Open Letter is an album by guitarist Ralph Towner

Ralph Towner

Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...

 recorded in 1991 and 1992 and released on the ECM label.

Reception

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

Track listing

All compositions by Ralph Towner except as indicated

1. "The Sigh" - 5:13
2. "Wistful Thinking" - 3:58
3. "Adrift" - 6:10
4. "Infection" (Peter Erskine, Ralph Towner) - 3:18
5. "Alar" - 7:14
6. "Short 'n Stout" - 3:04
7. "Waltz For Debby
   Waltz for Debby (song)
   "Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by Bill Evans. A piano trio jazz waltz, it was first recorded on Evans's 1956 album New Jazz Conceptions and, perhaps more famously, on his 1961 live album Waltz for Debby. It has been recorded by many artists, both as an instrumental and as a vocal piece...
   
   " (Bill Evans
   Bill Evans
   William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
   
   ) - 4:16
8. "I Fall in Love Too Easily
   I Fall in Love Too Easily
   "I Fall in Love Too Easily" is a 1944 song composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1945 film Anchors Aweigh...
   
   " (Jules Styne, Sammy Cahn
   Sammy Cahn
   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 premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
   
   ) - 4:19
9. "Magic Pouch" - 5:06
10. "Magnolia Island" - 4:35
11. "Nightfall" - 6:27
    • Recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway in July 1991 and February 1992

Personnel

• Ralph Towner
  Ralph Towner
  Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
  
   — twelve-string guitar, classical guitar
  Classical guitar
  The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
  
  , synthesizer
  Synthesizer
  A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
  
  
• Peter Erskine
  Peter Erskine
  Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
  
   — drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....