Review of Open Letter by Ralph Towner, ECM 1992

Dear Mr. Towner


I write this one to you after having listened, with 20 year-old guilty delay, your cd "Open Letter" produced by ECM in the 1992. I thought it was rightful to respond to your open letter wrote in a musical form. The fact that has been written not on paper but recorded on a cd is only a detail of secondary importance, you have aimed your guitars, placed your fingers on your synthesizers and played, accompanied in some cases, in very discreet and essential way by of Peter Erskine’ drums, these 11 passages, that can be can be listened as 11 paragraphs of an open letter.
I admit I had thought about writing to you several times in these last …. 24 years. In October of 1989 I have had the pleasure to listen to you to playing with Oregon esemble in concert, I remember every single note, it was indeed an exciting concert, there was not Colin Walcott replaced by a valid (and clver) Trilok Gurtu, but your music was warm, exciting and marvelous. Even more marvelous to succeed in meeting you and to shake your hand and even more your courtesy and gentleness with which you responded to my harassing questions about how to play your passages. In the following years I have kept on following your music and to listen to your records and to surprise me every time as you can conjugate together jazz, classical music and contemporary music always maintaining your and melodic style.
Shall we say that You are the most BillEvans-ier guitarist? Like John McLaughlin for John Coltrane?
You always know how to find a beautiful melody and to unite it with a splendid harmonic lay-out there is never a “poor” passage in your repertoire, an insuperable quality that lacks to many of your colleagues that they often lay themselves in the repetition of empty phrases and sterile licks. Also in this record you always succeed in being never banal, never a dribble. It’s not a surprise that you have recorded your own version of "Waltz for Debby", isn’t it? Or a standard as “I falls in love too easily." Two gems that not only testify your passion for jazz, but above all the intelligent way with which you know how to manage and to harmonize a standard.
Thanks again for this "Open Letter" and.. please write more letters like this one.. the world needs  beautiful melodies and beautiful emotions … good emotions.

You might be interested also:

- Review of Solstice by Ralph Towner. ECM 1975

- Video: Ralph Towner - Oceanus