Towner, Ralph / My Foolish Heart
Album: My Foolish Heart   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Towner, Ralph   Added:Apr 2018
Label:Ecm Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2018-04-29 Pull Date: 2018-07-01 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Jul 1 Jun 17 Jun 3 May 13
Airplays: 1 2 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 29, 2021: Old Fart at Play (rebroadcast from Jun 15, 2018)
I'll Sing To You
4. Jun 16, 2018: the acupuncture hour
Dolomiti Dance, My Foolish Heart, Saunter, I'll Sing To You, Pilgrimsaunter
2. Jul 07, 2018: the cacophony hour
Clarion Call
5. Jun 15, 2018: Old Fart at Play
I'll Sing To You
3. Jun 29, 2018: the cacophony hour (demo)
Clarion Call, Saunter
6. May 29, 2018: Hot Probs
Blue As In Bley, My Foolish Heart

Album Review
Tom McCarter
Reviewed 2018-04-27
Reviewed: 2018-04-27
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: Solo guitar from Oregon’s guitarist. Towner has occasionally said that he considers himself less a musician than a sort of audio novelist. An album or concert might not tell a single strict narrative, exactly, but dynamic flow is central to his compositions as much as his marvelously expressive fretting and plucking. Unsurprisingly from a player so known for picturesque sensibility (though always a delight to hear), My Foolish Heart paints another lovely series of aural images with a rich depth of experience behind it all.
If You Like: David Friesen, Bill Frisell, Nels Cline
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
1/ Pilgrim (4:31) – slow start> slow intriguing solo> quick stop
*2/ I’ll Sing To You (4:32) – strong entrance> slow like a ballerina skipping lightly> builds to midtempo> & slows> fade
3/ Saunter (5:01) – slow opening, slow solo like a stroll through a park, observing sights> swings uptempo> quick stop
*4/ My Foolish Heart (4:24) – slow opening> midtempo solo & fullof yearning> shifting melodies like a conversation
*5/ Dolomiti Dance (4:24) – quick opening like a jig> fast solo> false stop> fast solo builds in intensity & volume> shifts back & forth between melodies> quick stop
6/ Clarion Call (4:40) – slow opening with bass strings> hesitating> slow solo with intermittent heavy chords swings to midtempo and fades
7/ Two Poets (2:04) – quiet & slow opening> slow solo> slow fade
*8/ Shard (0:54) – heavy chords start> short uptempo solo> quick stop
9/ Ubi Sunt (1:20) – slow opning> slow solo> quick stop
*10/ Biding Time (1:29) – heavy chords open> uptempo solo> quick fade
*11/ Blue As In Bley (3:53) – strong slow opening> rocking midtempo solo> quick fade
*12/ Rewind (3:43) – strong slow opening> midtempo solo builds to uptempo> fade

Track Listing
1. Pilgrimsaunter   7. Two Poets
2. I'll Sing To You   8. Shard
3. Saunter   9. Ubi Sunt
4. My Foolish Heart   10. Biding Time
5. Dolomiti Dance   11. Blue As In Bley
6. Clarion Call   12. Rewind