It might be tempting to
dismiss this Ralph Towner effort as New Age fluff, but the music is so gorgeous
that any such considerations fall to the wayside. Yet the wayside is precisely
where Towner sets his sights, which is to say that his interest lies in edges
where musical idioms meet. He explores these lines, not unlike the blotted
cover, with an ease of diction at the fret board that is recognizable and
comforting. Drummer Peter Erskine shares the bill, but Towner adds a few synth
touches for broader effect, as in “The Sigh,” which opens the session in a
cleft of fluid energy. There are two sides to this album. One is resplendent,
exemplified in the congregation of 12-string and cymbals that is “Adrift.” This
resonant vessel shares waters with “Magic Pouch” and “Alar” (a tympani-infused
concoction that is one of Towner’s finest), both of which blossom in a tropical
climate and funnel their tide-swept secrets into “Magnolia Island.” Any
possible tourist traps therein are elided by Towner’s ever-imaginative picking.
The other side comes through Towner’s solos. The jazzy riffs of “Short’n Stout”
pair well with the intimate geographies of “Waltz For Debby,” while the
blissful “I Fall In Love Too Easily” lobs us into the goodness of “Nightfall.”
Towner is as astute as ever in his execution. Whether it’s a standard or his
own musical vision, we get the feeling that everything he plays is an open
letter. ~ ECM Reviews
"Ralph Towner's a
difficult case. The snoozy noodlings of his former band Oregon can be downright
stupefying, but his solo work is often, though not always, quite a bit more
interesting. Open Letter walks both sides of the line, but succeeds more often
than it fails. ~ by Rick Anderson, AMG.
ECM Records, ECM 1462, 1992
Recorded July 1991 and
February 1992 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, Norway
Musicians:
Ralph Towner - Classical
& 12-String Guitars, Synthesizer
Peter Erskine - Drums
Track Listing:
A1. The Sigh {Ralph Towner}
(5:09)
A2. Wistful Thinking {Ralph
Towner} (3:49)
A3. Adrift {Ralph Towner}
(6:06)
A4. Infection {Peter Erskine,
Ralph Towner} (3:15)
A5. Alar {Ralph Towner}
(7:10)
B1. Short 'N Stout {Ralph
Towner} (3:01)
B2. Waltz For Debby {Bill
Evans} (4:10)
B3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
{Sammy Cahn, Jules Styne} (4:11)
B4. Magic Pouch {Ralph
Towner} (5:01)
B5. Magnolia Island {Ralph
Towner} (4:28)
B6. Nightfall {Ralph Towner}
(6:24)
Credits:
Producer - Manfred Eicher
Engineer - Jan Erik Kongshaug
Design - Dieter Rehm
Photography [Cover] - Gabor Attalai
