"I have a ton of CDs with Peter Erskine, and while he plays at a consistently amazing level, this CD contains the best I've heard from him to date. Incredible interaction between him and Ralph Towner, who exhibits his own compositional and guitar-playing prowess. If you're a fan of either of these guys, it's a must-buy."
Profound beauty and introspection ...again!
Scott68 | Columbus, Ohio United States | 09/25/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have alot of his recordings but this is my favorite Towner, stunning chord voicings and melodic phrases that translate into a deeply emotional statement. His effective use of space and time stirs one's imagination. Alot of people don't know he has a degree in composition, his effective combonation of improv and structure keep things interesting. This is the best of the best of the modern jazz/classical synthesists.BRAVO again Mr. Towner."
Another Vista of Subjectivity Opens...
Stephen Silberman | SF, CA USA | 07/01/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Strictly speaking, this is a four-and-a-half-star record -- a few of the selections feel a little ragged or arbitrary. But on the strength of The Sigh and Nightfall alone, this record is a must-own for Towner fans. Like Blue Sun, Towner uses guitars and keyboards to paint a deep, brooding melancholy that has a characteristic grace and elegance. Alar, with its muffled detonations of very natural-sounding synth, is like an extension of Ogden Road from Diary, a long narrative in sound. Nightfall is almost shockingly sad: the perfect music to ruminate over the apocalypse of a long relationship. Peter Erskine's contributions on percussion are bright and a little busy, not quite necessary but inoffensive. If you're just getting into Towner, Solo Concert or Diary might be better ports of entry (after his records with Oregon, of course), but if you love Blue Sun, pick this one up too."
A masterpiece I love so much
Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 03/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is becoming boring. Ralph Towner records only masterpieces. And it is becoming annoying to write reviews to say how big is Towner's achievement in music. Obviously I'm joking and I'm really happy to write this review for another very important album from Ralph that I know very well. It is not his last but it is one of his best for sure. I'm particularly fond to this album not only because the music is sensational, absolutly great, but also because I bought Open Letter when I started to have a deep interest in the true hi fi music reproduction. Hi end it is called. "Alar", the fifth tune here has been and still it is, a benchmark for me in terms of recording quality. This whole album of course is splendid in that sense, but Alar has a particular quality that I fell in love with. I remember I was there on my red sofà trying to "tune up" the system listening again and again to Alar and never getting tired of it. At a certain point I started to think "Wow, but this tune is unbelievable, let me just concentrate only on the music and not on the system's performance" ... No, seriously, this album is wonderful. It is a sort of an experiment for Ralph because he did not play alone here, there's Peter Erskine to help him with the rhythmn parts and percussions stuff. And Ralph experimented with "loops" and electronics too in some tunes. Some other tunes are played by Ralph alone instead. A very various program. Every tune is a gem and I consider this one among the very best albums in the very long Ralph Towner's history. Uh, did I tell you that it is a benchmark for its recording quality? =))"