| Matchbook | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Recorded | July 26–27, 1974 | |||
| Studio | Tonstudio Bauer Ludwigsburg, W. Germany | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 38:58 | |||
| Label | ECM 1056 ST | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Ralph Towner chronology | ||||
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| Gary Burton chronology | ||||
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Matchbook is an album by guitarist Ralph Towner and vibraphonist Gary Burton recorded over two days in July 1974 and released on ECM the following year. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DownBeat (1975) |  [2] |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [5] |
Scott Yanow, in a review for AllMusic, noted that the pairing of Towner and Burton was "a logical matchup, since both musicians are open to folk melodies and are generally quiet improvisers". However, he also stated: "More tempo and mood variation would have uplifted the otherwise fine music." [3]
In an article at Acoustic Guitar, Mark Kemp wrote: "In the early 1970s, ECM Records described its overall philosophy as 'the most beautiful sound next to silence.' This ECM collaboration... defined that philosophy. The nylon-string and vibes interplay... are the essence of chamber jazz: intimate, quiet, contemplative, and absolutely beautiful." [6]
Tyran Grillo, writing for Between Sound and Space, commented: "A matchbook doesn't typically provide a surface for lasting statements. On its flap, one scrawls a phone number, an address, or any other piece of information as ephemeral as the flames for which it is mass-produced. Such is not the case with guitarist Ralph Towner and vibraphonist Gary Burton. Instead, we get indelible marks of grace and humility, each a brighter spark at the wick of our attention... The sound of this album is like no other and unfolds itself with the delicacy of a morning glory, yet with melodies as indestructible as the sunlight that sustains them. Its many colors are provided not only through finely wrought melodies, but also through a wealth of rhythmic variations throughout. If you like either of these artists apart, then you can’t go wrong with them together." [7]
All tracks are written by Ralph Towner, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Drifting Petals" | 5:19 | |
| 2. | "Some Other Time" | 6:16 | |
| 3. | "Brotherhood" | Gary Burton | 1:12 |
| 4. | "Icarus" | 5:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song for a Friend" | 5:10 | |
| 2. | "Matchbook" | 4:34 | |
| 3. | "1 × 6" | 0:56 | |
| 4. | "Aurora" | 5:11 | |
| 5. | "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" | Charles Mingus | 4:22 |
Patrick Bruce Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be heralded as an innovator, and his sound and technique are widely imitated. He is also known for pioneering fusion jazz and popularizing the duet format in jazz, as well as being a major figure in music education from his 30 years teaching at the Berklee College of Music.
Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn.
Pat Metheny Group is the debut album by the Pat Metheny Group, recorded in January 1978 and released on ECM in March that same year. The quartet features rhythm section Lyle Mays, Mark Egan, and Danny Gottlieb.
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Dawn Dance is an album by South African guitarist Steve Eliovson and American percussionist Collin Walcott, recorded in January 1981 and released on ECM later that year.
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