Solstice

Artist: Ralph Towner
Label: Ecm Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 042282545824
EAN: 0042282545824
ASIN: B0000261O7

Release Date: 2000-03-07

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Listmania:

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Tracks:

Oceanus
Visitation
Drifting Petals
Nimbus
Winter Solstice
Piscean Dance
Red And Black
Sand

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Customer Reviews:

Before Ms. Feminine Mystique Grew Buck Teeth and Hairy Armpits.......2006-12-06

Take the musicians on this jazzy escapade in sound.

Only men are hairy and toothy enough to imagine such elegant things. (Unless, of course, they are women.) Garbarek saves his altissimo for just the right moment on "Oceanus." Towner and Christiansen take Richie Havens as their STARTING POINT in "Ticean Dance" and wring just about everything there is to be wrung out of it. "Sand" prefigures Bowie's "Subterraneans" on "Low" by about two years. Connecting these two songs was boss, let me tell you.

Yes, Towner could serenade us with a few more open, cathartic chords on "Ticean Dance" to better highlight the song's incredibly tight, fractious rhythms. If one chose to sweat the details, yes. But, this is not about sweating the details - this is about sitting back and imploding. These guys are good, very good -- "Dis" with a rhythm section.

But, no, it can't last, can it. Santa Claus has to climb back up the chimney and pay off his credit cards, doesn't he. The snowman grins, sags and melts, doesn't he. The ego takes over and ruins everything, doesn't it.

But, in the 70's, when artists weren't ALWAYS grandstanding and could open their soul-lids for a peek, as on "Solstice," you darn well got your money's worth. So, forget it's 2006 (you can do it!); let Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and Glenn Beck save world (one man's opinion); plug in mood lighting; feed fish; drink green tea and; obsequiously enjoy.

Encountering old friends.......2006-05-18

As a younger person I owned quite a few vinyl albums. Amoung them were "Crystal Silence"(Gary Burton-Chick Corea), one of my all time favorite pre-new age jazz albums. I found the reissue of that CD years ago.

But my two most beloved jazz albums; moody, peaceful, emotional satisfying works are definitely "Diary" and "Solstice" by Ralph Towner.

Musically, these are all old friends whom I've never met and I'm glad to encounter once again many years later.

Reading at home alone on a rainy night or driving in the mountains on a snowy day in mid-Winter, this is the music to have.

indelibly stamped with the imprimatur of authenticity.......2005-10-10

There are precious few artists whose music is so instantly recognizable, so indelibly stamped with the imprimatur of authenticity, that their work is guaranteed a place in the annals of music history. Ralph Towner is one such artist.

The guitar solos on "Solstice" are pristine in tone and execution, and offer an exquisite view into the imagination of one of our greatest free improvisors. The interplay among the all-star cast of ECM players borders on the telepathic. The music is alternately transcendent, urgent, atmospheric, unpredictable, and beautiful beyond words.

You cannot go wrong with any release bearing Ralph Towner's name. Solstice is a soaring achievement, and ranks among my very favorites of all time.

Hypnotic, Eerie, Playful and A Wonderful Musical Wild Ride.......2005-01-13

This 1974 release by guitarist Ralph Towner only reaffirms his genius and versatility as a musician/composer.

Teaming up with bassist Eberhard Weber, drummer Jon Christensen and saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Towner took 3 other very highly developed musical personalities on a wild ride with him through dark spooky forests ("Visitation"), vast seas ("Oceanus"), deserts ("Sand") and more. Towner lets forth some beautiful Bill Evans-esque piano musings on "Drifting Petals", and even engages Jan Garbarek in a lively duo on "Winter Solstice". Things even get funky on "Piscean Dance".

Bassist Eberhard Weber adds not only brilliant electric upright bass lines to the proceedings but goes further to add eerie choruses of cellos and bowed bass. Jan Garbarek proves a more than capable foil for Towners full rich guitars and piano with his stark, icy, yet oddly soulful tones on tenor, soprano and flute. One of his best moments is "Nimbus" with its tumbling flutes and stern tenor sax interjections.

"Visitation" gets my vote for spookiest track on an ECM release. This improv piece is VERY effective in conjuring up vivid images of walking through a spooky forest at night, screech owls in full cry and something lurking behind the twisted trees.

All throughout, drummer Jon Christensen provides very flexible and empathetic playing, really listening to what's going on and giving his all without overpowering the other musicians. He shoud definitely get a MVP Award in the ECM stable (as he's appeared on so many ECM discs).

Prepare ye for a mindblowing listening experience!

Pat Metheny's Favorite ECM Recording.......2002-12-13

On a wet and rainy October 1976 evening I walked into a Tower Records in Seattle. I immediately took note of the music playing. It was weird, beautiful, mystical, forceful, transcendental all at the same time. I inquired and was told it was Ralph Towner Solstice. I purchased it on Lp. I still have that old Lp as well as the CD. A few months later I got to see Ralph perform duets with John Abercrombie. After the 1st piece there was one perfect moment where you could have heard a pin drop the crowd was so captivated. Towner is one of the greats. Solstice is one of the most played recordings in my collection. Pat Metheny once commented on his website that this was his favorite ECM recording. Pick it up and find out why!

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