RALPH TOWNER - Open Letter (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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. Towner teams up with jazz drummer Peter Erskine on this set, and while guitar and drums may sound like kind of a dry instrumentation, Towner fleshes things out with some synthesizer and Erskine puts electronic percussion to tasteful use. But it's the more traditional fare that is most successful here -- while "Magic Pouch," awith its imitation flute, is almost a new age parody, the similarly gentle "Nightfall" hits the spot perfectly, and Towner's solo turn on the Bill Evans classic "Waltz for Debby" is exquisite. In general, Towner seems to do best with standards rather than originals; he acquits himself beautifully on "I Fall in Love Too Easily," but the faux-Spanish modality and synthesized seagull cries of "Alar" sound like muzak for tourists. Other Towner compositions, notably "The Sigh" and "Short 'n Stout," are far more successful. by Rick Anderson
Tracklist:
1     The Sigh 5:13
Ralph Towner
2     Wistful Thinking 3:54
Ralph Towner
3     Adrift 6:14
Ralph Towner
4     Infection 3:19
Peter Erskine / Ralph Towner
5     Alar 7:16
Ralph Towner
6     Short 'n Stout 3:04
Ralph Towner
7     Waltz for Debby 4:15
Bill Evans / Gene Lees
8     I Fall in Love Too Easily 4:17
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
9     Magic Pouch 5:09
Ralph Towner
10     Magnolia Island 4:33
Ralph Towner
11     Nightfall 6:33
Ralph Towner
Credits:
Classical Guitar, Twelve-string Guitar, Synthesizer – Ralph Towner
Drums – Peter Erskine