Ralph Towner & John Abercrombie - Five Years Later (1981/2014) [Official Digital Download 24-bit/96kHz]

In 1976, guitarists Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie teamed up for a duet session, Sargasso Sea, that was released under Abercrombie's name. Five years later, they made this ECM date. One can easily tell the two guitarists apart, since Abercrombie mostly plays electric and has a more forceful sound, while Towner's solos are usually more introverted. They perform three of Towner's songs, a pair of Abercrombie originals, and three collaborations. Although the interaction tends to be fairly quiet, there is a lot of subtle passion.

“Something special happens when they play together” observed Robert Palmer in the New York Times, and the participants concurred. “Playing with John is one of my favourite things to do,” said Ralph Towner. “I can play as much as when playing solo, and still get to ply my skills as accompanist. John is such an amazing person to play with that, even when he’s playing intensely or aggressively, we somehow fit together and there’s really no way that we could collide.” On Five Years Later, follow-up to their debut duo disc Sargasso Sea, their improvisations draw on a wider sonic palette, to telling effect.

Tracklist:

01 - Late Night Passenger
02 - Isla
03 - Half Past Two
04 - Microtheme
05 - Caminata
06 - The Juggler's Etude
07 - Bumabia
08 - Child's Play

Produced by Manfred Eicher. Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug.
Recorded in March 1981 at Talent Studio, Oslo, Norway.

Musicians:
John Abercrombie - Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Electric 12-string Guitar, Mandolin
Ralph Towner - 12-string and Classical Guitar


Thanks to the Original customer!