:Ralph Towner1989.jpg|thumb|Ralph Towner with Oregon at [[Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society]], [[Half Moon Bay, California]], April 30, 1989]]
Towner was born into a musical family in [[Chehalis, Washington]]. His mother was a piano teacher and his father a trumpet player. Towner learned to improvise on the piano at the age of three. He began his career as a conservatory-trained classical pianist, attending the [[University of Oregon]] from 1958-1963, where he also studied composition with [[Homer Keller]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://composerswatch.proscenia.net/Keller_Homer.htm|title=Oregon ComposersWatch: Homer Keller|website=composerswatch.proscenia.net|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> He studied classical guitar at the [[Vienna Academy of Music]] with [[:de:Karl_Scheit|Karl Scheit]] from 1963-64 and 1967-68.
Towner was born into a musical family in [[Chehalis, Washington]], United States.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> His mother was a piano teacher and his father a trumpet player. Towner learned to improvise on the piano at the age of three. He began his career as a conservatory-trained classical pianist, attending the [[University of Oregon]] from 1958 to 1963, where he also studied composition with [[Homer Keller]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://composerswatch.proscenia.net/Keller_Homer.htm|title=Oregon ComposersWatch: Homer Keller|website=Composerswatch.proscenia.net|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> He studied classical guitar at the [[Vienna Academy of Music]] with [[:de:Karl Scheit|Karl Scheit]] from 1963 to 1964 and 1967–68.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>


He joined world music pioneer [[Paul Winter]]'s "Consort" ensemble in the late 1960s. He first played jazz in New York City in the late 1960s as a pianist and was strongly influenced by the renowned jazz pianist [[Bill Evans]]. He began improvising on classical and 12-string guitars in the late 1960s/early 1970s and formed alliances with musicians who had worked with Evans, including flautist [[Jeremy Steig]], bassists [[Eddie Gómez (musician)|Eddie Gómez]], [[Marc Johnson (musician)|Marc Johnson]], [[Gary Peacock]], and drummer [[Jack DeJohnette]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/123233012|title=The biographical encyclopedia of jazz|last=Feather|first=Leonard|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|others=Gitler, Ira.|year=|isbn=9780195320008|location=New York|pages=650|oclc=123233012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ralph-towner-mn0000863963/biography|title=Ralph Towner {{!}} Biography & History|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>
He joined world music pioneer [[Paul Winter]]'s "Consort" ensemble in the late 1960s. He first played jazz in New York City in the late 1960s as a pianist and was strongly influenced by the renowned jazz pianist [[Bill Evans]]. He began improvising on classical and 12-string guitars in the late 1960s and early 1970s and formed alliances with musicians who had worked with Evans, including flautist [[Jeremy Steig]], bassists [[Eddie Gómez (musician)|Eddie Gómez]], [[Marc Johnson (musician)|Marc Johnson]], [[Gary Peacock]], and drummer [[Jack DeJohnette]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The biographical encyclopedia of jazz|last=Feather|first=Leonard|date=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|others=Gitler, Ira.|isbn=9780195320008|location=New York|pages=650|oclc=123233012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ralph-towner-mn0000863963/biography|title=Ralph Towner {{!}} Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|language=en-us|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>


Along with bandmates [[Paul McCandless]], [[Glen Moore]], and [[Collin Walcott]], Towner left the Winter Consort in 1970 to form the group [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]], which over the course of the 1970s issued a number of highly influential records mixing folk music, [[India]]n classical forms, and [[avant-garde jazz]]-influenced free improvisation. At the same time, Towner began a longstanding relationship with the influential [[ECM (record label)|ECM]] record label, which has released virtually all of his non-Oregon recordings since his 1972 debut as a leader ''[[Trios / Solos]]''. Towner has also made numerous appearances as a sideman, perhaps most famously on [[jazz fusion]] heavyweights [[Weather Report]]'s 1972 album ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecmrecords.com/artists/1435045753/ralph-towner|title=ECM Records - Ralph Towner|website=ECM Records|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>
Along with bandmates [[Paul McCandless]], [[Glen Moore]], and [[Collin Walcott]], Towner left the Winter Consort in 1970 to form the group [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/> which over the course of the 1970s issued a number of influential records mixing folk music, [[India]]n classical forms, and [[avant-garde jazz]]-influenced free improvisation. At the same time, Towner began a longstanding relationship with the [[ECM (record label)|ECM]] record label, which has released virtually all of his non-Oregon recordings since his 1973 debut as a leader ''[[Trios / Solos]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>


Towner appeared as a sideman on [[Weather Report]]'s 1972 album ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> His 1975 album ''[[Solstice (album)|Solstice]]'', which featured a popular track called "Nimbus", demonstrated his skill and versatility to the full using a 12-string guitar.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cline |first1=Nels |title=Focused: An appreciation of the genre-bending guitar work of Ralph Towner |url=https://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/focused-an-appreciation-of-the-genre-bending-guitar-work-of-ralph-towner |journal=[[Fretboard Journal]] |access-date=20 February 2020 |date=2017}}</ref>
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Since the early 1990s, Towner has lived in Italy, first in [[Palermo]] and then in [[Rome]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ralph-towner-the-accidental-guitarist-ralph-towner-by-mario-calvitti.php?pg=6|title=Ralph Towner: The Accidental Guitarist|last=Jazz|first=All About|website=All About Jazz|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>

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Since the early 1990s, Towner has lived in Italy, first in [[Palermo]] and then in [[Rome]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ralph-towner-the-accidental-guitarist-ralph-towner-by-mario-calvitti.php?pg=6|title=Ralph Towner: The Accidental Guitarist|website=Allaboutjazz.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>


== Technique ==
== Technique ==
Towner eschews [[electric guitar|amplification]], using only 6-string nylon-string and 12-string steel-string guitars. As a result, he tends to avoid high-volume musical environments, preferring small groups of mostly acoustic instruments that emphasize dynamics and group interplay. Towner also obtains a percussive effect (e.g., "Donkey Jamboree" from ''[[Slide Show (album)|Slide Show]]'' with [[Gary Burton]]) from the guitar by weaving a matchbook among the strings at the neck of the instrument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/ralph-towners-nylon-and-12-string-craftsmanship|title=Ralph Towner's Nylon and 12-String Craftsmanship|last=Lesson|first=Dale Turner 2018-03-19T14:53:03Z|website=guitarworld|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> Both with [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]] and as a solo artist, Towner has made significant use of [[overdubbing]], allowing him to play piano (or synthesizer) and guitar on the same track; his most notable use of the technique came on his 1974 album ''[[Diary (Ralph Towner album)|Diary]]'', in which he plays guitar-piano duets with himself on most of the album's 8 tracks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038750639/diary-ralph-towner |title=Diary - Ralph Towner |website=ECM Records |access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> In the 1980s, Towner began using the [[Sequential Circuits Prophet-5]] synthesizer extensively<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ecmreviews.com/2011/12/20/blue-sun/|title=Ralph Towner: Blue Sun (ECM 1250) |last=Grillo |first=Tyran |date=2011-12-20 |website=Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond |access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> but has since de-emphasized his synthesizer and piano playing in favor of guitar.
Towner plays only acoustic guitars, using six-string nylon-string and 12-string steel-string guitars. As a result, he tends to avoid high-volume musical environments, preferring small groups of mostly acoustic instruments that emphasize dynamics and group interplay. Towner obtains a percussive effect (e.g., "Donkey Jamboree" from ''[[Slide Show (album)|Slide Show]]'' with [[Gary Burton]]) from the guitar by weaving a matchbook among the strings at the neck of the instrument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/ralph-towners-nylon-and-12-string-craftsmanship|title=Ralph Towner's Nylon and 12-String Craftsmanship|author=Dale Turner|website=Guitarworld.com|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> Both with [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]] and as a solo artist, Towner has made use of [[overdubbing]], allowing him to play piano (or synthesizer) and guitar on the same track; his most notable use of the technique came on his 1974 album ''[[Diary (Ralph Towner album)|Diary]]'', in which he plays guitar-piano duets with himself on most of the album's eight tracks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ecmrecords.com/catalogue/143038750639/diary-ralph-towner |title=Diary - Ralph Towner |website=Ecmrecords.com |access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> In the 1980s, Towner began using the [[Sequential Circuits Prophet-5]] synthesizer extensively,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ecmreviews.com/2011/12/20/blue-sun/|title=Ralph Towner: Blue Sun (ECM 1250) |last=Grillo |first=Tyran |date=2011-12-20 |website=Ecmreviews.com |access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref> but has since de-emphasized his synthesizer and piano playing in favor of guitar.


== Honors ==
== Honors ==
Two [[lunar craters]] were named by the [[Apollo 15]] [[astronauts]] after two of Towner's compositions, "Icarus" and "Ghost Beads."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paulwinter.com/the-consort/ |title=The Consort |publisher=Paul Winter |date= |accessdate=2017-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/now-hes-over-the-moon-about-icarus-20021125-gdfv4m.html|title=Now he's over the moon about Icarus|date=2002-11-25|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>
Two [[lunar craters]] were named by the [[Apollo 15]] [[astronauts]] after two of Towner's compositions, "Icarus" and "Ghost Beads."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paulwinter.com/the-consort/ |title=The Consort |website=Paulwinter.com |access-date=2017-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/now-hes-over-the-moon-about-icarus-20021125-gdfv4m.html|title=Now he's over the moon about Icarus|date=2002-11-25|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|language=en|access-date=2019-08-11}}</ref>


==Discography==
==Discography==
===As leader===
=== As leader ===
* ''[[Trios / Solos]]'' ([[ECM Records|ECM]], 1973) with [[Glen Moore]]
* ''[[Trios / Solos]]'' with [[Glen Moore]] ([[ECM Records|ECM]], 1973)
* ''[[Diary (Ralph Towner album)|Diary]]'' (ECM, 1974)
* ''[[Diary (Ralph Towner album)|Diary]]'' (ECM, 1974)
* ''[[Matchbook (Ralph Towner & Gary Burton album)|Matchbook]]'' (ECM, 1975) with [[Gary Burton]]
* ''[[Solstice (Ralph Towner album)|Solstice]]'' (ECM, 1975)
* ''[[Solstice (Ralph Towner album)|Solstice]]'' (ECM, 1975)
* ''[[Sargasso Sea (John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner album)|Sargasso Sea]]'' (ECM, 1976) with [[John Abercrombie (guitarist)|John Abercrombie]]
* ''[[Matchbook (Ralph Towner & Gary Burton album)|Matchbook]]'' with [[Gary Burton]] (ECM, 1975)
* ''[[Sargasso Sea (John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner album)|Sargasso Sea]]'' with [[John Abercrombie (guitarist)|John Abercrombie]] (ECM, 1976)
* ''[[Solstice/Sound and Shadows]]'' (ECM, 1977)
* ''[[Solstice/Sound and Shadows]]'' (ECM, 1977)
* ''[[Batik (album)|Batik]]'' (ECM, 1978)
* ''[[Batik (album)|Batik]]'' (ECM, 1978)
* ''[[Old Friends, New Friends]]'' (ECM, 1979)
* ''[[Old Friends, New Friends]]'' (ECM, 1979)
* ''[[Solo Concert (album)|Solo Concert]]'' (ECM, 1980)
* ''[[Solo Concert (Ralph Towner album)|Solo Concert]]'' (ECM, 1980)
* ''[[Five Years Later]]'' (ECM, 1982) with John Abercrombie
* ''[[Five Years Later]]'' with John Abercrombie (ECM, 1982)
* ''[[Blue Sun (album)|Blue Sun]]'' (ECM, 1983)
* ''[[Blue Sun (album)|Blue Sun]]'' (ECM, 1983)
* ''[[Slide Show (album)|Slide Show]]'' (ECM, 1986) with Gary Burton
* ''[[Slide Show (album)|Slide Show]]'' with Gary Burton (ECM, 1986)
* ''[[City of Eyes]]'' (ECM, 1989)
* ''[[City of Eyes]]'' (ECM, 1989)
* ''[[Open Letter (Ralph Towner album)|Open Letter]]'' (ECM, 1992)
* ''[[Open Letter (Ralph Towner album)|Open Letter]]'' (ECM, 1992)
* ''If You Look Far Enough'' with Arild Andersen, Nana Vasconcelos (ECM, 1993)
* ''If You Look Far Enough'' with [[Arild Andersen]], [[Nana Vasconcelos]] (ECM, 1993)
* ''[[Oracle (Gary Peacock and Ralph Towner album)|Oracle]]'' (ECM, 1994) with Gary Peacock
* ''[[Oracle (Gary Peacock and Ralph Towner album)|Oracle]]'' with [[Gary Peacock]] (ECM, 1994)
* ''[[Lost and Found (Ralph Towner album)|Lost and Found]]'' (ECM, 1996)
* ''[[Lost and Found (Ralph Towner album)|Lost and Found]]'' (ECM, 1996)
* ''[[Ana (album)|Ana]]'' (ECM, 1997)
* ''[[Ana (Ralph Towner album)|Ana]]'' (ECM, 1997)
* ''[[A Closer View]]'' (ECM, 1998) with Gary Peacock
* ''[[A Closer View]]'' with Gary Peacock (ECM, 1998)
* ''Verso'' with Maria Pia De Vito (Provocateur, 2000)
* ''Verso'' with [[Maria Pia De Vito]] (Provocateur, 2000)
* ''[[Anthem (Ralph Towner album)|Anthem]]'' (ECM, 2001)
* ''[[Anthem (Ralph Towner album)|Anthem]]'' (ECM, 2001)
* ''[[Time Line (Ralph Towner album)|Time Line]]'' (ECM, 2006)
* ''[[Time Line (Ralph Towner album)|Time Line]]'' (ECM, 2006)
* ''[[From A Dream (Ralph Towner album)|From A Dream]]'' (Material Records, 2008) with Wolfgang Muthspiel and Slava Grigoryan
* ''[[From a Dream (Ralph Towner album)|From a Dream]]'' with [[Wolfgang Muthspiel]] and [[Slava Grigoryan]] (Material, 2008)
* ''[[Chiaroscuro (Ralph Towner album)|Chiaroscuro]]'' (ECM, 2009) with [[Paolo Fresu]]
* ''[[Chiaroscuro (Ralph Towner album)|Chiaroscuro]]'' (ECM, 2009)
* ''Travel Guide'' with Wolfgang Muthspiel, Slava Grigoryan (ECM, 2013)
* ''[[Travel Guide]]'' with Wolfgang Muthspiel, Slava Grigoryan (ECM, 2013)
* ''[[My Foolish Heart (Ralph Towner album)|My Foolish Heart]]'' (ECM, 2017)
* ''[[My Foolish Heart (Ralph Towner album)|My Foolish Heart]]'' (ECM, 2017)
* ''[[At First Light (Ralph Towner album)|At First Light]]'' (ECM, 2023)


=== As group ===
'''With Atmosphere'''
'''Atmosphere'''
* ''Atmospheres Featuring Clive Stevens & Friends'' (Capitol, 1974)
* ''Atmospheres Featuring Clive Stevens & Friends'' (Capitol, 1974)
* ''Voyage to Uranus'' (Capitol, 1974)
* ''Voyage to Uranus'' (Capitol, 1974)


'''With [[Oregon (band)|Oregon]]'''
'''[[Oregon (band)|Oregon]]'''
* ''Music of Another Present Era'' (Vanguard, 1972)
* ''Music of Another Present Era'' (Vanguard, 1972)
* ''Distant Hills'' (Vanguard, 1973)
* ''Distant Hills'' (Vanguard, 1973)
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* ''Together'' (Vanguard, 1976)
* ''Together'' (Vanguard, 1976)
* ''Friends'' (Vanguard, 1977)
* ''Friends'' (Vanguard, 1977)
* ''Out of the Woods'' (Elektra, 1978)
* ''[[Out of the Woods (Oregon album)|Out of the Woods]]'' (Elektra, 1978)
* ''Violin'' (Vanguard, 1978)
* ''Violin'' (Vanguard, 1978)
* ''Roots in the Sky'' (Elektra, 1979)
* ''Roots in the Sky'' (Elektra, 1979)
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* ''Beyond Words'' (Chesky, 1995)
* ''Beyond Words'' (Chesky, 1995)
* ''Northwest Passage'' (ECM, 1997)
* ''Northwest Passage'' (ECM, 1997)
* ''Music for a Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Oregon Music 1998)
* ''Music for a Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Oregon Music, 1998)
* ''Oregon in Moscow'' (ECM, 2000)
* ''Oregon in Moscow'' (ECM, 2000)
* ''Live at Yoshi's'' (ECM, 2002)
* ''Live at Yoshi's'' (ECM, 2002)
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* ''[[Family Tree (Oregon album)|Family Tree]]'' (C.A.M. Jazz, 2012)
* ''[[Family Tree (Oregon album)|Family Tree]]'' (C.A.M. Jazz, 2012)
* ''Live in New Orleans'' (Hi Hat, 2016)
* ''Live in New Orleans'' (Hi Hat, 2016)
* ''Lantern'' (C.A.M. Jazz, 2017)
* ''[[Lantern (Oregon album)|Lantern]]'' (C.A.M. Jazz, 2017)


'''With [[Paul Winter Consort]]'''
'''[[Paul Winter Consort]]'''
* ''Road'' (A&M, 1970)
* ''Road'' (A&M, 1970)
* ''[[Icarus (Paul Winter Consort album)|Icarus]]'' (Epic, 1972)
* ''[[Icarus (Paul Winter Consort album)|Icarus]]'' (Epic, 1972)
* ''Earthdance'' (A&M, 1977)
* ''Earthdance'' (A&M, 1977)


===As sideman or guest===
=== As sideman or guest ===
* [[Horacee Arnold]], ''Tribe'' (Columbia, 1973)
'''With [[Horacee Arnold]]'''
* ''Tribe'' (Columbia, 1973)
* Horacee Arnold, ''Tales of the Exonerated Flea'' (Columbia, 1974)
* ''Tales of the Exonerated Flea'' (Columbia, 1974)

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* [[Azimuth (band)|Azimuth]], ''Depart'' (ECM, 1979)
'''With [[Jerry Granelli]]'''
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* [[Bill Bruford]], ''If Summer Had Its Ghosts'' (Discipline Global, 1997)
* [[Gary Burton]], ''Six Pack'' (GRP, 1992)
* ''Koputai'' (ITM Pacific, 1990)
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* ''One Day at a Time'' (ITM Pacific, 1990)

'''With [[Vince Mendoza]]'''
* ''Start Here'' (World Pacific, 1990)
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* ''Instructions Inside'' (Manhattan, 1991)

'''With [[Maria Pia De Vito]]
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* ''Nel Respiro'' (Provocateur, 2002)
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* ''Moresche e Altre Invenzioni'' (Parco Della Musica, 2018)

'''With others'''
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* [[Azimuth (band)|Azimuth]], ''[[Départ]]'' (ECM, 1980) – recorded in 1979
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* [[Bill Bruford]], ''[[If Summer Had Its Ghosts]]'' (Discipline Global, 1997)
* [[Gary Burton]], ''[[Six Pack (Gary Burton album)|Six Pack]]'' (GRP, 1992)
* [[Larry Coryell]], ''[[The Restful Mind]]'' (Vanguard, 1975)
* [[Larry Coryell]], ''[[The Restful Mind]]'' (Vanguard, 1975)
* [[Pino Daniele]], ''Che Dio Ti Benedica'' (CGD 1993)
* [[Pino Daniele]], ''Che Dio Ti Benedica'' (CGD, 1993)
* [[Cyrus Faryar]], ''Cyrus'' (Collectors' Choice Music 2006)
* [[Cyrus Faryar]], ''Cyrus'' (Collectors' Choice Music, 2006)
* [[Robben Ford]], ''Blues Connotation'' (ITM Pacific, 1997)
* [[Robben Ford]], ''[[Blues Connotation]]'' (ITM Pacific, 1997)
* [[David Friesen]], ''Waterfall Rainbow'' (Inner City, 1977)
* [[David Friesen]], ''Waterfall Rainbow'' (Inner City, 1977)
* [[Jan Garbarek]], ''[[Dis (album)|Dis]]'' (ECM, 1977)
* [[Jan Garbarek]], ''[[Dis (album)|Dis]]'' (ECM, 1977) – recorded in 1976
* [[Egberto Gismonti]],''[[Sol Do Meio Dia]]'' (EMI, 1978)
* [[Egberto Gismonti]], ''[[Sol Do Meio Dia]]'' (ECM, 1978) – recorded in 1977
* [[Jerry Granelli]], ''Koputai'' (ITM Pacific, 1990)
⚫
* Jerry Granelli, ''One Day at a Time'' (ITM Pacific, 1990)
* [[Gerri Granger]], ''Add a Little Love'' (United Artists, 1972)
* [[Gerri Granger]], ''Add a Little Love'' (United Artists, 1972)
* [[Trilok Gurtu]], ''Usfret'' (CMP, 1988)
* [[Trilok Gurtu]], ''Usfret'' (CMP, 1988)
* [[Charlie Haden]], ''Helium Tears'' (NewEdition, 2005)
* [[Charlie Haden]], ''Helium Tears'' (NewEdition, 2005)
* [[Tim Hardin]], ''Bird on a Wire'' (Columbia, 1971)
* [[Tim Hardin]], ''[[Bird on a Wire (Tim Hardin album)|Bird on a Wire]]'' (Columbia, 1971)
* [[Keith Jarrett]], ''In the Light'' (ECM, 1974)
* [[Keith Jarrett]], ''[[In the Light (Keith Jarrett album)|In the Light]]'' (ECM, 1974) – recorded in 1973
* [[Maria Joao]], ''Fabula'' (Verve, 1996)
* [[Maria João (singer)|Maria Joao]], ''Fabula'' (Verve, 1996)
* [[Joseph LoDuca]], ''Glisten'' (Cornucopia, 1982)
* [[Joseph LoDuca]], ''Glisten'' (Cornucopia, 1982)
* [[Vince Mendoza]], ''Start Here'' (World Pacific, 1990)
* [[Andy Middleton]], ''Nomad's Notebook'' (Intuition, 1999)
⚫
* [[Duke Pearson]], ''[[I Don't Care Who Knows It]]'' (Blue Note, 1996) – recorded in 1968–70
⚫
* Vince Mendoza, ''Instructions Inside'' (Manhattan, 1991)
* [[Andy Middleton]], ''Nomad's Notebook'' (ECM, 1999)
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* [[Maria Pia De Vito]], ''Nel Respiro'' (Provocateur, 2002)
⚫
* Maria Pia De Vito, ''Moresche e Altre Invenzioni'' (Parco Della Musica, 2018)
⚫
* [[Duke Pearson]], ''I Don't Care Who Knows It'' (Blue Note, 1996)
* [[Terry Plumeri]], ''Ongoing'' (Airborne, 1978)
* [[Terry Plumeri]], ''Ongoing'' (Airborne, 1978)
* [[Michel Portal]], ''Musiques De Cinemas'' (Label Bleu, 1995)
* [[Michel Portal]], ''Musiques De Cinemas'' (Label Bleu, 1995)
* [[Weather Report]], ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]'' (Columbia, 1972)
* [[Weather Report]], ''[[I Sing the Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]]'' (Columbia, 1972)
* [[Kenny Wheeler]], ''Deer Wan'' (ECM, 1978)
* [[Kenny Wheeler]], ''[[Deer Wan]]'' (ECM, 1978) – recorded in 1977


==References==
==References==
Line 146: Line 156:
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.ralphtowner.com/ Ralph Towner's Official Website]
*[http://www.ralphtowner.com/ Ralph Towner's Official Website]
* [http://www.trovar.com/ECM/ECM.php?artist=Towner Ralph Towner on ECM Records]
*[http://www.innerviews.org/inner/towner2.html Ralph Towner interview by Anil Prasad from Innerviews]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051125014908/http://www.jazzguitar.be/ralph_towner_guitar_tabs.html Ralph Towner guitar tabs]
*[http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/ralph-towner/1383 Guitar Player magazine interview.]
*[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5589559 Ralph Towner on NPR], 2006
*[http://www.ralphtowner.com/ Home Page Bio]
*[http://www.ralphtowner.com/ Home Page Bio]
*[http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608001288/Ralph-Towner.html Music Guide Bio]


{{Ralph Towner}}
{{Oregon (band)|state=collapsed}}
{{Oregon (band)|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Towner, Ralph}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towner, Ralph}}
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[[Category:1940 births]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American guitarists]]
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[[Category:People from Chehalis, Washington]]
[[Category:People from Chehalis, Washington]]
[[Category:University of Oregon alumni]]
[[Category:University of Oregon alumni]]
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[[Category:1940 births]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Oregon (band) members]]
[[Category:Oregon (band) members]]
[[Category:Paul Winter Consort members]]
[[Category:Paul Winter Consort members]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Washington (state)]]

Latest revision as of 19:24, 12 May 2024

Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner in concert with Paolo Fresu, Treibhaus, Innsbruck, Austria, 2010
Ralph Towner in concert with Paolo Fresu, Treibhaus, Innsbruck, Austria, 2010
Background information
Birth nameRalph Towner
Born (1940-03-01) March 1, 1940 (age 84)
Chehalis, Washington, United States
GenresJazz, classical, world, folk
Occupation(s)Guitarist, arranger, bandleader, composer
Instrument(s)12-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet, french horn
Years active1960s–present
LabelsECM
Websitewww.ralphtowner.com

Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940)[1] is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn.[2]

Biography

[edit]
Ralph Towner with Oregon at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California, April 30, 1989

Towner was born into a musical family in Chehalis, Washington, United States.[1] His mother was a piano teacher and his father a trumpet player. Towner learned to improvise on the piano at the age of three. He began his career as a conservatory-trained classical pianist, attending the University of Oregon from 1958 to 1963, where he also studied composition with Homer Keller.[3] He studied classical guitar at the Vienna Academy of Music with Karl Scheit from 1963 to 1964 and 1967–68.[1]

He joined world music pioneer Paul Winter's "Consort" ensemble in the late 1960s. He first played jazz in New York City in the late 1960s as a pianist and was strongly influenced by the renowned jazz pianist Bill Evans. He began improvising on classical and 12-string guitars in the late 1960s and early 1970s and formed alliances with musicians who had worked with Evans, including flautist Jeremy Steig, bassists Eddie Gómez, Marc Johnson, Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette.[4][5]

Along with bandmates Paul McCandless, Glen Moore, and Collin Walcott, Towner left the Winter Consort in 1970 to form the group Oregon,[1] which over the course of the 1970s issued a number of influential records mixing folk music, Indian classical forms, and avant-garde jazz-influenced free improvisation. At the same time, Towner began a longstanding relationship with the ECM record label, which has released virtually all of his non-Oregon recordings since his 1973 debut as a leader Trios / Solos.[1]

Towner appeared as a sideman on Weather Report's 1972 album I Sing the Body Electric.[1] His 1975 album Solstice, which featured a popular track called "Nimbus", demonstrated his skill and versatility to the full using a 12-string guitar.[6]

Since the early 1990s, Towner has lived in Italy, first in Palermo and then in Rome.[7]

Technique

[edit]

Towner plays only acoustic guitars, using six-string nylon-string and 12-string steel-string guitars. As a result, he tends to avoid high-volume musical environments, preferring small groups of mostly acoustic instruments that emphasize dynamics and group interplay. Towner obtains a percussive effect (e.g., "Donkey Jamboree" from Slide Show with Gary Burton) from the guitar by weaving a matchbook among the strings at the neck of the instrument.[8] Both with Oregon and as a solo artist, Towner has made use of overdubbing, allowing him to play piano (or synthesizer) and guitar on the same track; his most notable use of the technique came on his 1974 album Diary, in which he plays guitar-piano duets with himself on most of the album's eight tracks.[9] In the 1980s, Towner began using the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer extensively,[10] but has since de-emphasized his synthesizer and piano playing in favor of guitar.

Honors

[edit]

Two lunar craters were named by the Apollo 15 astronauts after two of Towner's compositions, "Icarus" and "Ghost Beads."[11][12]

Discography

[edit]

As leader

[edit]

As group

[edit]

Atmosphere

  • Atmospheres Featuring Clive Stevens & Friends (Capitol, 1974)
  • Voyage to Uranus (Capitol, 1974)

Oregon

  • Music of Another Present Era (Vanguard, 1972)
  • Distant Hills (Vanguard, 1973)
  • Winter Light (Vanguard, 1974)
  • In Concert (Vanguard, 1975)
  • Together (Vanguard, 1976)
  • Friends (Vanguard, 1977)
  • Out of the Woods (Elektra, 1978)
  • Violin (Vanguard, 1978)
  • Roots in the Sky (Elektra, 1979)
  • Moon and Mind (Vanguard, 1979)
  • In Performance (BGO, 1980)
  • Our First Record (Vanguard, 1980)
  • Oregon (ECM, 1983)
  • Crossing (ECM, 1985)
  • Ecotopia (ECM, 1987)
  • 45th Parallel (Portrait, 1989)
  • Always, Never, and Forever (veraBra, 1991)
  • Troika (veraBra, 1994)
  • Beyond Words (Chesky, 1995)
  • Northwest Passage (ECM, 1997)
  • Music for a Midsummer Night's Dream (Oregon Music, 1998)
  • Oregon in Moscow (ECM, 2000)
  • Live at Yoshi's (ECM, 2002)
  • Prime (C.A.M. Jazz, 2005)
  • 1000 Kilometers (C.A.M. Jazz, 2007)
  • In Stride (C.A.M. Jazz, 2010)
  • Family Tree (C.A.M. Jazz, 2012)
  • Live in New Orleans (Hi Hat, 2016)
  • Lantern (C.A.M. Jazz, 2017)

Paul Winter Consort

  • Road (A&M, 1970)
  • Icarus (Epic, 1972)
  • Earthdance (A&M, 1977)

As sideman or guest

[edit]

With Horacee Arnold

  • Tribe (Columbia, 1973)
  • Tales of the Exonerated Flea (Columbia, 1974)

With Jerry Granelli

  • Koputai (ITM Pacific, 1990)
  • One Day at a Time (ITM Pacific, 1990)

With Vince Mendoza

  • Start Here (World Pacific, 1990)
  • Instructions Inside (Manhattan, 1991)

With Maria Pia De Vito

  • Nel Respiro (Provocateur, 2002)
  • Moresche e Altre Invenzioni (Parco Della Musica, 2018)

With others

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2520. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ "Biography". Ralphtowner.com. 1940-03-01. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  3. ^ "Oregon ComposersWatch: Homer Keller". Composerswatch.proscenia.net. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  4. ^ Feather, Leonard (2007). The biographical encyclopedia of jazz. Gitler, Ira. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 650. ISBN 9780195320008. OCLC 123233012.
  5. ^ "Ralph Towner | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  6. ^ Cline, Nels (2017). "Focused: An appreciation of the genre-bending guitar work of Ralph Towner". Fretboard Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Ralph Towner: The Accidental Guitarist". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  8. ^ Dale Turner. "Ralph Towner's Nylon and 12-String Craftsmanship". Guitarworld.com. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  9. ^ "Diary - Ralph Towner". Ecmrecords.com. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  10. ^ Grillo, Tyran (2011-12-20). "Ralph Towner: Blue Sun (ECM 1250)". Ecmreviews.com. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  11. ^ "The Consort". Paulwinter.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  12. ^ "Now he's over the moon about Icarus". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2002-11-25. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
[edit]
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