Towner, Ralph

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Batik New - LP - PAP 9125 New, Unplayed Japanese First Pressing With Obi. more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - 23788 1983 Original. Pressed On Quiex Virgin Vinyl, Saw Cut. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - 1250 1983 Original Pressed On Quiex Virgin Vinyl. Gold Promo Stamp On Cover. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. more
	Blue Sun New - LP - ECM 1250 / 23788-1 Sealed 1983 Original Pressed On Pure Virgin Vinyl. Towner Plays 12-String And Classical Guitars, Piano, Prophet 5 Synthesizer, French Horn, Cornet And Percussion. more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - ECM 1250 1983 Original In Shrink Wrap. Pressed On Pure Virgin Vinyl. Towner Plays 12-String And Classical Guitars, Piano, Prophet 5 Synthesizer, French Horn, Cornet And Percussion. Glossy, Unplayed Condition. One Of JT's Top Five ECM Pics! more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - ECM 1250 / / 23788-1 E 1983 Pure Virgin Vinyl Original Still In Shrink. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Towner Plays 12-String And Classical Guitars, Piano, Prophet 5 Synthesizer, French Horn, Cornet And Percussion. more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - ECM 1250 1983 US Original. Jacket Vibrant & Glossy, With Small Crease Mark At Mouth Edge. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Towner Plays 12-String And Classical Guitars, Piano, Prophet 5 Synthesizer, French Horn, Cornet And Percussion. more
	Blue Sun Used - LP - ECM 1250 1983 US Original. Jacket Vibrant & Glossy, Vinyl Is A Stunning NM-. Towner Plays 12-String And Classical Guitars, Piano, Prophet 5 Synthesizer, French Horn, Cornet And Percussion. more
	City Of Eyes Used - LP - 1388 1988 German Original Featuring Paul McCandless, Gary Peacock And Others. more
	Diary Used - LP - 1032 Beautiful 1974 German Laminated Jacket Original. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Slight Yellowing To Jacket And Minor Delamination On Back. more
	Old Friends, New Friends Used - LP - ECM -1-1153 1979 Original Featuring Eddie Gomez, Kenny Wheeler And David Darling. Silver Promo Stamp On Cover. Appears Unplayed. “Due To The Very Interesting Grouping Of Players -- Guitarist Ralph Towner, Who Also Performs On Piano And French Horn; Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Cellist David Darling, Bassist Eddie Gomez And Drummer Michael Di Pasqua -- And Six Of Towner's Better Originals, This Is One Of The Guitarist's Best In A Long String Of ECM Recordings. Wheeler Adds Fire To The Music That Is Tempered A Bit By Darling's Mellow Cello. An Intriguing Set Well Worth Several Listens.” Scott Yanow, AMG. more
	Old Friends, New Friends Used - LP - ECM 1153 / 2301 153 1979 German White Label Promo. Glossy, Unplayed Condition. Features Eddie Gomez, Kenny Wheeler And David Darling. “Due To The Very Interesting Grouping Of Players -- Guitarist Ralph Towner, Who Also Performs On Piano And French Horn; Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Cellist David Darling, Bassist Eddie Gomez And Drummer Michael Di Pasqua -- And Six Of Towner's Better Originals, This Is One Of The Guitarist's Best In A Long String Of ECM Recordings. Wheeler Adds Fire To The Music That Is Tempered A Bit By Darling's Mellow Cello. An Intriguing Set Well Worth Several Listens.” Scott Yanow, AMG. more
	Old Friends, New Friends Used - LP - ECM-1-1153 Mint 1979 Original Featuring Eddie Gomez, Kenny Wheeler And David Darling. Appears Unplayed. more
	Old Friends, New Friends Used - LP - ECM-1-1153 1979 US Original Featuring Eddie Gomez, Kenny Wheeler And David Darling. Light Jacket Wear. “Due To The Very Interesting Grouping Of Players -- Guitarist Ralph Towner, Who Also Performs On Piano And French Horn; Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Cellist David Darling, Bassist Eddie Gomez And Drummer Michael Di Pasqua -- And Six Of Towner's Better Originals, This Is One Of The Guitarist's Best In A Long String Of ECM Recordings. Wheeler Adds Fire To The Music That Is Tempered A Bit By Darling's Mellow Cello. An Intriguing Set Well Worth Several Listens.” AMG - Scott Yanow. more
	Ralph Towner Used - LP - PRO-E-2020 Mint 1983 Promo Only LP Featuring One Side Taken From "Blue Sun" And Side Two Featuring Four Tracks From Different Towner Albums. Pressed On Quiex Type Pure Virgin Vinyl. more
	Solo Concert New - LP - 1173 Sealed 1980 Original, Saw Cut. Solo Guitar Recorded Live In Munich And Zurich. more
	Solo Concert Used - LP - ECM-1-1173 1980 Original. Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Solo Guitar Recorded Live In Munich And Zurich. “This Very Well-Recorded Album Features Ralph Towner Playing 12-String And Classical Guitar On "Nardis," Two Pieces By John Abercrombie, And Four Of His Own Originals. The Interpretations Are Typically Sensitive, Thoughtful, And Often Introspective, But Also Show Off Towner's Impressive Technique.” Scott Yanow, AMG. more
	Solstice Used - LP - 1060 1975 Original In Shrink Wrap Featuring Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber & Jon Christensen. Appears Unplayed. more
	Solstice Used - LP - 1080 ST 1975 German Original. Appears Unplayed. “When Ralph Towner Burst Onto The Contemporary Jazz Scene In The Mid-70s, Listeners Were Well Aware Of His Awesome Talent As A Member Of Oregon. But When Solstice Was Issued On The ECM Label, It Took The Brilliant Guitarist's Caché To A Much Higher Level, Especially As A Composer. With The Otherworldly Curved Soprano Sax And Flute Playing Of Jan Garbarek, The Precise Drumming Of Jon Christensen, And Unique Bass Sounds Of Eberhard Weber, The Music On This Album Lifted The ECM/Euro-Styled Jazz And Improvised Music To A New Realm Of Pure Expressionism. Simply Put -- This Music Is Stunningly Beautiful. The Incredible "Oceanus" Begins With Towner's Cascading Guitar, Followed By The Swelling And Symphonic Bass Of Weber, A Swinging Drum Line By Christensen With Garbarek's Atmospheric And Dramatic Curved Soprano Layering Contrasting Timbres, Symmetry, And Unusual Colors. "Nimbus" Opens With Some Astounding Technical Harmonics From Towner, More So Considering The Acoustic Nature Of His Instrument. A Circular Theme In Implied 3/4 Underneath 4/4 Leads To Overdubbed Flutes From Garbarek, Bowed Bass, The Curved Soprano In 6/8 All Identifying The Pure ECM Sound. "Piscean Dance" Is A Funky Workout Between Towner And Christensen, The Earthiest Track On The Date, And An Exercise Of Intuitive Confluence. Other Portions Of The Disc Are Space Oriented Like The Loose, Free And Haunting "Red & Black," "Visitation" With Multiple Percussion Sounds Of Flexatone And Shakers Under Weber's Bowed Bass And Garbarek's Alien Dragonfly Flute, While Weber's "Sand" Has The Musicians Staring At The Crab Nebula While Firmly Rooted In A Strut Later In The Piece. Towner's Wondrous Piano Is Heard On "Drifting Petals," A Pretty And Pensive Waltz With Unison Lines Alongside Garbarek's Flute, Then Towner Switches To Guitar In A Deeper Discourse With The Quartet. As Cold As The Norwegian Studio (Oslo) They Were Recording In, "Winter Solstice" Is Not So Much Profound As It Is Telepathic, As The Players Use Stop-Start Techniques, Again Inserting A 3/4 Rhythm Into A 4/4 Equation. Of The Many Excellent Recordings He Has Offered, Solstice Is Towner's Crowning Achievement As A Leader Fronting This Definitive Grouping Of ECM Stablemates Who Absolutely Define The Label's Sound For The Time Frame, And For All Time.” Michael G. Nastos, AMG. more
	Solstice / Sound And Shadows Used - LP - ECM-1-1095 1977 US Original With Poly Lined Inner. Housed In A Textured Jacket With Mild Ring Wear. Towner, 12-String Guitar And Classical Guitar, Piano, French Horn; Jan Garbarek, Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Flute; Eberhard Weber, Bass, Cello; Jon Christensen, Drums. New, Unplayed Copy. ?Ralph Towner Is In Fine Form On This Set Of Five Tracks, The First Of Which, "Distant Hills," Is An Oregon Standard From The Band's Vanguard Period. Towner's Compositions Shine With Their Subtlety And Grace. Towner's Playing Here, With A Group Of Other ECM Artists, Is What Made The Label So Noteworthy: It Is Full Of Elegance And Aplomb And The Musicians Are As Aware Of Space As They Are Of What Fills It. There Are No Excessive Solos In The Improvisational Sections No Matter How Long The Tracks Are. "Distant Hills" And "Balance Beam" Are Both Over Ten Minutes In Length But Remain Collaborative; Compositional Structure Is Given Due Consideration In The Plot And Expression Of A Particular Player's Solo. Towner, At Least At This Point In His Career, And Again Much Later, Was A Master Of Understatement. His Sonic Intentions Were To Allow His Works To Occur To The Listener In Process Rather Than Be Recognizable Immediately. They Develop, Even The Shorter Pieces, Over Time And Musical Motif; Modal Structures Seemingly Appear From The Ether Though They Had Been In The Making From The First Measures. Also, Rhythmic Considerations Are Modular In Towner's Works And Jon Christensen Is The Perfect Drummer For Executing Them. Jan Garbarek's Playing Was Just Beginning To Take On Its Melodic, Contoured Style Incorporating Folk Melodies From His And Other Native Lands Into His Playing -- Though His Tone Was And Is Unchanged. And Eberhard Weber And Towner Have Near Telepathic Communication Between Them. His Basslines And Cello Phrases Hang Like Ghosts In The Air Unmoving In The Stillness, Allowing Towner's Guitars To Puncture Them And Move Them Along Into Different Modes Of Expression And Tonality. This Is A Very Solid Date By A Group Of Musicians Who Could Be Nearly Invisible As Individuals In Order To Put A Tune Through Its Paces If That's What It Took; A Very Fine Effort.? All Music Guide - Thom Jurek. more
	Solstice Sound And Shadows Used - LP - 1095 Rare 1977 White Label Promo Housed In A Textured Jacket. Towner, 12-String Guitar And Classical Guitar, Piano, French Horn; Jan Garbarek, Soprano & tenor Saxophones, Flute; Eberhard Weber, Bass, Cello; Jon Christensen, Drums. Start Of A Corner Crease. more
	Solstice Sound And Shadows New - LP - 1095 Rare 1977 German First Press Original Housed In A Textured Jacket. Towner, 12-String Guitar And Classical Guitar, Piano, French Horn; Jan Garbarek, Soprano & Tenor Saxophones, Flute; Eberhard Weber, Bass, Cello; Jon Christensen, Drums. New, Unplayed Copy. ?Ralph Towner Is In Fine Form On This Set Of Five Tracks, The First Of Which, "Distant Hills," Is An Oregon Standard From The Band's Vanguard Period. Towner's Compositions Shine With Their Subtlety And Grace. Towner's Playing Here, With A Group Of Other ECM Artists, Is What Made The Label So Noteworthy: It Is Full Of Elegance And Aplomb And The Musicians Are As Aware Of Space As They Are Of What Fills It. There Are No Excessive Solos In The Improvisational Sections No Matter How Long The Tracks Are. "Distant Hills" And "Balance Beam" Are Both Over Ten Minutes In Length But Remain Collaborative; Compositional Structure Is Given Due Consideration In The Plot And Expression Of A Particular Player's Solo. Towner, At Least At This Point In His Career, And Again Much Later, Was A Master Of Understatement. His Sonic Intentions Were To Allow His Works To Occur To The Listener In Process Rather Than Be Recognizable Immediately. They Develop, Even The Shorter Pieces, Over Time And Musical Motif; Modal Structures Seemingly Appear From The Ether Though They Had Been In The Making From The First Measures. Also, Rhythmic Considerations Are Modular In Towner's Works And Jon Christensen Is The Perfect Drummer For Executing Them. Jan Garbarek's Playing Was Just Beginning To Take On Its Melodic, Contoured Style Incorporating Folk Melodies From His And Other Native Lands Into His Playing -- Though His Tone Was And Is Unchanged. And Eberhard Weber And Towner Have Near Telepathic Communication Between Them. His Basslines And Cello Phrases Hang Like Ghosts In The Air Unmoving In The Stillness, Allowing Towner's Guitars To Puncture Them And Move Them Along Into Different Modes Of Expression And Tonality. This Is A Very Solid Date By A Group Of Musicians Who Could Be Nearly Invisible As Individuals In Order To Put A Tune Through Its Paces If That's What It Took; A Very Fine Effort.? Thom Jurek, All Music. more