At First Light - Ralph Towner (1LP Vinyl)

At First Light by Ralph Towner.

Recorded in February 2022 at the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano, "At First Light" finds Ralph Towner in a setting perfectly suited to the intimacy of his craft. The room's celebrated acoustics have long made it a favored space for ECM, and here they lend a quiet, resonant clarity to every plucked string and sustained harmonic. This is an album that rewards close listening, the kind of solo statement that fills a room without ever raising its voice.

The program opens with "Flow," easing the listener into Towner's world before "Strait" and the standard "Make Someone Happy" reveal the breadth of his vocabulary. There is a conversational quality to these performances, as though Towner is thinking aloud through the instrument, letting melodies emerge and dissolve at their own pace. "Ubi Sunt" carries a reflective, almost searching character, while "Guitarra Picante" closes the first side with a touch of brighter, more rhythmically alert energy.

Side B centers on the title piece, "At First Light," a track that captures the album's overarching mood of stillness and gradual illumination. It sits alongside a beautifully considered reading of "Danny Boy," where Towner brings his own harmonic sensibility to a melody known the world over, finding fresh contours in familiar terrain. The interpretation feels neither reverent nor showy, simply honest and deeply felt.

From there the record moves through "Fat Foot," "Argentinian Nights," and "Little Old Lady," each offering a distinct color within Towner's palette. His command of both classical and jazz idioms allows these pieces to shift between lyricism and rhythmic drive, between introspection and warmth. The closing "Empty Stage" leaves the listener with a lingering sense of space, a fitting farewell that seems to hold the silence after the final note.

As an ECM Production, the release bears all the hallmarks the label is known for: unhurried pacing, spatial recording, and a devotion to sound as an expressive element in its own right. Released under the ℗ © 2023 ECM Records GmbH designation and pressed in the EU, made in Germany, it continues the long and fruitful relationship between Towner and the label that has documented so much of his most enduring work.

For collectors and listeners alike, "At First Light" is a rewarding addition to any shelf, a document of a master guitarist at a moment of poised, unhurried maturity. It is music that invites repeated returns, revealing new detail with each listen and settling comfortably into the quiet hours. Here at Miles Waxey, we are pleased to offer this one to those who value the art of solo guitar at its most eloquent.

Pressing Details:
Recorded February 2022
Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano

An ECM Production

℗ © 2023 ECM Records GmbH

Made in EU
Made in Germany

Track Listing:
A1. Flow
A2. Strait
A3. Make Someone Happy
A4. Ubi Sunt
A5. Guitarra Picante
B1. At First Light
B2. Danny Boy
B3. Fat Foot
B4. Argentinian Nights
B5. Little Old Lady
B6. Empty Stage

Artist: Ralph Towner

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: ECM Records

Catalog Number: ECM 2758

Release Year: 2023

Country: Germany

Condition: Sealed (New)