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Posts Tagged Ralph Towner

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February 10, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Sir Richard Bishop: Oneiric Formulary

Sir Richard Bishop Oneiric Formulary Drag City Records I’ve always loved Sir Richard Bishop’s records – the obvious touchstone, and perhaps he’s over-mentioned really is John Fahey, still, his sound and feel and approach has been hugely influential and not just on Bishop. A generation of folk-motivated sonic explorers were turned onto the guitar and […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Buckethead, Experimental, Guitar, Instrumental, John Fahey, John Martyn, Leo Kottke, Oneiric Formulary, Ralph Towner, Richard Bishop, Sir Richard Bishop, Sir Richard Bishop: Oneiric Formulary, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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June 9, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Jean-Louis Matinier & Kevin Seddiki: Rivages

Jean-Louis Matinier & Kevin Seddiki Rivages ECM Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion) and Kevin Seddiki (guitar) first worked together as part of a supporting trio a decade ago – this marks their first work together as a duo (and its Seddiki’s debut for ECM).
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Accordion, Al Di Meola, Album Review, ECM, Guitar, Jean-Louis Matinier, Jean-Louis Matinier & Kevin Seddiki, Jean-Louis Matinier & Kevin Seddiki: Rivages, Kevin Seddiki, Ralph Towner, Rivages, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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April 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Bill Orcutt: Odds Against Tomorrow

Bill Orcutt Odds Against Tomorrow Palilalia If you’ve ever imagined what the common ground between John Fahey and Derek Bailey might sound like – then Bill Orcutt is your guy. He’s an Ornette Coleman-like guitarist. He’s equal parts punk, blues and jazz – as he cuts astonishing new shapes through old traditions. Primarily a soloist, […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Bill Frisell, Bill Orcutt, Bill Orcutt: Odds Against Tomorrow, Derek Bailey, Guitar, John Fahey, Marc Ribot, Muddy Waters, Odds Against Tomorrow, Ornette Coleman, Ralph Towner, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Ralph Towner: My Foolish Heart

Ralph Towner My Foolish Heart Deutsche Grammophon/ECM One of my all-time favourite albums by anyone ever is Diary by Ralph Towner. What a beautiful and tranquil thing that is. And I found it because, on a whim, I was desperate for more Ralph Towner because, up to that point, and I guess beyond, one of […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 12-String, Album Review, Anthem, Classical, Classsical, Deutsche Grammophon, Deutsche Grammophon/ECM, Diary, ECM, Folk, Instrumental, Jazz, My Foolish Heart, Ralph Towner, Ralph Towner: My Foolish Heart, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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February 14, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Gat This: My Top 10 ‘Guitar’ Albums

A while ago I described something/someone as “guitar music” and was chortled at from all directions; there’s no such thing as guitar music. This is not a genre. This is no way to explain or define music. Andres Segovia and Derek Bailey and Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt and Eddie Van Halen have all made amazing music by approaching the same instrument (or versions of […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 10", Andres Segovia, Blow By Blow, Buckethead, Colma, Derek Bailey, Diary, Eric Clapton, Gat, Gat This, Gat This: My Top 10 ‘Guitar’ Albums, Grant Green, Guitar, Guitarist, Guitarists, Harmonic Crusader, Instrumental, James Blackshaw, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Live At The Lighthouse, Lyle Workman, Marc Ribot, Music By Ry Cooder, My Top 10 ‘Guitar’ Albums, Passion and Warfare, Ralph Towner, Rootless Cosmopolitans, Ry Cooder, Santana, Steve Vai, Surfing With The Alien, Ten, Top 10, Van Halen, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 7, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Revisiting The Glass Bead Game: James Blackshaw’s Finest

The guy’s name is James Blackshaw. And I had never heard of him. He’s London-based, he’d been alive for less than 30 years and he plays acoustic 12-string guitar and piano. The album that first fascinated me is The Glass Bead Game. I then found out that it is (at least) his eighth album. I’ve […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Diary, Folk, Instrumental, James Blackshaw, James Blackshaw’s Finest, Neil Young, Ralph Towner, Revisiting The Glass Bead Game, Revisiting The Glass Bead Game: James Blackshaw’s Finest\, Roy Harper, Stormcock, The Glass Bead Game ·

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July 6, 2011 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1940

Ralph Towner, Diary (1973) A chance flip through the YouTube unearthed this clip of Ralph Towner doing his thing. It reminded me that I was a big fan, a decade or so ago, of Anthem and from there a few other records from Towner’s extensive, always interesting, oeuvre. So that sent me on a hunt […]
Posted in The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged Anthem, Diary, ECM, Icarus, Ralph Towner, Vinyl ·

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