Ralph Towner, the jazz and acoustic guitar virtuoso, has passed away at a hospital in Rome, Italy.
Videos by Suggest
News of the musician’s death was shared on Jan. 18 by his long-term label, ECM, and confirmed by his daughter, Celeste Towner, per Downbeat. A cause of death for the 85-year-old was not revealed.
According to Downbeat, sources told the Italian news agency Agenzia Italia that the guitarist had recently been hospitalized for unspecified health issues.
Towner was best known for his work on the six- and twelve-string acoustic guitars, where he expanded the jazz lexicon with his avant-garde approach. Although he initially gained fame as a pianist, he became a prominent guitarist in the late ’60s New York jazz scene. During the jazz fusion movement of the ’70s, Towner established himself as a formidable force in jazz guitar.
Towner appeared on the Paul Winter Consort’s album Road, which included his song “Icarus,” now a jazz standard. He also formed the modern jazz and world music quartet Oregon. Additionally, he played as a sideman on Weather Report’s 1972 album, I Sing the Body Electric. This led to a long relationship with the ECM label, which released nearly all of his non-Oregon recordings after his 1973 debut, Trios / Solos.
Towner was known for his innovative use of overdubbing. This allowed him to play both guitar and piano on the same track. This technique is showcased on his 1974 album, Diary, where he essentially duets with himself.
Ralph Towner Moved to Italy in the 1990s
Towner moved to Italy in the early 1990s, first settling in Palermo before eventually making Rome his home. Oregon continued to record and perform extensively, with Towner, multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, and bassist Glen Moore touring alongside various band members after the death of sitar and tabla player Collin Walcott in 1984.
Towner’s final album, At First Light, is a solo guitar recording made in Switzerland in 2022. It was released on ECM Records in 2023.
He is survived by his partner, Mariella, and his daughter, Celeste, from his first marriage to Janet.