Vinyl Vault: Ralph Towner Tribute

Next time on the Vinyl Vault, we’ll remember the late Ralph Towner, who passed away on January 18, 2026, at the age of 85. Towner was a multi-instrumentalist, but is probably best known for his work on the guitar. He also played piano, synthesizers, percussion, French Horn, trumpet, and flugelhorn. He also sang on occasion.

Towner first came to prominence for his work with the Paul Winter Consort in the late 1960s. Shortly after leaving that band, he and other members of the Consort formed the group Oregon. Towner also recorded many albums under his own name or with one or two or three other musicians.

On the next Vinyl Vault, we’ll hear tracks from two of his solo albums, “Diary,” from 1974 on ECM records, and “Solo Concert,” from 1980, also on ECM. We’ll also hear a track from “Solstice,” from 1975 on ECM, which he recorded with Eberhard Weber, Jon Christensen, and Jan Garbarek. We’ll round it out with tracks from the Paul Winter Consort and Oregon.

Join Geoff Anderson for this Ralph Towner tribute on the Vinyl Vault, this Tuesday, February 3, at 8:30 p.m. on KUVO JAZZ.