Ralph Towner interviewed by Pablo Held

Ralph Towner is my hero. He’s a musical pioneer, a poetic and lyrical storyteller, always searching for something new, a giant of jazz & improvised music. I have childhood memories of listening to his records in my parents collection — His duo recording with Gary Peacock “Oracle“ always comes to mind. So do his solo recordings, his work with Oregon, Weather Report, Azimuth and much more. After many years of loving and studying his music I got to meet him for the first time in 2017 after an incredible solo gig of his in Wuppertal. The promoter managed to sneak me into the dinner and somehow I ended up sitting next to Ralph. Naturally I asked him many questions all night! An interview, only without the camera. Later on Ralph was not only kind enough to write liner notes to a trio album of mine, he also accepted to play a couple of gigs with us in 2018. A dream come true, and an unforgettable experience. This conversation took place in late 2021, before the soundcheck for our gig at