''Open Letter'' is an album by guitarist

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

recorded in 1991 and 1992 and released on the ECM label.ECM discography
accessed October 6, 2011

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Rick Anderson awarded the album 3 stars, stating, "Ralph Towner's a difficult case. The snoozy noodlings of his former band

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

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.Anderson, R
Allmusic Review
accessed October 6, 2011

Track listing

:''All compositions by Ralph Towner except as indicated'' # "The Sigh" - 5:13 # "Wistful Thinking" - 3:58 # "Adrift" - 6:10 # "Infection" (Peter Erskine, Ralph Towner) - 3:18 # "Alar" - 7:14 # "Short 'n Stout" - 3:04 # " Waltz For Debby" (

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

) - 4:16 # " I Fall in Love Too Easily" (

Jules Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...

) - 4:19 # "Magic Pouch" - 5:06 # "Magnolia Island" - 4:35 # "Nightfall" - 6:27 :*Recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway in July 1991 and February 1992

Personnel

* Ralph Towner —

twelve-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

Peter Erskine Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead. Early life and education Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the drum ...

—

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control ECM Records albums Ralph Towner albums 1992 albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher