Search - Ralph Towner, Marc Copland :: Songs Without End

Brilliance abounds

David Matthews | Austin, TX United States | 12/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brilliance abounds in his jewel of a find. The chemistry between these two players is evident from the first track, an incredible rendition of Miles Davis's "Nardis." Copland's piano style is very similar to Towner's. Towner is no slouch on the keyboards, either. But, for this date, he sticks to guitar.
The title track, Jobim's "Zingaroo," begins as a conversation. Towner's strings utter a phrase, Copland's keys whisper a reply. The conversation gently builds, and the musicians become dancers. A sultry passionate samba ensues. This is some of Towner's most beautiful recorded work.
Two Towner compositions are included. This is the only place I recall finding the upbeat,"Tern." "Jamaica Stopover" gets a great workout here.
Copland contributes three songs, "Goodbye" is stunningly beautiful and features Copland and Towner doubling the melody line in perfect complement. "All That's Left" is a bold and bumpy romp with a nice edge to it. "Snowfall" is a bit sappy, the only weak cut. But, het, how bad can it be? Towner's on it.
A Towner trademark endures with the improvisational peice, Freebop. A real gem. You can tell they are having fun and stretching out.
Another outstanding quality of this recording is the selection of cover tunes. A second Davis compostion, Blue on Green, cowrtitten with Bill Evans receives a lovely treatment. But, the closing peice, Gershwin's Love Walked In is the cut that will really get your head bobbin'.
This is a must have disk for the true Towner Fan."